How to apply for a passport

A passport is an important document that authorizes travel and it is a proof of your identification and citizenship. Therefore, you must get it even if you don’t have any travel plans. This article intends to provide you with information on how to apply for a passport.

Requirements
You need the following for fulfilling your new passport requirements:

  • Proof of US citizenship
  • Passport application forms
  • Identity proof
  • Two current photographs
  • Social security number

Step 1
The first step of the process is to seek relevant government forms either from a post office or the corresponding website. In case you download the form, you are supposed to keep a few instructions in mind:

  • The form should be in black print on white paper, 8.5 x 11 inches paper with no holes or perforations, and it should not have a glossy effect.

Step 2
After getting the form, read the instructions carefully that are mentioned on the first and second page. Based on the instructions and your new passport requirements, fill the form appropriately.

Step 3
You are required to gather proof of your citizenship, which you would be attaching them with the form. It should be the official version of your birth certificate issued by the city, state, or county you were born in.

If you weren’t born in the country, then you will have to prove your identity with your citizenship certificate, a driver’s license, and some other new passport requirements.

Step 4
You should take two passport-sized photos along when you are going to submit your passport application. Read the guidelines carefully about the photographs, as there are certain restrictions regarding fancy clothes, hats, and glasses. Additionally, remember your social security number as it is one of the most important and new passport requirements.

Step 5
Find out the current passport application and execution fees online. The fee differs in amount if you apply to get your passport faster than the usual time.

Step 6
Find the nearest passport office and hand over your application form along with all the documents. After a week of submitting the application, you can start checking your application status online.

Plan your passport application after August, as passport offices experience the heaviest traffic of passport seekers in the month of January to August.

 

