Proof of Identity – Documents for a U.S. Passport

When you apply for a United States Passport for the first time, you will be required to prove that you are a citizen of the United States of America. There are several different forms of identification that you can use as your proof of identity, and the following documents can all be used as primary evidence that you are a citizen:

Primary Identification:
• Drivers License
• State Issued ID
• Non Drivers Identification

Supplemental Identification:
• Learners Permit
• Social Security Card
• Marriage License
• Baptismal Certificate
• High School Year Book
• Voters Registration
• Work Identification
• Military Identification
• Prior U.S. Passport
• Tax Records
• Utility Bills

Proof of Citizenship:
• A certified birth certificate issued by an American city, county, or state
• A Consular Report of Birth Abroad or a Certification of Birth
• Naturalization Certificate
• Certificate of citizenship

You must submit at least one of these forms of identification with your passport application, and it is important to ensure that you submit a certified birth certificate rather than a mere copy. After you submit your proof of citizenship, the evidence will be returned to you. It may be returned with your US Passport or in a separate mailing.

If you have already had a U.S. passport in the past, you can use your old passport as your proof of your citizenship.
These forms are considered to be primary evidence of your citizenship. If you do not have any of these forms, you will need to submit secondary evidence of your citizenship. There are several different forms that can be accepted as secondary evidence of your citizenship.

Some applicants use early public records including birth records, baptismal certificates, or doctor’s records, but early public records are not acceptable when used on their own. These records must be paired with other secondary evidence of citizenship like delayed birth certificates, letter of no records, birth affidavits, or foreign birth documents with evidence of parental citizenship.