Submit primary evidence of U.S. Citizenship, primarily, a birth certificate from the city, county, or state, certified with a registrar's official seal, registrar's signature, and date that the certificate was filed. Also acceptable is a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, Certification or Birth, or a Naturalization Certificate.
If you don't have primary proof of U.S. Citizenship and were born in the U.S., you need a birth record or Letter of No Record, and a combination (not one) of early public records such as baptismal certificate, hospital birth certificate, census record, Bible record, or doctor's record. A state-issued Letter of No Record defines your name, birth date, and the years the state searched for birth records, and states that the birth record was not found.
You also can submit the combined early public records with a Form DS-10, Birth Affidavit. This form must be notarized, submitted in person with Form DS-11, must be completed by an affidavit witness with personal knowledge of the birth (preferably a blood relative), and must state how he received that knowledge.
For your primary identification, you can use a Naturalization Certificate; valid driver's license; current city, state, or federal government ID; or a current military or dependents ID.
If you don't have a primary ID, you must submit a combination (not one) of the following secondary IDs: Social Security card, credit card, employee ID, or library card; AND an identifying witness who has known you for at least two years, be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, have valid ID, and fill out a Form DS-71, Affidavit of Identifying Witness, in front of the passport agent.
If you were born abroad to U.S. citizens but do not have a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, you need a foreign birth certificate, proof of U.S. citizenship for the parent, parents' marriage certificate, an affidavit from your U.S.-citizen parent showing all the dates and places she lived before your birth.
If a minor aged 16 to 17 has no photo ID of his own, a parent or guardian must show a photo ID, and establish parental consent if the application does not imply such consent.
Minors under 16 must apply in person with both parents, who must show evidence of their relationship to the minor. This evidence includes minor's U.S. or foreign certified birth certificate with both parents' names, Report of Birth Abroad with both parents' names, Adoption Decree with adopting parents' names, or a Court Order establishing custody or guardianship. Both parents must also present valid IDs and parental consent, shown by signing From DS-11 in front of the passport agent.