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

  • Check out early signs of multiple sclerosis
    Multiple sclerosis is a progressive disorder which is immune mediated. Immune mediated is when that system in your body that is supposed to keep your body healthy ends up attacking parts of the body that essential for everyday functioning. This happens as nerve cells progressively wear out their protective covering which in turn reduces the efficiency with which the brain and the spinal cord function. It has unpredictable symptoms each of which vary in intensity from person to person. Some people experience tingling sensations while others have paralysis, for instance. Early signs of multiple sclerosis include a variety of visual, neurological, muscular, sexual and cognitive issues, to name a few: One of the early and more common symptoms of multiple sclerosis is visual problems caused by inflammation of the optic nerve. It leads to loss of vision in extreme cases, blurred vision or double vision. The degeneration of vision is not immediately apparent as it is always a gradual process. Loss of vision can also be accompanied by pain. The body’s message center is also affected thanks to nerve damage in the brain and spinal cord resulting in scrambled messages to and fro the brain and the target nerve. These result in tingling sensations. When messages cannot be sent at all, it results in numbness. Muscle spasms and chronic pain are another early warning sign of multiple sclerosis, affecting almost half of those with the disorder. Stiff muscles and joints and painful jerks affect the back and the legs especially. When the nerves begin to degenerate, it causes chronic fatigue. Unexplained fatigue is an early warning sign affecting about 80 percent of those with the disorder, most obvious in the legs. Another early warning sign of multiple sclerosis is problems with coordination, maintaining balance and dizziness. Bladder and bowel issues are also common, with incontinence, frequent urination, constipation being the most frequent signs. Fifty percent of those with multiple sclerosis have cognitive problems that include short attention spans, memory problems, and language problems. Other early warning signs include, commonly, sexual dysfunction, depression, and, more rarely, hearing loss, seizures, slurred speech, trouble swallowing and breathing problems.
  • Your one stop solution for poor credit loans
    If you have a poor credit score, you need not worry because the following list of companies is willing to look beyond just your credit scores to give you a loan. PersonalLoans.com: They are ready to offer loans in the range $2000 to $35000 and are open to all credit types. Services are available in all 50 states throughout the country with funding and approvals which don’t take more than a week, sometimes even one business day. The tenure of the loan can be from three to seventy-two months with interest rates are variable depending on the loan. BadCreditLoans.com: Bad credit loans are willing to offer loans from $500 to $5000 with multiple lenders are offered by the company. Funding is very quick, and you can receive your money on the very next day. Loan tenure is from three to sixty months. Interest rates are variable depending on the loan. SignatureLoan.com: They are willing to offer loans from $1000 to $35000 regardless of whether you have a good credit score or not. It can be used for absolutely anything from medical loans to emergency loans. The approval process is speedy, and they have a very large network of lenders. The term of the loan can be from three to seventy-two months with interest rates are variable depending on the loan. Upstart: It is a new company founded by the employees of Google to help give out subprime loans to individuals with a poor credit score. It takes into account your income statement and career growth among other things and offers loans up to $50,000. OneMainFinancial: They do not provide online services as compared to other similar institutions. You will have to go to their branch to avail their services, but this is not an issue as they have several branches in a number of cities. The term of the loan is similar to other companies mentioned above, and interest rates also vary based on your needs. Do not be impudent in choosing institutions to borrow loans from. Carefully study all the terms and conditions before making a decision.
  • Pros and cons of popular cell phone carriers
      There are different cost-saving cell phone plans offered by both big carriers as well as the smaller ones that will keep your monthly bill cost down. Some names of the carriers you may know, and others not. All these carriers promise you the lowest rates possible for your service. Here is a comparison on cell phone plans offered by some of the best carriers. The comparison of cell phone plans is made by putting out the pros and cons of each carrier. Boost Mobile The best plan offers 3GB data for around $35 per month.
    • Pros: Same network performance as its parent Sprint
    • Cons: The company is completely dependant on Sprint and their cellular services.
    Consumer Cellular The best plan offers 3GB data for around $40 per month.
    • Pros: AT&T and T-Mobile provide good network coverage and the best discounts for American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
    • Cons: Additional costs are applicable if you are in need of big data plans.
    Cricket Wireless The best plan offers 5GB data for around $35 per month with autopay enrollment.
    • Pros: Their customer support is the best among discount carriers and they have also increased data allotments for plans
    • Cons: Very few benefits as compared to MetroPCS and Boost. Data speeds are quite less, which is at 8 Mbps.
    FreedomPop The best offer is a data plan of 5GB for around $35.
    • Pros: Economical offers for family plans and discounts have been given if you pay monthly rent ahead. Free offers are available if you keep your data usage in talk and text to the minimum amount.
    • Cons: It’s a bit more confusing and difficult to find what you need from the stack of plans. Also, there are devices which cannot be used with this plan.
    MetroPCS The best offer is a data plan of 5GB for $40.
    • Pros: It has the Data Maximizer option and a variety of selection of phones. It mainly depends on T-Mobile’s network coverage.
    • Cons: It has a bounded plan option with a high cost of $40 and the customer service is not that great.
    Mint Mobile The best offer is the data plan of 2GB worth $15
    • Pros: Depends on T-Mobile’s network and initially, low-cost monthly payment is available.
    • Cons: If you want to avail of the low payment scheme, you have to pay three months cash ahead. And the cost will be increased after the initial discount until you use the service for a year.
    Project Fi The best offer is on the data plan of 1GB, which costs around $30 cost.
    • Pros: Expensive Google devices are supported by the plans. Payment based on usage only.
    • Cons: More data is offered for the same cost by other carriers.
    So, this was a comparison of the best prepaid and postpaid cell phone plans. Consider the pros and cons of each plan and make an informed decision.
  • Coolpad mobiles and their excellent features
    We use smartphones in every walk of life these days. Right from sending quick replies to e-mails, updating our status, and posting something new on social media, browsing our favorite websites and playing games for passing the time. Many brands offer different configurations and features of smartphones in different price ranges. Coolpad mobiles are the latest addition to the ranks of reliable and user-friendly mobiles with excellent quality at quite an affordable price range. There are several models with different features within a reasonable price.
