US Passport

The United States Passport

(US Passport in 1930)

The English word “Passport” comes from the French words “Passer” and “Port” meaning “to pass through a Seaport.”

The First American Passport was issued in 1775 during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783.)

They were issued by each of the 13 American States and were sheets of paper printed on one side, with a description of the Bearer, and were valid for 3 to 6 months.

In 1792, the Continental Congress authorized the Department of Foreign Affairs to issue Federal Passports to Americans traveling abroad.

These were Letters written to a Foreign Government requesting entry and safe passage for the Traveler.

In 1789 the US Department of Foreign Affairs became the US State Department.

Since Passports or Letters were not required to travel abroad fewer than 100 of these “Letters of Safe Conduct” were issued by the US Federal Government every year from 1792 until 1818 – mostly to American Diplomats.

US States and the Federal Government created their own Passports until 1856 when Congress said only the US Federal Government had the authority to issue Passports.

The Passports issued by US States were not recognized by Foreign Countries and were really only used within the United States.

Also in 1856, Congress restricted who could get a US Passport by saying all Black People (whether Slave or Free under the Dred Scott Case of the US Supreme Court) were not US Citizens and so could not receive a US Passport.

Frederick Douglas, a Former Slave and Abolitionist was refused a US Passport in 1859. He had travelled to the United Kingdom (where he didn’t need a US Passport to enter) but wanted to travel to France (which did require a US Passport.)

His Application for a US Passport was denied by George Dallas, US Minister to Britain, under the 1856 Dred Scott Case and Law.

The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, repealed the Dred Scott Decision and granted Birthright Citizenship to Black American Men who could now legally get a US Passport.

19^th Century American Passports were a single-sided page with the name of the Traveler, their Country of Origin and the Signature and date of issue. They were valid for up to 2 years.

Men comprised 95% of Passport Applicants.

If they were accompanied by Dependents – such as Wives, Children, Servants - their Companions’ Names, Ages, and Relationship to the Man were stated on the Passport.

 Oftentimes, Women were not even named on a Man’s Passport, simply denoted by “and Wife.”

Unmarried Women could only get a US Passport if they had the Permission of their Father or their Brother.

Married Women could only get a US Passport if they were traveling without their Husband only with their Husband’s Permission.

The US State Department issued 130,360 Passports between 1810 and 1873.

(US Passport in 1959)

During the American Civil War (1861-1865) the US Federal Government required Passports for those (Americans and Foreigners) entering the Country  due to the War and in some cases to travel within the US – especially near the Frontlines.

From 1862-1973 every US Passport Applicant had to take an Oath of Allegiance to the United States.

Until 1862 American Passports were free to get.

In 1862 a US Passport cost $3 Dollars ($97 Dollars in 2026 Money.)

369,844 US Passports were issued between 1877 and 1909.

During World War 1 (1914-1918) the vast majorities of Countries (including the US) required Ordinary People to have a Passport to travel due to the War.

Starting in 1914, US Passports were required to have Passport Pictures in them.

In 1920, the League of Nations advocated the concept of a worldwide Passport Standard, introducing the modern Passport format of a small Booklet with pages for Immigration Stamps.

In 1920 a US Passport cost $10 Dollars ($167 Dollars in 2026 money.)

Until 1922, if an American Woman married a Non-American could have her US Passport (and US Citizenship) revoked by the US Federal Government.

(US Passport in 1976)

In 1923, American Women comprised 40% of US Passport Applications.

Native Americans weren't considered US Citizens until 1924 so they couldn't get a US Passport before 1924.

The US didn’t adopt the International Passport Booklet until 1926 when US Passports had red cover.

English and French were used in American Passports starting in 1926.

The US State Department under Ruth Shipley dropped the Marital Information on Passports in 1937, but kept the requirement for Unmarried Women to get their Father’s or Brother’s Permission and a Married Woman to get their Husband’s Permission on the US Passport Application.

In 1941 US Passports had red cover.

In 1952 Congress made a Law requiring all American Citizens to have a US Passport to enter or leave the United States except when going to certain Countries in North America and South America.

From the 1950s until the 1980s US Passports were not legally allowed to be used to travel to: Communist China, North Korea, North Vietnam, Cuba, or Albania without US Federal Government Permission.

A 1953 Law allowed American Women who married a Non-American Man to keep their American Citizenship. 

In 1959, US Passports’ validity increased to 3 years.

In 1968 US Passports’ validity increased to 5 years.

In the 1970s Married and Unmarried Women could get a US Passport without needing a Husband's or Father's permission.

