Passport is a travel document that identifies the holder as a citizen of the country by which it is issued. A passport also requests other countries to give the holder safe passage and all lawful aid and protection. Sometimes a passport must have a visa (official endorsement) from the country a person desires to visit before entry into that country is permitted (see Visa ).
The Department of State issues passports in the United States. State Department officials in the following cities may issue passports: Aurora, Colorado; Boston; Chicago; Dallas; Detroit; Honolulu; Houston; Los Angeles; Miami; Minneapolis; New Orleans; New York City; Norwalk, Connecticut; Philadelphia; San Francisco; Seattle; Tucson, Arizona; and Washington, D.C. Applications may also be made before a clerk of a federal or state court authorized by law to naturalize aliens (noncitizens). Naturalization is the legal process by which a person becomes a citizen of an adopted country. Many U.S. diplomatic and consular offices can issue passports to U.S. citizens overseas. In Canada, passports are issued by Passport Canada, a government agency with offices throughout the country.
The United States issues three types of passports: (1) diplomatic, for people going abroad on important government assignments; (2) official, for other government employees; and (3) regular, for people traveling overseas for personal reasons.
