When you are traveling outside the USA, you must have your
passport with you. A passport issued by the US Department of State
certifies you as a citizen of your country, when requesting permission
to enter other countries.
If you have never been a possessor of a
US passport or your last US passport has been expired for more than 12
years, or your recent US passport has been stolen, lost or damaged, then
you must apply for a new US passport. If a person is applying for the
first time, then he needs to do so in person.
International travel
is considered a right that cannot be denied to any citizen. Even so,
not very long ago, people who held views associated with communism, like
Paul Robeson and W.E.B. Dubois, were denied a US passport. However, the
U.S. Department of State cogently maintained that they have the right
to screen people and revoke their passports if necessary. For the same
reasons, US passports to Libya, Lebanon and Iraq are still denied.
In
order to strengthen US security goals, biometric technology has been
extended to US passports.
This is done by including certain physical
characteristics of the applicant, for example fingerprints or retina
scans, and analyzing their distinguishing traits.
A contemporary
US 'e-passport' has been proposed which will be a unique combination of
both tighter security features and a novel design. It will have a
computer chip attached to it, containing important data. This design
will capture the essence of hope and success for the citizens of the
USA.
US Passport [http://www.WetPluto.com/US-Passport.html] provides
detailed information on US Passport, US Passport Application, US
Passport Renewal, US Passport Office and more. US Passport is affiliated
with US Mint Web Sites [http://www.e-USMint.com].
