Passports in Arizona
You can complete a passport application in Arizona at over 100 different locations in the state. This allows you to get a passport card or book at a location near you. Getting a passport is important, as it will allow you to travel to locations outside of the country.
Arizona’s passport facilities also offer an expedited passport if you are planning to leave the country in the next few weeks. This will let you complete the process of receiving your documentation much sooner.
To obtain a new passport, renew old credentials or replace your lost passport, you must follow Arizona’s policies. All state facilities require specific items that you must provide in order to receive your credentials. Learn more about the exact items you need to get your documentation and how to replace, get or renew your U.S. passport in the state of Arizona.
Where to Get a Passport in Arizona
In Arizona, you are able to get your passport at your local post offices, courthouse buildings, county clerk offices and government-appointed facilities. All of the passport locations in Arizona allow you to get a passport replacement, as well as original or renewed documents. It is important to make an appointment before going to a passport acceptance facility, as most locations will only help you if you have an appointment.
Arizona Passport Books vs. Cards
Passport cards and books are both valid for 10 years. They allow you to visit other countries and are also a form of photo identification. However, both are different in terms of what you can do with them.
For example, a passport card will only allow you travel to the Caribbean, Canada, Mexico and Bermuda. Also, the only way you will be able to get there is by land or water. With the card, you are unable to board international flights.
You might wonder, “What is a passport book?” With the passport book, you have fewer restrictions.
You will be able to travel by air, land and sea to 166 different countries, including the countries you can visit with the card. The passport card cost is lower than that of the book, due to its restriction.
How to Get a Passport in Arizona
If you are an adult planning to get a passport, then there are specific items that the state of Arizona requires in addition to proof of identity like a valid AZ driver’s license or ID cards. All US passport locations that process applications will require the same documentation due to federal regulations. If you are not able to provide the acceptance facility with the following items, then you will not be able to obtain travel documentation:
- A completed passport application
- A passport photo
- Proof of your U.S. citizenship
- A money order, check or cash for US passport fees
- Not all locations accept cash.
How to Get a Passport in Arizona for Minors
The passport application process for minors is different than the one for adults. When it comes to getting a new passport, minors must provide parental consent along with providing all the items that an adult must have.
If you are younger than 16 years of age, then you must have consent from both legal guardians. Your guardians can prove parental consent by going with you to a U.S. passport location. However, if one of your parents is unable to attend, then he or she needs to provide consent by submitting a consent form that is signed and notarized, along with a photocopy of identification.
In addition to parental consent and all of the items listed above, guardians must also provide documentation that proves parental relationship. Guardians can show proof by providing a birth certificate or adoption decree.
Minors who are 16 or 17 years of age only need one parent to be aware that they are getting identification. To get a new passport for an older minor, one guardian must accompany the minor at the passport facility and cosign the application. If, for whatever reason, a minor’s guardian cannot attend, then the guardian must sign and notarize the parental consent form as well as provide a photo identification.
Minors without parental consent and people that do not bring the required items to receive a US passport are not eligible to obtain travel credentials. In addition, people that fall into one of these following categories are also not eligible:
- Unpaid national loans
- Felony convictions
- Unpaid child support
U.S. Passport Renewals in Arizona
Although Arizona does not allow you to renew your passport online, you are given the option to go through the passport renewal process by mail if you meet the requirements. You can also complete passport renewals in person.
Doing your renewal by mail will save you a trip to a passport acceptance facility, and you are able to do it at any time. The following is a list of the requirements your passport must meet in order for you to renew your documentation by mail:
- Your passport was issued in the last 15 years
- Your passport was issued when you were 16 years of age or older
- Your passport is not lost, stolen or damaged and you are able to mail it
Note: If your legal name has changed, then you need to provide proof by mailing a certified copy of your marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order.
If you do not meet the guidelines to renew your passport by mail, then you must go to a US passport location near you. Regardless of how you go through the passport renewal process, you will need the following items:
- A renewal passport application form completed in black ink
- Your most recent U.S. passport
- A color photo that meets the US passport requirements
- A check, money order or cash for US passport fees
- Only some locations accept cash. If you are doing the process by mail, only a check or money order is accepted.
How to Replace a Lost Passport in Arizona
If you lost your passport, then it is vital for you to report that it is missing. Not doing so can have consequences. For example, if someone has your passport, then that person now has access to the information that is on your passport card or book, which can lead to identity theft.
To report a lost or stolen passport, you need to call the U.S. Department of State. If you do not want to go this route, then you can also print and mail the lost passport form to the Department of State address that is on the form.
Getting a passport replacement is the next step to take. You can complete the process in person, and you must take the same items as if you were going to get a passport for the first time. The only difference is that you also have to take a completed lost passport form or complete it in person.
If you have a damaged passport, then you will have to get a replacement in person. Once you report a lost or stolen passport, it is invalid. This means that you will not be able to use your passport if you find it after you reported that it was missing.
How to Complete a Passport Update in Arizona
If you are looking to get a passport update because of an error on your valid passport, then you can correct the information at a passport acceptance location. You are able to update your documentation in person or by mail. To fix an error on your passport, you need to provide the following items:
- A completed passport form
- Evidence of where the error is on the passport
- A color photo that meets requirements
- Your current passport
If you want to perform a passport update because you changed your name, then you will need to provide these items:
- Your current U.S. passport
- Your original or certified name change documentation
- A color passport photo
Note: If you are requesting an update less than one year after the date of your passport’s issuance, then the passport change will be free. However, if you are going to update your documentation a year after its issuance, then you will have to pay for a passport renewal fee.
Arizona Expedited Passport Service
An expedited passport will allow you to receive your passport in two to three weeks for a fee. People who want their passport sooner use this service because they do not want to wait the four to six weeks for a routine passport. Some passport locations in Arizona also have services where you can receive your passport overnight.
It takes four to six weeks for you to receive your new passport no matter the reason. If you need your passport sooner, then you have the option to expedite your passport at any acceptance agency.
Your passport will arrive in less than four weeks. However, if you want it in less than two or three weeks, then you must go to a passport center or a private passport expeditor.