If you are seeking your first passport, you will need to make an appointment at your nearest passport agency to submit your application in person. In case you want to just renew your passport, you may do it through the mail. You will be required to apply for your passport in person if this is the first time you are applying for a passport; your previous US passport was lost, stolen or damaged; your previous US passport has expired, and had been issued over 15 years ago; your previous US passport has expired, and was issued before you turned 16; your name has changed since your original passport was issued, and you are yet to have a legal document backing the change; or you are a minor under 17. Passports are checked at Mexican and US Customs upon leaving and entering both countries

Keep it in mind that you can't just drop by at the passport office without making an appointment if you are applying for your passport in person or if you need your passport processed within a couple of two weeks. You will have to bring a number of things with you to your appointment. To begin with, you will have to download your "Application for Passport" Form DS-11. Next, you will have to furnish present proof of your US citizenship. This proof may be in the form of a valid birth certificate, an expired passport (as long as it is not mutilated or damaged in any way), a consular report of birth abroad, a naturalization certificate, a certificate of citizenship, etc. In case you don't possess a previous passport or a birth certificate, you will have to find out alternative forms of identification to prove your US citizenship. Next is the proof of your identity. You can prove your identity with a previous US passport, a naturalization certificate, or a current (valid) US driver's license, government ID (city/state/federal) or military ID (military/dependents). In the case of your having none of these, you will have to look for alternative forms of identification.

You will need to have two passport photos. The photos should be 2x2 inches, identical to each other, taken within the last six months, in color, showing your full face from a front view with a plain white or off-white background, and between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. Remember to wear normal street clothes (no uniforms, etc.) for being photographed. Last but not the least, you must bring along some money. Passports for all US citizens aged 16 and over cost $55. The security surcharge is $12. The execution fee is $30. So, you need to pay $97 in total. Passports for all US citizens under the age of 16 cost $40. The security surcharge is $12. The execution fee is $30. So, your total amounts to $82.

You can renew your passport by mail provided you already possess a passport that is not damaged; you received it within the past 15 years; you were a minimum 16 years old when it was issued; and you have retained the same name that was in your old passport. You must furnish supporting legal documents if you have changed your name.

Remember, your kids also will be required to have passports in their own names. If they are under 14, the consent of both parents/guardians is necessary to get a passport. Also, for children under 14, both proof of citizenship and proof of relationship (to parents/guardians) are essential. If your kid is too small to sign his/her name, a parent may sign instead by writing the child's name on the signature line and signing the parent's name above the child's name.