According to the U.S. Department of State's passport guidelines, applicants must provide proof of identification when they appear in person to apply. Applicants must show at least one form of primary identification. The list of primary documents includes a previously issued, valid U.S. passport; U.S. naturalization certificate; a valid driver's license; a current and valid identification card issued by a city, state or federal government; or a current and valid identification card issued by the U.S. military. If the applicant chooses to show a driver's license or other ID issued by a U.S. state, the applicant must show an additional form of identification that includes the name, photograph of the applicant, birth date and the date of issuance.
Passport applicants who cannot provide any of the primary documents can submit alternate evidence to prove their identities. According to the U.S. Department of State, applicants can submit several secondary documents showing their name and other identifying information. For example, the department accepts Social Security cards, employer-issued ID cards, credit cards and library cards. However, applicants must submit multiple forms of identification from among these acceptable secondary documents. Additionally, applicants without any identifying documents may also ask an identifying witness to provide an affidavit that confirms the applicant's identity. The witness must be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident, present ID of her own and appear in person to provide the identifying affidavit.
Each individual's passport application must include photocopies of the primary or secondary documents used for identification, except for credit cards. The photocopies must include each document's front and back sides, preferably on the same sheet of 8 1/2 inch by 11 inch, white paper. If one sheet of paper cannot contain both sides of the document, the front and back sides can appear on two separate sheets of paper, with the back side appearing on the second page. The applicant can enlarge the image of the document, but must not shrink the image.
U.S. passport guidelines include additional requirements for children's passports. A parent or guardian must appear in person with the child. The parent or guardian of a child under 16 must submit at least one primary document or multiple forms of secondary identification. Additionally, the parent or guardian must show a document of legal significance, such as a certified birth certificate or adoption decree, that proves the parent-child relationship. For applicants ages 16 or 17, each applicant can choose to submit either the child's own identification documents or proof of the parent's or guardian's identity. As with adult applications, the child's application must include properly formatted photocopies of the identification documents.
