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By Vipul Jain
Your passport is one of the important documents you need during your travel. In simple words, it is your license to travel. In addition, enables you to travel abroad and come back to your home country- the US. Well, holding a US passport is a straightforward process for US citizens. However, there are a few things that you need to consider before getting your US passport for travel. In this one of the vital things is to know about the different types of U.S. passports. Yes, you read it right there are several kinds of it.
Want to know more about it? Read the blog and get all the information regarding it so that you can apply the one that fits your preferences. Also, get to know the requirements of each of them.
Well, if you think that there is only one kind of US passport then you should think again. In reality, there are five types of U.S. passports available. Also, do you know the colors of all of them are not the same? Depending on the purpose the person is given a specific US passport. However, the majority of passport holders contain only one. In this, the most used passport is the regular passport. It is the most applied passport by US citizens. Moving ahead, let's know each one of them in more detail.
As mentioned above regular passports are the most common ones that most US citizens apply for. It not only helps them to travel but is also used for studying abroad, work, or family vacations. Another name for this passport is “Type P Passport" or "Ordinary Passport." The color of it is blue. The standard option consists of 28 pages, however, for those who travel frequently a double book with 52 pages is available.
Documents Required
To apply for a regular passport, you need to submit certified or original proof of US citizenship (birth certificate). Along with it, you need to provide ID proof and a passport-size photo. In case there are changes in your name because of marriage or divorce you are required to submit additional papers.
US citizens who are born in Swain Island or American Samoa are eligible to get this passport. In addition, the validity of it remains for 10 years. But for applicants who are below the age of 16, the passport is valid for only five years.
The application process for regular passports is simple. You can apply for it online by visiting the official site of the US passport services. Generally, you get the regular passport within six to nine weeks after applying for it. There are faster ways also available to get this. For this, you can take help from the official passport office and pay extra for the services. In addition, you can use an expeditor service that can handle the process and do the formality on your behalf. Furthermore, if you need help with your Indian passport in the US, Visament is there to assist you.
Apart from all these, there is a subset type of regular passports that do not require a fee. The validity of them is five years. In addition, it is available for those who are Peace Corps volunteers, American National Red Cross, and in the defense department.
It was all about the ordinary passports. Moving ahead, let's know about the other types of US passports.
Those who are on diplomatic duties or in foreign service services hold a US diplomatic passport. The passport color is black. In addition, it is issued for travel for government purposes and one cannot travel it for personal reasons.
Diplomatic passports need eligible papers that show the diplomatic role of the applicant. Along with it, it requires a photocopy of the official documents signed by the higher authority. In addition, there are no fees included in it. However, they should be returned after completion of the diplomatic duties.
As stated above these passports are valid for those who are on diplomatic duties on behalf of the US overseas. In addition, these can only be used when an applicant is on a mission which are US government subsidized. Apart from that, the applicants holding these passports have a second regular passport as well. It is used when the person travels for personal purposes. With this, talking about the validity of it is of five years.
The application process of the diplomatic passports is different from the Type P passport. As a thumb rule, all the application process is handled by customs officers. The customs officers collect the passports of the president and his employees and take care of the whole process. Apart from that, this passport type can also issued by the Special Insurance Agency of Washington.
It is all about the diplomatic passport. The applicants who hold these passports represent the US government in other nations. In short, on behalf of the US government, they do the diplomatic duties overseas. Furthermore, now let's know the other type of passport in the US.
The official passports are available for those who work for the US government. In addition travel on official business. FBI agents, politicians, and bureaucrats hold these passports. Also if the passport holder request to the State Department he/she can get the passport for their spouse and family members. The color of this passport is maroon which makes it different from other types of U.S. passports.
Documents required for the official passports are the same as the regular ones. In addition, for this, you do not need to pay any fee. However, like the diplomatic passport, one should surrender it after the completion of the duty.
Eligibility and Validity
As mentioned applicants who are government officials are eligible for these passports. In addition, people who are in the military also get these passports. Unlike the type P passports these are only valid for five years. Apart from that, can use only for government business. These are not eligible for leisure or personal trips.
