These days, it seems as if the world is shrinking at an ever-quickening pace. At a minimum, people can now undertake travel to almost every part of the globe and in an extremely quick manner. It’s still the case, though, that a passport will be required in order to do so. This means knowing how to go about making a passport application go smoothly will be a good skill to have.

Firstly, understand that the US State Department is the agency responsible for issuing and maintaining passports. And though it might seem a bit technical when it comes to getting one, it really isn’t actually all that difficult. In fact, people today have the ability to go about getting one in a number of ways, including using an passport expediting service or doing it by themselves.

For those who are 16 years of age or older, and who are obtaining a passport for the first time, there are specific steps that must be taken in order to receive a passport after application. In general, all people who are requesting a passport for the first time must apply in person at a passport issuance agency office or through US post offices set up to accept passports.

In addition to having to make the application in person, it’ll be necessary to fill out the right form. Currently, for first-timers, this is government Form DS-11. It’s also known as an Application for US Passport. There are a couple of other different documents that have to be submitted along with it and it has to be signed in front of a passport worker. Documents include proof of citizenship and identity.

When it comes to proof of citizenship, homeland security regulations are very strict as to just what evidence is acceptable. Generally, an official birth certificate with a raised seal, a naturalization certificate or a certificate of citizenship is required. There are exceptions if these documents are unavailable and secondary evidence such as a baptismal certificate is all that can be supplied.

As well, there are a number of different documents that can be used to prove identity, by the way. These include valid driver licenses, military identification cards and state, city and federal identification cards. When it comes to secondary-type identification, a library card, credit or debit card and a Social Security card combined with those two can be accepted in certain instances.

Passport issuance fees for adults 16 years of age and up can run from $20 to $95. In addition, there’s an execution fee of $25 that has to be paid as well. Methods of payment can include debit and credit cards, cash, postal money orders or personal checks. Check with the passport agency where application will be made for just what form of payment is acceptable.

Even though it can seem a bit complicated at first, making a U S passport application go smoothly is actually fairly straightforward. The first thing to do, of course, is to visit the passport section of the State Department website. Of course, one can always take on the services of an express United States passport service. These businesses can make the whole process go very easily and quickly.