Passports/Visas/Tourist Cards

To learn whether you need a passport and/or visa for travel to a particular country, view the National Passport Information Center Web site at: http://travel.state.gov/passport/about/npic/npic_898.html

Or call 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778).

TDD/TTY service for customers with telecommunication devices for the hearing impaired is available by calling 1-888-874-7793. This telephone number cannot be accessed by a standard touch tone or rotary dial telephone. Customer Service Representatives and Operators for TDD/TTY are available Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. to midnight, Eastern Time, excluding federal holidays.  Representatives are also available for limited weekend hours.

Getting a Passport Application. To apply for your first passport or to renew a passport received when you were less than 16 years old, you must apply in person. Routine processing takes approximately five weeks (six in busy travel seasons).

To apply in person, you will need the following:

• an application form,
• two identical passport photos taken within the last six months,
• proof of U.S. citizenship [e.g., naturalization papers or a certified copy of your birth certificate (obtainable from the city health department, city clerk, registrar of vital statistics, county clerk, or state department of health in the city/county/state where you were born)] or a previous passport,
• other picture ID (a valid driver's license or official state ID card), (note: If you are adopted or have had a name change for any other reason, you will need more identification)
• payment.

Call ahead to verify cost, forms of acceptable payment, and what you will need to take.

Passport Locations.

• Ann Arbor Branch of the U.S. Post Office, 2075 W. Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, (734) 662-0223, Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
• Washtenaw County Clerk's Office, 200 North Main Street, Suite 110, Ann Arbor, MI 48107-8645, (734) 222-6720, Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Other Passport Acceptance Facility Locations: http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/

Expedited Passport Processing. To get a passport in a hurry, you must provide proof that you need it within 14 calendar days (such as a plane ticket) and pay an additional $60 fee. See http://travel.state.gov/passport_expedite.html.

Getting Photos. On campus, you can get passport pictures taken at U-M Photo Services, 500 S. State Street, 0246 LSA Building, 734-764-9217. No appointment is necessary. In addition, many Kinko's shops (open 24 hours a day) and photo-processing centers can take passport photos.

Passport Replacement

• To replace a lost or stolen passport, you will need a Form DSP-64 (a Lost or Stolen Passport Report), a passport application, two official passport photos, an airplane ticket, proof of citizenship (old passport, birth certificate), picture ID, and the application fee. See http://travel.state.gov/passport/lost/lost_849.html
• To renew a passport, download a renewal form from http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/renew/renew_833.html and mail it directly to a U.S. government Passport Agency along with a check for $67 payable to "U.S. Department of State," two new passport photos, and your old passport, which serves as proof of citizenship and birth date. Only people whose previous passports were issued after their 16th birthday may use this procedure.

Visas. Some countries require travelers to get special permission, called a "visa," before entering the country. A visa is an official stamp in your passport authorizing you to travel, work, or study in that country for a specified length of time. For visa requirements for U.S. citizens traveling abroad for tourism, see http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html

If you plan to study or work abroad, if you will be in any European country for more than three months, or if you are traveling to Asia, Africa, Latin America, or to countries of the former Soviet Union or Romania, you should look into visa requirements. For information and for visa application forms, contact the consulate or embassy of your destination country. See http://www.embassy.org or for consulates nearest Ann Arbor, see http://www.umich.edu/~icenter/overseas/travel/embassy.html for addresses.

Usually, you must have a visa before you arrive in a country that requires one. Apply early; some visas can take up to eight weeks to process. If you apply in person, however, processing will probably take only a day or two. Perry International, 312-372-2703, can obtain tourist visas for most countries in a few days. If you plan to visit several countries that require visas, it may be easier to apply for only one or two visas before leaving the U.S. and get the others at embassies or consulates abroad as you travel. You may need extra passport photos for this; an embassy or consulate in the U.S. can give you the details.

Tourist Cards Tourist cards also authorize entry into a country and are issued instead of visas for some Latin American countries. They also can be obtained through an embassy or consulate, or sometimes through an airline or travel agency.