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How to get a Passport in the US
What are the different types of passports in the US?
As we all know that the passport is one of the most accepted ID proof all over the world. It is issued to all citizens and non-citizens too. How to get a passport is a common issue before any person who wish to have one. A passport is issued by the U’s department of state. They issue passport book and card as well. With passport card, you can travel only inside the USA while you can travel world wide with a passport booklet. passport card looks like a credit card and it can be inserted in a wallet. That is one of the advantages of passport card.
A Brief History:
Passport was introduced in the US during the ‘war for independence’ period (1775-83).That time the passport were just sheets of paper printed on one side with a description of the bearer and it was valid for 3-6 months. That time, passports were being issued not only by the department of state but also by states and cities even. That caused some confusion to other countries. And that led the federal government to give the authority to the department of state to issue passport in 1856. Since then, US passport has changed significantly in its design and content over the years. From 2000 onwards, US have started issuing passports with digital photos and from 2010; all previous series of passports were changed.
It is to be noted that there are different types of passports in the US. They are mentioned as follows;
Regular Passport: – Regular passports are blue in color and which is being issued to citizens and non-citizen nationals of the US. One has to apply in the prescribed passport application form to get it. The validity of US passport is 10 years do the people who are above the age of 16 years and 5 years for minors. Before it gets expired one has to renew it by applying through passport renewal form. There is a special no-fee passport which is issued to US government officials who are on a special duty to a foreign country. This has a shorter validity like 5 years from the date of issue. This is a special purpose passport.
Official Passport: – This is a kind of passport issued to US citizens who are assigned jobs abroad and to their dependents and others who travel along on an official purpose. The validity of such passports is 5 years from the date of issuance.
Diplomatic Passport: – This passport is issued to US diplomats who are posted abroad on duty and to their dependents. This is purely for those who travel abroad on duty of US government. The validity of this passport is also 5 years.
Refugee Passport: – This is a special passport being issued to the refugees in the US. It is blue- green in color. This can not be considered as full passport. Another document of this sort is re-entry permit which is issued to permanent aliens in the US in lieu of a passport. They can re-enter the US by showing this pass. However, it carries a validity period of 2 years from the date of issuance.
Emergency Passport: – This is a kind of passport issued to the US citizens abroad on some3 emergency situations. The validity of it is only one year.
passport card : – How to get a passport card and the unique features of the same are something which all US citizens are eager to know about. This passport card is also considered as full passport. It is a card sized passport which can be used while travelling only in and around the US. This can also be used as an ID proof to cross and re-enter US borders. Validity of passport card is as same as passport booklet and it is applied on passport application form itself. When it gets expired it has to get renewed by submitting passport renewal form. The only drawback is, it can not be used while traveling abroad but the advantage is if you are not a frequent international traveler, it is the best thing because it is very small in size and it can be inserted in your wallet itself. Another important point is the fee for passport card is much cheaper than a normal passport is.