Frequently Asked Questions for Passports
Yes we are! Family owned and operated for over 25 years! We are a true registered company with the Department of State. You can read Google Reviews to see how we have treated our customers over the years. If you ever need to reach us you can call us 24/7 at 832-663-9739. We welcome all customers to reach out with any questions. It doesn't get anymore real than that! Hope to hear from you soon!
Yes we are! COVID has not stopped us from serving our clients. Virtual appointments are available for all clients outside of our Texas office area. Visit our main U.S. Passports page to view our current processing speeds.
Short answer: No. Unfortunately if you are not our client and a case has already been opened for your passport we cannot intervene. Please call the National Passport Information Center (NPIC) at 1-877-487-2778. We wish you the best of luck! In the future please remember PassportWorld can assist you and your family.
Short answer: Yes there are. Some new requirements can include mandatory quarantine upon arrival, proof of COVID vaccination, and/or proof of a negative COVID test within days of your departure and return flight to the United States. Your airline should confirm what restrictions are in place for the country you plan on visiting. Please remember it is your responsibility to research all your travel requirements before your departure.
Short answer: No. You will need an appointment. Please visit our main U.S. Passports page for a list of fees, required documents and to schedule an appointment with our office. We always have appointments available.
We do check our emails after business hours. We are known for replying at 2am! Yikes, I know, we clearly don't sleep. Now, if your email is simply concerning status we will respond during business hours. If you are trying to schedule an appointment, please visit our main U.S. Passports page for a list of fees, required documents, and to access our appointment system. If you have a true emergency we will do our best to answer you after hours, please send an email to: tshea@passportworld.com, cshea@passportworld.com or TEXT us at 305-496-2600 (preferred method).
You can renew your passport as long as you answer yes to the following questions:
1.) Has your passport been expired for less than 5 years?
2.) Was your passport valid for 10-years?
3.) Do you still have your most recent passport in your possession?
4.) Is your passport still in good condition?
If you answered yes to all 4 questions you qualify for renewal. Keep in mind passports issued to minors do not qualify for renewal. These passports are temporarily issued with both parents consent for only 5 years. New parental consent must be obtained for new minor passports. Anyone applying for the first time as adults have to start again as a new application.
At the moment the fastest processing time available will be shown on our main U.S. Passports page. Please click on the link to see our current advertised speeds.
If the applicant is 18 or older they must be present in our office (Signatures are required on documents).
If the applicant is a minor, age 17 or younger, they do not need to be present in our office as long as passport pictures are available. Please remember new passports for minors will require parents and child to be present at the Acceptance Facility (ex: Post office). This is explained under Step 4 on our main U.S. Passports page.
No. As long as one parent is present and they have the front and back copy of the non-present parent we can complete your appointment. Just remember everyone must be present at your second step (the Post Office appointment). There is a way to exempt one parent but both parents must be present at our office to do this.
Yes, you need a check or money order. The Department of State fee cannot be paid with credit cards or cash. If you do not have checks, your bank, local supermarket, or gas station can help you with a money order. Do not fill out your check or money order; an agent from our company will walk you through the correct way of filling it out during your appointment with our office.
Most foreign countries now require more than 6 months’ validity on your passport. If you have less than 6 months left on your passport you run the risk of being turned away at check-in from your airline. Worst case scenario, you’re allowed to board onto your plane here in the US but not allowed to enter the foreign country once you go through immigration. You will need to fly back home and possibly at your expense. If you need to travel soon, please renew your passport. We can process your renewal as quickly as you need it.
Yes! You can smile for a U.S. Passport Picture, as long as it is a natural smile. If the Department of State feels it is overbearing, they may deny it. As for attire, try to stay away from all-white shirts, uniforms, or camouflage clothing. No hair accessories!
If this is the first time you are applying for a passport, or you do not have another U.S. Passport in your possession, you will need a birth certificate. There is no other form that can prove you are a U.S. Citizen if you were born in the U.S. More specifically, a long-form certified birth certificate is needed to apply for your passport. It must be issued by the county of your birth and must list your full parents’ information. If you need a birth certificate, we highly recommend www.vitalchek.com; they can expedite your request in as early as a few days. No, a social security card does not prove you are a US Citizen. There is no other ID that does this except a Birth Certificate. If you are a naturalized citizen, then you would have a Certificate of Naturalization instead.
Yes, if you are traveling out of the United States and entering a foreign country, a passport will be required for entry. Immigration officials will stamp entry and exit stamps on your passport when exiting and re-entering the country. This pertains to anyone regardless of age. Yes, even infants now require passports. Some countries will also require an additional entry permit, like a visa. Please contact our company prior to travel; one of our passport specialists will be happy to check any passport or visa requirements for you.
Yes, you do. We understand this concerns you. However, the Department of State will not issue a passport to you without confirming your identity. Your social security number is also tied into several background checks they perform to verify if you qualify for a passport (i.e.: child support, criminal, taxes).
If your cruise is a closed-loop cruise, departing from a US port and returning to a US port, then you do not require a passport. However, if you miss your port of call and your ship leaves you behind, you will need a passport to fly to the next stop of your cruise itinerary or return home. If there is a medical emergency on the ship and you need to be flown to the nearest hospital, a passport will be required for entry. Some cruise lines highly recommend you obtain a passport to even participate in certain offshore excursions.
