One of the reasons a passport application is so involved is because a first time passport applicant must apply in person at an official new passport office. These official offices are normally located inside other government agencies. Although it can be frustrating to have to show up in person, passport centers are often conveniently located at easily accessible community locations.

The U.S. government is very thorough in regards to first time passport applications. This is because the passport system is very important to national security. The government needs to be able to track citizens as they cross international borders in order to help stop people from entering the country illegally.

National Security has been dramatically increased ever since 9/11. Believe it or not, the government actually tries to make this process as easy as possible as there are quite a few local passport offices where the process can be completed. There really is no need to travel a great distance in order to get the application completed and submitted.

In many cases, the office is conveniently located at the local post office. They are also sometimes in other local government offices, libraries and county clerk offices. It will all depend on the area, but the can easily be found by checking online. If an international trip is on the horizon, start looking around to see how close the local office actually is.

Because there is the need to get a passport photo, it is important to check to see if the local office is capable of providing this service. This is not part of the fee structure and there will be a separate charge. While many of the passport offices do have this capability, some of the smaller ones do not and the photos will have to be obtained before ever heading over there to turn everything in.

Sometimes people have a need to go to one of the regional passport offices. Normally people that need a passport in less than two weeks will have to go to one of the regional offices. These offices are located in major metropolitan cities. Regional offices are located in cities like New York, Dallas, Miami, Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and others. A full list of regional centers can be found on the State Department website.

The exception to the in person rule is anyone that is getting a passport renewal. Luckily, the only time that a person has to make the live appearance is when they are getting a new passport. Renewals can be handled online and via the mail. It is advised to use overnight shipping though, just to make sure that the documents are better protected.

Many people think that digital age should be able to make this process easy, but with border security on the line, a personal appearance at the local US passport office must still be made when applying for a first time American passport. The laws are there for very good reason and while it may be a small inconvenience, we all know that deep down we are happy these laws are in place. If they were not there, we would have more problems than we already do with illegal immigrants coming into the country.