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Sign up for email updates about the status of your passport application. Email updates will help you know when we need more information from you.

If you get a letter or email, you will get one of two status updates from us:

Additional Information Needed: This update is available on the date we send you a letter and/or email. Follow the instructions in the letter and this page. You must respond within 90 days.

Information Received, In Process Again: We received the information you sent us and will continue processing your application.

Common reasons we may have contacted you:

We cannot accept your photo

Bad photos are the number one reason why we put passport applications on hold. Follow these steps to respond to the letter asking for a new photo:

• Make sure to include a copy of the letter you received from us, so that we can match your new photo to your pending application.
• Respond by the deadline on the letter.
• Don’t write anything on the front or back of the photo.
• Review our photo requirements before sending us a new photo.

You did not appear in person to apply for your child’s passport.

If only one (or neither) parent or guardian applied in person for the child’s passport, you will need to provide more information:

Form DS-3053 “Statement of Consent” if you are the parent or guardian who did not go in person.

• Sign and date the form in front of a notary public
• The date the parent signs the form must be the same date as when the notary signed the form
• Give us a photocopy of the front and back of the photo ID that you showed the notary

• Court or custody order giving you sole legal custody of the child
• Court order that says you can apply for your child’s passport
• A certified copy of the child’s birth certificate or adoption decree listing you as the only parent
• A judicial declaration that the parent who cannot appear in person is incompetent
• A certified copy of the death certificate of the other parent

We may ask you to submit more documents such as a custody order, incarceration order, or restraining order to protect against international parental child abduction.

A notarized statement from both parents and guardians giving the person permission to apply for the child. Include a photocopy of the front and back of the photo IDs for both parents or guardians.

If the statement is from only one parent or guardian, you must also show proof that that parent or guardian has sole custody of the child.

Important: Submit Form DS-3053 and other notarized statements within three months of signing them.

The document(s) you submitted with your child’s application does not show that you are the parent or legal guardian.

To show parental relationship with your child, submit one of these documents:

• U.S. birth certificate
• Foreign birth certificate
• Adoption decree
• Divorce or custody decree

If your name has changed since your child’s birth, submit one document showing your name change:

• Court-ordered name change
• Marriage certificate
• Divorce decree

You need to submit a new U.S. birth certificate.

You must submit both the original (or certified) birth certificate and a photocopy. Your U.S. birth certificate must meet these requirements:

• Issued by the city, county, or state of birth
• Lists applicant’s full name, date of birth, and place of birth
• Lists parent(s)’ full names
• Has the signature of the city, county, or state registrar
• Has the date filed with registrar's office (must be within one year of birth)
• Has the seal or stamp of the city, county, or state which issued it

Contact the vital records office in the state or territory where you were born if you need a new birth certificate.

If there is no birth certificate on file in the state or territory where you were born, you must submit a Letter of No Record and early public records. See our Citizenship Evidence page for more information.

You mailed your Form DS-82 to renew your passport, but something was missing.

When you renew by mail, an intake facility reviews your application and supporting documents before processing starts at a passport agency or center.

If you did not complete the application or provide all supporting documents, the intake facility will send you a letter. The letter may include a QR code with a link to our Renew by Mail page. Common reasons for getting this letter include:

• No signature or date on your form
• Bad or missing photo
• Pages of your form are missing
• Wrong or missing fees
• Most recent passport is missing
• Most recent passport issued over 15 years ago
• You are not eligible to renew and must apply in person

Follow the instructions in the letter. You must include the letter we sent you when you send the new application.

Sign up to get email updates about your passport application status.

"Not Available" means that your application is being reviewed by our intake facility and has not arrived at a passport agency or center.

"In Process" means a passport agency or center is processing your new application.