ID & Travel

Las Vegas passport appointment: who needs one and what can stop you

A Las Vegas passport appointment matters most if this is your first U.S. passport. Federal law makes a first-time applicant swear to the application in front of someone the State Department has approved. A renewal does not need that oath. Below: which visit you need, what the law says about children, and the debts and convictions that can block a passport.

What to do first

1. Work out if this is your first passport. If you have never had a U.S. passport, you must apply in person and swear to the application under oath before a person the Secretary of State has authorized (22 U.S.C. 213). That is what the appointment is for.

2. Renewing? You may not need an appointment at all. The oath rule in the law applies only when you have not been issued a U.S. passport before (22 U.S.C. 213). The law names two forms: the DS-11, the application, and the DS-82, the renewal (22 U.S.C. 213). Congress has told the State Department to grow online renewal (Pub. L. 118-159, sec. 7508, a note to 22 U.S.C. 211a). Check the State Department's current rules before you book a slot you do not need.

3. Gather proof you are a citizen or national. A passport may only be issued to people who owe allegiance to the United States, citizens or not (22 U.S.C. 212). For most people born here, that proof starts with a birth certificate. If you need a copy, see our birth certificate page.

4. Check the blocks below before you pay. The fees are not refundable unless a State Department rule says so (22 U.S.C. 214(a)(1)). If you owe child support or a large tax debt, fix that first.

Who takes your application and the fee

Only the State Department grants and issues passports. It can work through its own staff, diplomats abroad and its own electronic systems. No other entity may grant, issue or verify a passport (22 U.S.C. 211a). The law lets the State Department authorize state officials or the U.S. Postal Service to accept applications and keep the "execution fee," the fee for taking your application (22 U.S.C. 214(a)(1)). So the place you book may be a post office or a government office. It still does not issue the passport. A business that says it can "issue" or "approve" your passport is wrong about the law.

There are two fees: one for filing the application, and one for executing it. Both are set by State Department regulation, not by Congress (22 U.S.C. 214(a)(1)). Check the State Department's current fee list before you go.

Children under 14

Congress told the State Department to require, under penalty of perjury, before a passport is issued to a child under 14 (Pub. L. 106-113, sec. 236, a note to 22 U.S.C. 213):

Both parents, or the child's legal guardian, sign the application and show papers proving they are the parents or guardian; or

One person signs and shows papers that they have sole custody, or have the other parent's consent, or stand in for the parents with the consent of both parents, the parent with sole custody, or the guardian.

The rules may allow exceptions in an emergency, such as the child's health or welfare, or for special family circumstances. If you have a custody order, bring it. If you need one, see our family law help page.

What can stop a passport

Problem	What the law does	Source
Back child support over $2,500	Once the state certifies the debt, the State Department must refuse a passport. It may revoke or limit one you already have	42 U.S.C. 652(k); 654(31)
"Seriously delinquent" federal tax debt	An assessed tax debt over $50,000 (raised each year for inflation), with a lien filed or a levy made, is certified to the State Department for denial, revocation or limits	26 U.S.C. 7345(a), (b), (f)
Drug conviction where you crossed a border or used a passport to commit it	No passport while you are in prison or on parole or supervised release for a felony drug offense, or for some misdemeanors. A first misdemeanor for possession only does not count	22 U.S.C. 2714
What you said or believe	A passport may not be denied for speech, belief or membership that the First Amendment would protect	22 U.S.C. 2721

Read 2026-11-10 off the United States Code, 2024 Edition (Titles 18, 22, 26 and 42), including the statutory notes printed under 22 U.S.C. 211a, 213 and 217a.

If child support is the problem

Before the state certifies you, it must give you notice of the debt, tell you what will happen, and give you a chance to contest it (42 U.S.C. 654(31)(A)). If the amount is wrong, use that chance. If it is right, ask the child support office what it takes to get your case below the line.

If tax debt is the problem

A payment plan takes you off the list. A debt being paid on time under an installment agreement or an offer in compromise does not count. Neither does a debt where you asked for a collection due process hearing, or asked for innocent spouse relief (26 U.S.C. 7345(b)(2)).

The IRS has to tell the State Department. Once the debt is paid, becomes unenforceable, or goes on a plan, the IRS must reverse the certification. For a plan or an accepted offer, that notice is due within 30 days (26 U.S.C. 7345(c)).

You can go to court. If you think the certification is wrong, you can sue in federal district court or the Tax Court (26 U.S.C. 7345(e)).

Tell the truth on the form

A willful false statement on a passport application is a federal crime. For a first or second offense, it carries up to 10 years in prison, a fine, or both, and more if it was tied to terrorism or drug trafficking (18 U.S.C. 1542). If something in your past worries you, ask a lawyer before you apply. See our free legal help page.

How long it lasts

A passport is valid for ten years from the date of issue, but the State Department can set a shorter period in a single case or by regulation (22 U.S.C. 217a). Congress has told the State Department to notify holders at least one year before a passport expires (Pub. L. 118-31, sec. 6110, a note to 22 U.S.C. 217a). Congress also told the State Department to print a warning in passports. It says many countries turn travelers away in the last 6 months before a passport expires, and that you should renew at least a year early (Pub. L. 118-31, sec. 6103, a note to 22 U.S.C. 211a).

Who pays no passport fee

The law excuses the fee for a short list of people. One is a widow, widower, child, parent, grandparent, brother or sister of a service member who died, traveling abroad to visit the grave or attend the funeral or memorial. Others are federal employees going abroad on duty and their family, and American sailors who need a passport for their duties on a U.S.-flag ship (22 U.S.C. 214(a)(2)).

Good to know

If your name has changed since your birth certificate, bring the paper that changed it. See our name change and name change after marriage pages. If you apply by mail, the law gives you the option to have your documents sent back by certified mail. You pay the postage and a processing charge for it (Pub. L. 117-263, sec. 9714, a note to 22 U.S.C. 213). The State Department must publish its processing times every quarter (Pub. L. 118-31, sec. 6108, a note to 22 U.S.C. 213).

For appointment times, places, current fees and processing times, check with the U.S. Department of State directly. Call 211 if you need help getting papers together.