How do i get a passport for the first time

To apply for a first time adult passport, please read the instructions below and complete the passport application online (https://pptform.state.gov/).

You may apply for your passport using the instructions on this page if:

• This is your first passport after your 16th birthday and/or
• You just obtained your U.S. Naturalization certificate

You may only apply In Person. Please follow these instructions:

1. Make an appointment online.
2. A completed form DS-11. To type the form on your computer (recommended), complete the form online and print (https://pptform.state.gov/).
3. Bring your completed form to your appointment. Please ignore the part of the form that instructs you to mail the form to the U.S. If you mail the form to the U.S., your application will be considerably delayed.
4. If you have a previous U.S. passport, bring it, along with a copy of the biodata and signature page.
5. If you do not have a previous U.S. passport, bring the original and a copy of your document proving U.S. Citizenship, either:
   • A U.S. Birth certificate or Consular Report of Birth Abroad; or
   • A U.S. Naturalization Certificate; or
   • A U.S. Certificate of Citizenship
6. Bring the original and a copy of your proof of identity (a government-issued document that contains your picture), for example:
   • A Hong Kong ID
   • A U.S. state driver’s license
   • A passport with a recent-enough photo such that it is indisputably you
7. One Photo: The photo must be 2″ X 2″ (5 cm X 5 cm) with a white background. Eyeglasses are no longer allowed in U.S. passport photos. For details about the photo requirements, please see Passport Photos.
8. For details about the Social Security Number Requirement, please see Frequently Asked Questions.
9. A self-addressed stamped envelope for the return of your new passport. Please see below for further information on purchasing this envelope in advance of your consulate visit. Note that in-person collection of passports at the consulate will only be permitted under limited circumstances—see below.
10. Fees: The application fee is US$165.

    Payment options are as follows:

    • U.S. or local currency cash
    • Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express or Diners Club. All credit card transactions are in U.S. dollars, as if the transaction occurred in the United States.

    Please note that the Consulate cannot accept Hong Kong currency in denominations larger than $500 bills. Please also note that US $100 banknote series 1990 and also series 1914-1990 are no longer accepted.

Processing Time

The passport application will be sent to the United States for printing. You should allow 2-3 weeks for your application to be processed. If you will be traveling sooner than that, you should request an emergency one-year passport for immediate travel, which you can replace with a full-validity passport when you return from your trip.

Purchasing an envelope for passport return

If you are applying for a passport renewal, you should provide us with an envelope so that we can mail you your new passport once we receive it from the printing center in the United States. It needs to have postage to cover delivery from the Consulate in Hong Kong to your home address in either Hong Kong or Macau. To learn more, see our purchasing an envelope for passport return page.

Picking up a passport in person in lieu of mail return

In light of security procedures and COVID social distancing measures, which encourage us to have fewer people in our waiting room, our default procedure will always be to cancel your current passport at the time of your interview and mail you back your new passport. We will follow this procedure unless you specifically request otherwise.

If you need to retain your current passport for immediate travel while you are waiting for your renewal to be processed, you may ask consular staff not to cancel it. You must provide information about a specific, upcoming trip to exercise this option. You may not retain your uncancelled passport “just in case.” If we do not cancel your passport, we will provide instructions how you can return in person to pick up the new one, and we will cancel your previous passport at that time.

Since we are not able to mail new passports outside of our consular district, people applying for passport renewals who do not have mailing addresses in Hong Kong or Macau will be required to collect new passports in person. If you are supposed to do an in-person pick-up but are unable to do so, you may send a third party to the Consulate to collect the passport for you. Please provide this person with the receipt, the old passport for cancellation, and a signed permission note.

New passports that are not collected within 90 days will, according to regulations, be returned to Washington, DC, and you will have to restart the process, including paying the fee again.

Last modified: November 21, 2022

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