To get the official passports the applicants need to apply through the Special Passport Issuance Agency. Also, to get these, they did not have to make any payment. However, they have to submit the correct documents asked during the process. With this, the passport holders have two passports by their side first is the official one used for government trips. In addition, the second is a regular one for personal purposes.
It was all about the official passport type. Now, let's get some information on service passports.
The service passport is one of the existing types of U.S. passports. It is generally issued to third-party contractors to travel abroad to support the government. However, these are only issued when there are trips are not completed with the regular passports. The color of this passport is grey.
The documents required for service passports are the same as the regular ones. In addition, there are no fees included for up to five years. However, as proof, they have to show the documents stating the reason for not traveling through a regular passport.
Only in the case when the government applicant is not eligible to travel through the regular passport can apply for this. Like the official and diplomatic passports, these are also valid for five years. Apart from that, these cannot be used for personal travel purposes.
The application process for a service passport is different from the regular one. To get this, applicants need to contact the Special Issuance Agency in Washington.
This is what a service passport is and how you can apply for it. Moving ahead, let's know about passport cards.
With the regular passport, these are available with an additional fee. Like their name states passport cards unlike a book they are an identification card. You can use them as official identification to travel. In addition, used for crossing the land borders between Mexico and the United States. Apart from that, these are good for people who often travel across the border for business or other purposes. Also having it can save you from filling the passport with stamps quickly. However, you cannot use it to travel abroad by air.
The document requirement is the same as the ordinary passport. You have to visit the official site of your US passport fill out the DS-11 form and submit the asked papers. In last make the payment.
It is eligible for all US citizens and has the same criteria as the type P passport. For adults, the passport card is eligible for 10 years and for children under 16 is valid for five years. Apart from this, the cards are good for sea travel to Canada, Bermuda, the Caribbean, Mexico, and the US. If you often like to travel by cruise these are good to use.
The application process for the US passport card is the same as the ordinary passports. You have to visit the official site of the US passport from there apply for it, submit the required documents, and make the payment.
It is all about the passport cards. Although it does not come under the different types of U.S. passports. However, it is one of the good ways to travel at less cost by sea without filling your passport with stamps. With this, now let us know the time taken by the US passport application.
The application process time for a passport varies depending on the type of U.S. passport. There are several application types available from which you can choose. In addition according to it the fees, processing time and requirements also varies. Let's have a look at it:
The following process time is for ordinary passports and passport cards. This is because the other types of US passports are issued by the government and special agencies. The time required for the official passport varies depending on the emergency.
Lastly, the different types of U.S. passports hold specific qualifications. Apart from that the color of them is also not the same. However, for every passport, an applicant needs to fulfill the eligibility criteria. Here the whole blog was about the different kinds of US passports along with their requirements and perks. Hope you get all the information about the US passport types that you were looking for. Furthermore, if you need help with your Indian passport in the US or any other services regarding it feel free to contact Visament. The experts here better understand the process and provide you with the right guidance. Also, they assist in easing down the whole process. So, do let us know if you are seeking help with your Indian passport in the US
The blue color passport denotes the regular or tourist passport. It is one of the issued passports in the US that people use for travel, study abroad, or family vacations.
The key difference between the tourist and no-fee passport is that the first one is issued to ordinary US citizens for general overseas travel. In addition, it needs an application fee. However, opposite to that, a no-fee passport is given without any application and it is generally for those who are government employees who represent the country abroad.
A passport card does not allow you to travel abroad by air. For domestic air travel, it is an ID. Apart from that, you are limited to traveling to 20 countries only by sea or land with it.`
If you are at least 18 years of age you qualify for naturalization. In addition, living there for five years as a permanent resident or married to a US citizen for three years and meet the eligibility requirements then you can get a US citizenship.
In the context of USA passports, the word ‘P’ denotes “Personal.” It shows that the document is a regular passport issued for general international travel for US citizens.
Yes, a US citizen can travel to Canada with a passport card. The law of Canada requires that all applicants entering in the country carry an identity and citizenship proof. So, if the person has a valid US passport, NEXUS, or passport card he/she can travel in Canada.