    • Coolpad Note 5 Royal Gold 32 GB This smartphone was launched in September 2016. This has a 5.5-inch touchscreen display with excellent resolution and pixel density. It is powered by a 1.5 GHz octa-core processor for remarkable processing speed, 4 GB RAM enables the user to work on multiple apps with a lag-free experience simultaneously. The internal storage of 32 GB can be expanded to 64 GB through SD card support, a 13-megapixel rear camera and 8-megapixel front camera make this model perfect for photography.
    • Coolpad Cool 1 Dual This phone has a 5.5-inch touchscreen display with a 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution. It has 1.4 GHz octa-core processor for better processing speed, 3 GB of RAM for an uninterrupted multitasking experience, non-expandable internal storage of 32 GB. Additionally, a 13-megapixel rear camera and 8-megapixel front camera make the phone convenient and suitable for photography on the go. This phone is powered by an Android 6.0 operating system and has a 4000 mAh nonremovable battery for longer operations once fully charged.
    • Coolpad Cool Play 6 This model comes with two cameras, both with 13 megapixels. This 5.5-inch display model has a pixel density of 403 PPI and great pixel resolution. It is powered by an Android 7.1 Nougat operating system for access to apps from Google Play.
    • Coolpad Mega 2.5 D This model has two 8-megapixel cameras. It has a 5.5-inch capacitive touchscreen with marvelous resolution and is powered with an Android 6.0 version operating system. It operates on a 1GHz quad-core processor and has 3 GB of RAM for better multitasking with an internal storage of 16 GB.
    Apart from the models and configurations discussed above, there are other attractive and well-functioning models from Coolpad. Thus, the brand has provided plenty of options. Aspirants who wish to have a new smartphone can choose the most appealing and appropriate model according to the frequency of usage and requirement of apps.
  • 5 Christmas decoration items that you must not miss
    This time of the year between late fall and early winter calls for many occasions and festivals to celebrate and throw parties at your home Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year the list doesn't seem to end. And house parties inevitably mean lots of decorations and arrangements. Among the huge collection of Christmas decorations for sale every year, it is tough to choose the right ones for your home. To help you out, here are five affordable Christmas decorations that should be on your Christmas shopping list.
    • Christmas lightings The oldest and most traditional of them all, Christmas lightings have evolved from decorative candles to very affordable Christmas decorations a variety of twinkling lights for your Christmas tree, your windows, and lawns as well as your walls. Apart from the usual mini string and bulb lights, there are net lights, icicle and candy cane lights, animated and color changing lights in the shape of Santa Claus, reindeer, Frosty the snowman and so on. They are the most discounted Christmas decorations during the festive season. Moreover, you may opt for teal Xmas decorations.
    • Designer candles Candles have not entirely gone out of style, but they have surely evolved. Instead of the simple ones, you can opt for different stylised varieties. They are available in different shapes, sizes, and scents as centerpieces, jar candles, small cup candles or artistic candles the choice is yours. They make the most affordable Christmas decorations, yet most effective.
    • Inflatable decorations A rage among the new age Christmas party decorations, these are the best options for your holiday yard Christmas decorations. They come in a deflated state for better storage, but once you plug it in, your air-blown snowman or Santa Claus will smile at your guests throughout the evening. Also, these inflatable Christmas decorations will last for years if stored with care, so it is wise to keep it on your shopping list.
    • Christmas wreaths and garlands Another traditional decoration inseparable from the festival, wreaths and garlands make the best indoor Christmas decoration. For the wreath you can go for the usual holly or Ivy branches and the garland over the mantelpiece and staircase banister, you can go fancy with handmade papers and quirky homemade trinkets.
    • Reindeer decorations There is no end to how many different types of holiday reindeer decorations you will find for Christmas. They come in smallest sizes for your Christmas tree, in medium sizes for your tables and cabinets, and in big sizes for Christmas lawn decorations. Throw in some of those lovely horned creatures here and there don't forget to keep one in the red nose for our dear Rudolph.
    Make use of the season sales and your imaginative mind to create the best Christmas decorations for your home. You may also look for Christmas tree decoration items online.
  • 3 Operating Systems used by ethical hackers
    Hacking usually involves system infiltration and stealing data by means of unauthorized access. Ethical hacking is a means to counter hackers, by filling any loopholes in the back doors of computer systems. Ethical hacking is a great way to counterattack illegal hackers. Have you ever wanted to learn ethical hacking, and needed an OS to get started? You'll be happy to know most hackers use open source operating systems for their programming experiments. Open source operating systems are free, contain the developer and debugging tools, and in general are perfect for the budding multi-programmer and hacker. Here are the top three operating systems ideal for ethical hacking aspirants. Kali Linux: Kali Linux comes packed with 600 penetration testing programs and is based on the Linux distribution package known as Debian. The OS is specially designed for digital forensics and penetration testing. It can be installed on a hard drive, and live USB/CD. it can even operate as a virtual machine using virtualization software. Kali supports the use of various developmental bones like Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone, Odroid, CuBox and much more. Kali Linux offers tools for password attacks, exploitation, and vulnerability testing. It can help users access the target machine for running back door tests in the operating system. BackBox: BackBox is aimed at ethical hackers and penetration testers wanting to test out security assessments. It is based on one of the Linux distribution packages and is open-source. You can use BackBox if you're looking for a fast, efficient, and easily operable OS which comes with a minimalist user interface. The BackBox comes packed with 70 testing programs for web analysis. These include snuffing, stress testing, network analysis, vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, forensics, and exploitation. You can use BackBox if you need an OS which supports Cloud-based penetration testing. Or, it is ideal when you need regular automated configuration backups, and need an OS which supports old configuration systems. Parrot Security Operating System: Parrot Security is based on the Debian GNU/Linux distribution package which is combined with Frozenbox OS and Kali Linux. This OS provides users with the real world of penetration testing and security assessments in real world environments. This makes it the perfect OS for the budding ethical hacker. The Frozenbox OS integrated into the Parrot Security OS makes it useful for carrying out security assessments, anonymous web browsing, vulnerability assessment and mitigation processes. It makes use of the Kali Linux repositories and the MATE desktop environment. It does this by using the LightDM display manager, which uses an easy to use GUI and a decent lightweight environment in the OS. You can use this OS for running cyber forensics tests and for ethical hacking. The most notable feature about the Parrot Security OS is that it's easily customizable and features a strong community support. This is different from other open source distribution packages.