Parents that are not listed on the birth certificate cannot provide consent. The Department of State cannot verify if this person is the parent since they are non-existent on the child's birth documents. Only the parent listed will be required to be present and apply with the child.
Unfortunately, the statistics of obtaining a passport for your child to leave the US without the legal parents’ consent is 20%. Your options are using the DS-5525 Special Family Circumstance Form. This form will ask you for detailed information on how you have gone about trying to contact this person.
By mail: list address, number of times mailed, approximate dates, and result
By phone: list number, number of times called, approximate dates, and result
By email: list email, number of times emailed, approximate dates, and result
By social media: account you tried to reach, approximate dates, and result
By friend or relative: name, how you've contacted them, dates, and result
Last known address of the missing parent
The Department of State will then in turn research the above statements, and if they find the parent, they will deny your application and request you to obtain consent. We have had clients come in with parents outside of the US and the Department of State has still found them. If you simply do not want to reach them, your request will be denied. Please do not go about this route if you know where the person is. If they are in jail, obtain consent. The only other way to get around this is if you have a certified family court order stating you can order the passport for the children and take them out of the country.
The short answer is yes. If you lose your passport more than twice in your lifetime, the Department of State could penalize you. Instead of issuing you a full-validity passport (5 years for minors or 10 years for adults), they could issue you a 1-year passport and still charge you the full government fee. They can also penalize you further and refuse you a passport altogether while keeping your government fee. Losing a passport is a huge offense and they take it very seriously.
As of January 1, 2016, you can no longer add pages to your passport. Please follow the instructions for renewing your U.S. Passport.
If your probation officer writes a letter on your behalf stating you can leave the US, then you can get a passport. However, if you have a warrant out for your arrest, your passport will be denied.
If your name has changed recently, you will need to provide proof of name change. This will need to be in a court order, certified marriage license, or certified divorce decree. Your documents MUST HAVE an elevated court seal. Our divorced clients tend to bring in copies sent by their attorneys to their emails. This will not work since it is not a certified court document with an elevated seal. If you need to obtain a court-certified document, please visit the courthouse where your hearing took place and order one. Certified marriage license copies can be obtained from the county the license was provided. Your original documents will need to be sent in for verification. They will be returned to you once your passport is completed.
You will need to apply using a previous passport or your certified birth certificate to prove you are a US citizen. Government forms DS11 and DS64 will be required as well. Please follow our lost/stolen passport instructions to reapply for your new passport.
PassportWorld can process any service requests from anywhere within the United States. It makes no difference where you live as long as you have the correct requirements. Simply follow the steps outlined on our website and schedule your appointment. We have virtual appointments for anyone not local to our main offices in Texas.
Short answer is no. However, some states will require an ID for children 15 and over for the Oath Execution portion at the courthouse/post office. As of now, The Woodlands, TX, office and our Frisco, TX, office do not require IDs. However, we have seen some Florida acceptance facilities request an ID for ages 15 and over.
To obtain your passport you will need to present your Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Form FS-240 provided to your parents at the time of your birth from the US Embassy. If your parents never declared your birth abroad, you can still obtain your passport by proving your citizenship as a "Naturalization through Parent." At least one parent had to of been a US Citizen before your birth abroad. Please call us for the steps on acquiring your passport via this method. The list is extensive.
You would need to reapply with USCIS directly by filing Form N-565. An appointment and new biometrics will possibly be required. The Department of State understands this process can take months, so you can request from USCIS directly to write a letter on your behalf stating that you have begun the process of applying for your replacement certificate, and they must certify that you are a US citizen. This letter must have an official Government Seal/Notary.
Yes, you can be denied a passport if you owe child support. Texas is a zero-balance state, meaning if you have any balance and you are on the arrears list for non-payment, you will be denied a passport. If you are making payments or have payment arrangements in place with HHS then you should be fine. If you would like to confirm if you are on the Arrears List with Health and Human Services, please call (512) 460-6680.
If you applied for a passport already and were denied, your application and government fees will stay on hold for a period of 90 days from the date of your IRL letter (denial letter emailed to you by the Department of State).
If the Department of Health and Human Services notifies the Department of State that you have made satisfactory payment arrangements and or your balance is brought down to $0.00, then you can re-submit your application by the deadline. Please allow 5-10 business days from the date of payment to give HHS enough time to notify Passport Services. If the HHS guidelines are not, met then your government fee will be lost and you will need to reapply again once payment has been made. Please note the Department of State or PassportWorld cannot change, override, or appeal this policy.
Short answer - Yes you could be denied. Why? Well in 2015, President Barack Obama signed into law the "Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act", also known as the "FAST Act". It requires the U.S. State Department to deny the issuance and the renewals of -- and even revoke -- the passports of individuals who the IRS identifies as having delinquent tax debts of $52,000 or more.
We try to anticipate any questions you might have about our services and provide the answers here. However, if you need additional information please call us at 832-663-9739 for immediate assistance. You can also send an email Tim or Cynthia Shea at the following email addresses: tshea@passportworld.com or cshea@passportworld.com. If emailing outside of business hours, a delayed reply could be expected. Do you have a good question we should post on our website? Send it to us and yours might get added above!