In 1976 US Passports’ validity increased to 10 years.

(US Passport in 2007)

Since 1976 US Passports had blue covers to honor the U.S. Bicentennial.

In 1980, Passport Standardization was accomplished in 1980 under the auspices of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

In 1981, the United States became the first Country to introduce Machine-Readable Passports following standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

These Passports featured an Identity Page with data encoded in an optical character recognition format to speed up processing and deter fraud.

Starting in the 1990s Spanish was added to English and French on US Passports.

In 2000, US Passports stopped gluing Passport Pictures into the Passport and started printing the Picture directly onto the Passport.

In 2006, US Passports became Biometric.

The Electronic Chip in the back cover of a U.S. Passport stores an image of the Photograph of the Passport Holder, Passport Data, and Personal Data of the Passport Holder; and has capacity to store additional data.

A US Biometric Passport has the E-Passport symbol at the bottom.

There are 32 pages in the 2007 version Biometric Passport. Frequent travelers may request 52-page Passports for no additional cost.

Extra Visa Pages could previously be added to a Passport, but, as of January 1, 2016, the service was discontinued entirely for security reasons.

In 2008 US Passport Cards were introduced which are Non-Booklet Credit Card Sized cards that allow Americans to enter Canada, Mexico and some Caribbean Countries by land or sea (but not by air.)

Since 2009 US Citizens have needed a US Passport to return from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean after 233 years of not needing one.

Since 2017, US Passports of US Citizens previously convicted of Sex Crimes against Minors would be endorsed with the message, "The Bearer was convicted of a sex offense against a minor, and is a covered sex offender pursuant to [U.S. law]."

In 2021 US Passports were changed again to have an embedded Data Chip on the Information Page protected by a polycarbonate coating; this will help prevent the book from getting wet and bending, and—should a Passport be stolen—the chip will keep thieves from stealing personal information and falsifying an identity.

The Passport Number will also be laser cut as perforated holes that get progressively smaller through pages

The current US Biometric Passport has reduced the total number of pages in the standard version from 28 to 26, and in the Frequent Traveler Version from 52 to 50.

Currently:

(US Passport in 2026)

US Passports are issued to both US Citizens and US Nationals (those born on American Samoa.)

US Passports are valid for 10 years for Adults and 5 years for Children.

US Passports are all Biometric.

US Law allows Dual Citizenship, but requires American Citizens and Nations to use an American Passport when entering the Unted States.

For an American whose Birthplace is outside the United States, only the Country or Dependent Territory is mentioned on a US Passport.

Those born in Taiwan can have either “Taiwan” or “China” used on their US Passport.

Those born in Israel, the West Bank or Gaza before 1948 can have “Palestine” on their US Passport.

Those born in Israel, the West Bank or Gaza after 1948 have to have “Israel”, “The West Bank” or “Gaza” on their US Passport.

For an American born aboard an Aircraft or Ship, if the birth occurs in an area where no Country has sovereignty (i.e. in or over International Waters), the place of birth is listed as "in the air" or "at sea" where appropriate.

As of 2026, US Passport Holder can visit 179 Countries and Territories without a Visa or with a Visa on Arrival,

As of 2026, 183,170,240 Americans (out of 330 Million Americans) have a Passport.

Places to Get a US Passport:

There are 26 Regional Passport Agencies that are open to the General Public for those that need an Emergency Passport or a Passport quickly due to a Special Condition.

They are located in Arkansas; Atlanta; Boston; Buffalo; Chicago; Colorado; Connecticut; Dallas; Detroit; El Paso; Honolulu; Houston; Los Angeles; Miami; Minneapolis; New Hampshire; New Orleans; New York City; Philadelphia; San Diego; San Francisco; San Juan; Seattle; Tucson; Vermont; and Washington, D.C.

There are about 9,000 Passport Acceptance Facilities in the United States, designated by Passport Services, at which routine Passport Applications may be filed: United States Courts, State Courts, Post Offices, Public Libraries, County Offices, and City Offices.

Current Passport Fee:

For a New Adult Passport Booklet: $130 plus $35 Execution Fee ($165 Total)

For a New Adult Passport Card: $30 plus $35 Execution Fee $65 Total)

For a New or Renewed Minor Passport Booklet: $100 plus $35 Execution Fee ($135 Total)

For a New or Renewed Minor Passport Card: $15 plus $35 Execution Fee ($50 total)

For a Renewed Adult Passport Booklet: $130

For a Renewed Adult Passport Card: $30