Westchester County Clerk

Q: What is a passport?

Q: Why do I need a passport?

Q: Who can help me apply for a United States Passport?

Q: What is a passport?   Top

A: A passport is an internationally recognized travel document that verifies the identity and nationality of the bearer. A valid U.S. passport is required to enter and leave foreign countries. Only the U.S. Department of State has the authority to issue or verify United States passports. However, the Westchester County Clerk's Office is a designated passport acceptance facility and can assist you in obtaining your passport.

Q: Why do I need a passport?  Top

A: Passports have been, and will continue to be, one of the most recognizable and generally accepted forms of identification. However, in addition to being a credible form of identification, passports are now required for travel outside of the United States including to the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada where in the past state-issued identification and a birth certificate may have been sufficient.  U.S. citizens traveling between the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa will continue to be able to use established forms of identification to board flights and for entry.

Q: Who can help me apply for a United States Passport?  Top

A: The Westchester County Clerk's Office has trained, knowledgeable staff who are committed to helping you through your application process. You should feel free to call our office at (914)995-3088 or visit our office Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. In order for our office to provide you with the best service possible, all applicants must arrive at our office by 4:00 p.m. We look forward to assisting you.

Passport applications generally take up to eighteen weeks or longer to be processed by the Department of State. You can check the current processing times at the U.S. Department of State website.

If you need your passport sooner, you may request expedited processing of your passport application. The fee for this service is $60.00 per passport plus the $19.53 cost of overnight delivery to and from the Passport Agency. These fees must be paid by check or money order made out to the U.S. Department of State. Expedited processing will result in you getting your passport in about twelve weeks.

If you need your passport in less time, you will need to make an appointment to take your paperwork directly to a Passport Agency. Please visit the U.S. Department of State website for more details if you need to make an appointment to get your passport in fewer than three weeks.Questions?  Call us at (914) 995-3088 or (914)995-3089 or send an e-mail to .

If your passport has been lost or stolen, two steps are required to get a new passport. First, you must report your valid passport lost or stolen immediately. The second step is to replace your passport.

You will need to appear in person in order to replace a lost or stolen passport. To report a lost or stolen passport, complete a Statement Regarding Lost or Stolen Passport, Form DS-64 filling in as much of the passport information as you can and answering all the other questions in detail. You can bring this form to the Office of the Westchester County Clerk when you come to replace your passport. However, if you are not going to be traveling to our office immediately after the theft or loss, be sure to sign and submit your form to:

U.S. Department of State, Passport Services
Consular Lost/Stolen Passport Section
1111 19th Street, NW
Suite 500
Washington, DC 20036

Alternatively, you can call (202) 955-0430 to report a lost or stolen passport. Please note that passports reported lost or stolen are invalidated and can no longer be used for travel.

In order to replace a lost or stolen valid passport, you will need to comply with all of the requirements for applying in person for a passport. When completing the Application for Passport, Form DS-11, complete Question #21 by writing your name as it appeared in your passport, writing the approximate date of issue, including the passport number if known, and marking the appropriate box under DISPOSITION. Please note that if your passport is stolen abroad, you should immediately report the loss to local police authorities and the Consular Section of the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. 

Questions?  Call us at (914) 995-3088 or (914)995-3089 or send an e-mail to . 

All minors, including newborn infants, must have their own passport. In addition to complying with the general requirements for applying for a passport, note the following additional requirements:

The minor must appear in person
In an effort to prevent international child abduction and improve the accurate identification of passport applicants, the Department of State requires the personal appearance of all minors applying for passports, even if the minor has previously been issued a passport.

Proof of Minor's Relationship to Parents/Guardians for a minor under the age of 16
If you  apply for a minor under the age of 16, you will need to submit one of the following documents as evidence of the minor's U.S. citizenship: a certified U.S. birth certificate (with parents' full names), a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, Form FS-240 (with parents' names), a Certification of Birth Abroad, Form DS-1350 (with parents' names), an Adoption Decree (with adopting parents' names), a certified copy of a Court Order Establishing Custody, or a certified copy of a Court Order Establishing Guardianship. Note that if the name of a parent or guardian is other than what appears on the document submitted to prove the parental relationship, evidence of a legal name change is required. Note further that a prior U.S. Passport is not considered sufficient proof of a minor's relationship to parents.

Parents must present Proof of Identity to establish relationship to minor under the age of 16
Each parent or guardian must submit one of the following: a U.S. Passport, a Naturalization Certificate, or a current, valid driver’s license, government identification card or military identification card. Note that a Social Security Card does not prove your identity. If you do not possess the identification listed, you will need to provide alternate proof of identity.

Proof of Consent of both parents
Both parents should appear together and sign the application of the minor under the age of 16. However, if only one parent appears and signs, that parent must submit the other parent's notarized Form DS-3053, Statement of Consent: Issuance of a Passport to a Minor Under Age 16 and provide a photocopy of the front and back of his or her ID. Alternatively, a parent who appears alone and signs must submit one of the following forms of primary evidence of sole authority to apply: Minor's certified U.S. or foreign birth certificate (with translation, if necessary) listing only applying parent; or Consular Report of Birth Abroad, Form FS-240 or Certification of Birth Abroad, Form DS-1350 listing only applying parent; or Court order granting sole custody to the applying parent (unless minor's travel is restricted by that order); or Adoption decree (if applying parent is sole adopting parent); or Court order specifically permitting applying parent's or guardian's travel with the minor; or Judicial declaration of incompetence of non-applying parent; or Death certificate of non-applying parent.

Signing the passport application
Applicants age 16 through 17 must sign their name on the application.  For applicants under age 16, a parent must sign for the minor by printing the minor's name on the signature line and signing the parent's name below the minor's name.  Do not sign the application in advance, as it must be signed in front of a passport agent.

Minors involved in custody disputes
Parents, legal guardians, legal representatives and courts can request that the Department of State Office of Children’s Issues register a minor's name in The Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program. The form used is the DS-3077 Request for Entry Into Children's Issuance Alert Program. If a minor's name has been entered in this program, a passport will not be issued to such a minor without notification to the proper parties. For more information visit the Department of State's Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program site.