Each passport contains a "to whom it may concern" statement by the U.S. Secretary of State, requesting the bearer be allowed to pass without delay or hindrance, and be accorded lawful aid and protection if necessary. A watermark depicting the Great Seal lies beneath it.
A passport is not valid unless it has been signed by the bearer in ink. A passport must also contain a current, full face headshot of the bearer.
The words "United States of America" appear in caps. Directly beneath this is the letter "P" (signifying the document is a passport) and a passport ID number.
The passport identifies the bearer by given name, surname, nationality, gender and date/place of birth. The nationality, full name and passport number are replicated in a machine-readable format at the bottom of the page. A holographic image of the American eagle and the phrase "E Pluribus Unum" serves to prevent tampering.
The identification page states the date of issue and date of expiration. (This is generally a 10-year period.) Expired passports are surrendered upon application for renewal and are returned with a hole punched in the front cover.
United States passports contain six pages of printed advisories regarding foreign travel rules, security, passport safety tips and what to do in event of an emergency. The rest of the pages are used for immigration date stamps.
