Enrichment · Life Skills

The right form,
every document, one trip.

Tell it who is traveling and why they need a passport. It works out whether that means Form DS-11 in person or a renewal by mail, lists what to bring with photocopies, and warns you when the trip is close or the passport runs out too soon.

Check an applicationWhat you get

Travelers

The worked example is a made-up family trip: a child’s first passport and a parent renewing by mail, both leaving January 2. Applications save on this device only.

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What you get

Enrichment · Life SkillsFree

What you finish with
An application per traveler with age, situation, previous passport details, current expiration and trip dates; the form that applies (DS-11, DS-82 or DS-5504); seven document checks and three for children; flags for the form, the two-parent rule, a trip within eight weeks and a passport that expires within six months of coming home.
Who it is for
Families and adults applying for or renewing a U.S. passport, students planning a school or study-abroad trip, and the teachers who organize those trips.
Format
Browser checklist with a saved application per traveler. Prints an application, the whole household or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Life Skills space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Add each traveler with their age and situation.
  2. For a renewal, enter when the last passport was issued and whether you were 16 or older.
  3. Add the trip dates; the checklist warns you if time is short.
  4. Gather each document and its photocopy and mark it ready.
  5. Print the checklist and take it to the acceptance facility.

Check an application

Renew by mail, or apply in person

Can you renew by mail?Your most recent passport is…Undamaged and in your possessionIssued when you were 16 or olderIssued in the last 15 yearsIn your current name, or you can show the changeAll yesDS-82, by mailAny no, or under 16DS-11, in personCan you renew by mail?Your most recent passport is…Undamaged and in your possessionIssued when you were 16 or olderIssued in the last 15 yearsIn your current name, or you can show the changeAll yesDS-82, by mailAny noDS-11, in person
Children under 16 always apply in person, and so does anyone whose last passport was issued before they turned 16.

Children under 16

A child under 16 applies in person with Form DS-11. Both parents or guardians come along, or one comes with a signed, notarized Form DS-3053 from the other, or with proof of sole custody. Teens of 16 and 17 applying for a first passport also use Form DS-11 and should show that a parent knows they are applying.

Fees and timing

Fees and processing times change, so check them at travel.state.gov before you go. A DS-11 application takes two payments: one to the U.S. Department of State and a separate acceptance fee to the facility. Expedited service and faster return delivery cost extra.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs. Apply for a Passport in Person and Renew an Adult Passport (travel.state.gov).
  2. U.S. Department of State. Children Under 16 and Form DS-3053, Statement of Consent (travel.state.gov).
  3. U.S. Department of State. Passport Photos: size, background, recency and the no-glasses rule (travel.state.gov).
  4. U.S. Department of State. Country Information pages, for each destination’s passport validity rules (travel.state.gov).

The worked example is made up. This is a planning checklist for U.S. passports, stated in general terms; the Department of State’s forms and instructions come first. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.