Passports

Second Passports

Current regulations reflect the long standing policy of the Department of State that no person should be in possession of more than one valid, or potentially valid, passport at any one time unless under circumstances specifically authorized by the Secretary of State.

The issuance of a second passport should be considered an exception to the regulations, and is to be approved on an individual basis only where justified. At present, the only justification that will be considered for issuance of a second, valid passport is an urgent need for international travel while the bearer's full validity passport is unavailable due to visa processing at other embassies. The validity of a regular U.S. passport is ten (10) years. Any passport issued as an exception to the prohibition on possession of more than one valid passport at any one time will be issued for an initial period of two (2) years. Upon application, and with evidence of continued need, the validity of such a passport may be extended for additional two-year periods as long as such periods do not extend beyond the normal period of validity prescribed for such passport in the regulations i.e. ten (10) years.

Please note that applications for full validity U.S. passports (10 years for adults and 5 years for children under age 16) will be sent by the Embassy to the United States for printing with a secure, photo-digitized image of the bearer. The application will be processed and mailed back to us and we will contact you to pick up your passport. This procedure is also required for second passports, as the Embassy can only issue (print) passports in emergencies for a validity of a maximum of 12 months.

How do I apply? To apply for a second passport, you will need to submit the following documents:

• A valid regular passport;
• A "Statement in Support of Application for Second Passport";
• A written request from your company explaining need for second passport;
• A completed form DSP-82.