Department of Defense no-fee passports are available for government employees and their immediate family, including dependents. The Department of Defense requires that applicants must be U.S. citizens. Noncitizens, including military and contractor employees, are not eligible for a no-fee passport. Applicants must be able to provide official government documentation, which requires their travel overseas and outlines their travel itinerary. The government employee's immediate family and dependents who are eligible for a DOD no-fee passport must be included in the employee's official travel orders.
Contact the Passport Services Department to apply for a DOD passport. Your local Passport Services Department will have representatives on base or within your state government. The DOD requires that all representatives applying for a DOD passport visit their Passport Services Department in order to obtain the necessary application forms to obtain a DOD passport.
Applicants are required to visit the Passport Services Department no less than six weeks prior to departure to obtain their application. They must return the completed application packet one month before scheduled travel. For travel to Guam, the completed application must be received two months before departure. All applicants must turn in a DD form 1056, which gives you authorization to apply for a no-fee passport. You must also obtain and complete a DS-11 form, a general DOD passport application and a DS-19. Other applications, including a DS-3053 for minors, may be required depending upon your special circumstances.
To apply for a no-fee passport through the Department of Defense, candidates will need to provide the following documentation as proof of eligibility:
• Completed State Department passport applications
• Completed Department of Defense authorization form, DD form 1056
• Original birth certificate or sealed copy of birth certificate from the state
• Two 2-inch-by-2-inch passport photos
• Copy of overseas orders, complete with destination
Submitting an incomplete application packet can result in your application for a passport being denied or delayed, so make sure you have all of your documentation prior to submission. The birth certificate required by the DOD cannot be a copy from the hospital where you were born or naturalization papers. Any of your dependents who are13 years or older are required to be present to sign their passport when applying.
Department of Defense no-fee passports are limited in use to required travel on behalf of the government. These passports cannot be used for leisure travel and must be accompanied by official government travel orders to be valid. Travel outside of the country without a government-issued passport is limited to military personnel who are traveling on official orders and who could not obtain a passport by their travel date.
