Jul 18 2011
Finding Out The Necessary Actions To Use When You Have A Damaged American Passport
If you have a damaged passport you will want to replace it before traveling abroad. You do not want to be stuck in a foreign country with illegible identification of your US citizenship. If you will be applying for a passport to replace your damaged passport, you must get together a number of documents before heading to your regional passport agency or Acceptance Agent’s office.
You will have to complete a DS-11 form which is an Application for U. S. Passport declaration. You can find this form on the U. S. Department of State’s official website. Once you have found this form you can type in your information directly onto it. Once you have completed the form you can print it out.
Do not sign this form until you standing in front of a certified official, either at a pass port agency or an Acceptance Agency. It will do you no good if you sign it before you are in the presence of an official, you will just have to fill out another form. Be advised that once you have filled out this application it can only be submitted to the State Department within five days of the date on the application.
The DS-64 is another official document that has to be filled out. This is an official statement to verify why and how your passport became damaged. You will have to provide detailed information as to what caused your passport’s damage.
You will also have to have on hand proof of US citizenship, with a US birth certificate or documentation from the USCIS of citizenship or naturalization. Two photos for your passport are required, set to the standard of the Department of State (2 inch x 2 inch) against a plain white background. The photos cannot be more than six months old.
If you require replacement of your damaged passport quickly, such as in less than two weeks, you have to show evidence that you are traveling within this time frame as well. You will have to provide an itinerary of travel. In addition to this paperwork, you will be charged a number of fees, depending on your situation. There is one fee you can depend on and that is the $135.00 State Department processing charge. You can pay your fees with a check or money order made out to the Department of State. If you are filing in person at a passport agency you will have the opportunity to pay with a credit card.
If you are currently outside the US and your passport is damaged you have to report to a US consulate or embassy in the country you are in for help. Even if you are outside of the states you have to provide the same documentation as if you were replacing your passport within the US.
You will also need to provide the U.S. passport documents as mentioned above in addition to evidence of US citizenship, two passport photographs, valid ID, and your social security number. You will have to have the damaged pasport present when providing your paperwork. Make sure to make copies of all your documents before submitting them for your records, in case there is a mishap.