Whether for personal interest or genealogical research, a
passport record can be easily obtained. If you want to obtain copies of
your passport records, you have two options available depending on the
date of the record you seek.
Passport Record Issued From 1925 to the Present
Request your record
Passport
Services keeps U.S. passport records for all passports issued from the
year 1925 to the present. Usually these records consist of a person's
application for a U.S. passport as well as supporting evidence to show
that the applicant is a U.S. citizen and is protected by law by the
Privacy Act of 1974. The passport record will not contain evidence of
travel such as visas, entrance or exit stamps, residence permits, etc.
All of this information is put into the passport book after its
issuance.
According to the Privacy Act, you are allowed to obtain
copies of records in your name plus the records of any of your minor
children. In order to request these records, you must submit a clearly
printed or typed NOTARIZED request that provides the following
information:
- Your full name at birth as well as an other name changes and/or the full names of your minor children in the event that you are requesting their records;
- Your place and date of birth and the dates of birth of your minor children
- Current mailing address;
- Daytime telephone number or cell phone number;
- Current e-mail address, if you have one;
- Reason for request;
- Dates or the estimated dates that your passports were issued;
- Passport numbers or any other pertinent information that will help in locating your records;
- Copy of your photo ID
The search for your passport record will be free provided
you have a notarized request. However, you will have to pay a $60.00
search fee for every person, other than yourself and any of your minor
children;
Certified Passport Records
You may request
copies of certified passport records. That fee will be $30.00 for the
first certified copy and $20.00 for every copy after that. You can make
out a money order or a check payable to the "Department of State".
Third-Party Requests
These requests must include one of the following:
- Proof of guardianship
- Notarized consent from owner of passport records
- Death certificate, or
- A court order that is signed by a judge of competent jurisdiction who requests the State Department to release the passport records.
The only exception to this rule is when the passport's
owner was born at least 100 years ago. Your third party request need not
be notarized but should include all other information described in the
above section. You also have to pay a $60.00 search fee for every person
for whom you are requesting a record. You should send all of the
information to the following address:
Mailing address
Department of State Passport Services
Research and Liaison Section
Room 500
111119th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20524-1705
Research and Liaison Section
Room 500
111119th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20524-1705
Passport Records Issued Before 1925
Need
a passport record that goes back before 1925? You'll have to turn to
The National Archives and Records Administration. They keep passport
records that date from 1795 to 1925. You may write to them at the
following address:
National Archives and Records Administration
Archives 1
Reference Branch
8th & Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC
Archives 1
Reference Branch
8th & Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC
Visit U.S. Passport Service Guide for comprehensive information on how to get a U.S. passport and/or travel visa to popular destinations worldwide.
