How to Get Your First Passport

Did you know only 38% of U.S. citizens have valid passports? Did you know that number is expected to rapidly increase before the REAL ID Act goes into full effect in 2020? If you don’t have a passport, now would be a good time to get one.

Yes, you can get your passport yourself, but it can take seven to eight weeks wait time. If you want it faster, you can expedite the task to us. Once you gather the paperwork, there are only three main steps for obtaining your passport.

Determine your eligibility for a passport
First, you need to make sure that you meet the minimum criteria for applying for a U.S. passport. You need to be 18-years of age or older as a first-time applicant. If you were a child under 16-years of age and are now an adult that needs a passport, this would also apply to you. If you had a passport but it’s been over 15-years and you currently do not have a valid passport, you will also need to apply for a new passport.

Gather Documents
You will still need to get a few documents together and fill them out so we can obtain your passport for you in an expedited manner.
You’re going to need the following (and we have links for you to make it fast and easy)

• Passport application
• Copy of the unsigned DS-11 (passport form)
• 2 passport quality photos
• Proof of U.S. citizenship
• Authorization for Texas Tower to act on your behalf
• If you have an expired U.S. passport that was issued for 10 years previously, you’ll need to include that in your submission to us.

Get your documents certified
You will need to take the above documents to an authorized Passport Agency Deputy (also known as a local United States Post Office.
Most require appointments and do not accept walk-ins. You can find a complete list of agencies at http://iafdb.travel.state.gov
Passport Agency Deputy is required to charge an execution fee of $25.00 and should be paid separately from the Passport Agency fees.
The Passport Agency Deputy (PAD) will collect the documents you gathered in the previous step and act as a witness to you signing your passport application. The PAD will then place everything into an envelope that will be they seal.
Opening this envelope after sealing voids your application.
Important: Get your sealed envelope back from the Passport Agency Deputy, you’ll need it to turn in to us to expedite your passport application.

Handoff your application to us!
Mail or bring in your sealed envelope and other necessary documents discussed previously to our office. Our staff will handle the rest of the passport process for you. Depending on the time service chosen, you can receive your U.S. passport in as fast as 24-hours.

Ready to get started? Just go to our New U.S. Passport page and if you have any questions, call our office at 713-874-1420, we’ll be glad to assist you.