Executive Order 654

by President of the United States

1. By whom issued and refusal to issue.— No one but the Secretary of State may grant and issue passports in the United States (Revised Statutes, Sections 4075, 4078,) and he is empowered to refuse them in his discretion.
   
   Passports are not issued by American diplomatic and consular officers abroad, except in cases of emergency; and a citizen who is abroad and desires to procure a passport must apply therefor through the nearest diplomatic or consular officer to the Secretary of State.
   
   Applications for passports by persons in Porto Rico or the Philippines should be made to the Chief Executive of those Islands. The evidence required of such applicants is the same as that required of applicants in the United States.
2. Fee.— By act of Congress approved March 23, 1888, a fee of one dollar is required to be collected for every citizen's passport. That amount in currency or postal money order should accompany each application made by a citizen of the United States. Orders should be made payable to the Disbursing Clerk of the Department of State. Drafts or checks will not be accepted.
3. Applications.— A person who is entitled to receive a passport, if within the United States, must make a written application, in the form of an affidavit, to the Secretary of State. The application must be made by the person to whom the passport is to be issued and signed by him, as it is not competent for one person to apply for another.
   
   The affidavit must be attested by an officer authorized to administer oaths, and if he has an official seal it must be affixed. If he has no seal, his official character must be authenticated by certificate of the proper legal officer.
   
   If the applicant signs by mark, two attesting witnesses to his signature are required. The applicant is required to state the date and place of his birth, his occupation, the place of his permanent residence, to what country or countries he intends to travel and within what length of time he will return to the United States with the purpose of residing and performing the duties of citizenship.
   
   The applicant must take the oath of allegiance to the Government of the United States.
   
   The application must be accompanied by a description of the person applying, and should state the following particulars, viz: Age, _____; stature, _____ feet _____ inches (English measure); forehead, _____; eyes, _____; nose, _____; mouth, _____; chin, _____; hair, _____; complexion, _____; face, _____.
   
   The application must be accompanied by a certificate from at least one credible witness that the applicant is the person he represents himself to be, and that the facts stated in the affidavit are true to the best of the witness's knowledge and belief.

4. Native citizens.— An application containing the information indicated by rule 3 will be sufficient evidence in the case of native citizens; but

   A person of the Chinese race, alleging birth in the United States, must accompany his application with supporting affidavits from at least two credible witnesses, preferably not of the Chinese race, having personal knowledge of the applicant's birth in the United States. The application and supporting affidavits should be in duplicate and should be accompanied by three photographs of the applicant and should state at what port he intends to reenter the United States.
5. A person born abroad whose father was a native citizen of the United States.— In addition to the statements required by rule 3, his application must show that his father was born in the United States, resided therein, and was a citizen at the time of the applicant's birth. The Department may require that this affidavit be supported by that of one other citizen acquainted with the facts.
6. Naturalized citizens.— In addition to the statements required by rule 3, a naturalized citizen must transmit his certificate of naturalization, or a duly certified copy of the court record thereof, with his application. It will be returned to him after inspection. He must state in his affidavit when and from what port he emigrated to this country, what ship he sailed in, where he has lived since his arrival in the United States, when and before what court he was naturalized, and that he is the identical person described in the certificate of naturalization. The signature to the application should conform in orthography to the applicant's name as written in his certificate of naturalization, or an explanation of the difference should be submitted.
7. Woman's application.— If she is unmarried, in addition to the statements required by rule 3, she should state that she has never been married. If she is the wife or widow of a native citizen of the United States the fact should be made to appear in her application. If she is the wife or widow of a naturalized citizen, in addition to the statements required by rule 3, she must transmit for inspection her husband's certificate of naturalization, must state that she is the wife (or widow) of the person described therein, and must set forth the facts of his emigration, naturalization, and residence, as required in the rule governing the application of a naturalized citizen.
   
   (A married woman's citizenship follows that of her husband so far as her international status is concerned. It is essential, therefore, that a woman's marital relations be indicated in her application for a passport, and that in the case of a married woman her husband's citizenship be established.)
8. The child of a naturalized citizen claiming citizenship through the naturalization of the parent.— In addition to the statements required by rule 3, the applicant must state that he or she is the son or daughter, as the case may be, of the person described in the certificate of naturalization, which must be submitted for inspection, and must set forth the facts of emigration, naturalization, and residence, as required in the rule governing the application of a naturalized citizen.
9. A resident of an insular possession of the United States who owes allegiance to the United States.— In addition to the statements required by rule 3, he must state that he owes allegiance to the United States and that he does not acknowledge allegiance to any other government; and must submit affidavits from at least two credible witnesses having good means of knowledge in substantiation of his statements of birth, residence and loyalty.
10. Expiration of passport.— A passport expires two years from the date of its issuance. A new one will be issued upon a new application, and, if the applicant be a naturalized citizen, the old passport will be accepted in lieu of a certificate of naturalization, if the application upon which it was issued is found to contain sufficient information as to the naturalization of the applicant.
11. Wife, minor children, and servants.— When the applicant is accompanied by his wife, minor children, or servant who would be entitled to receive a passport, it will be sufficient to state the fact, giving the respective ages of the children and the allegiance of the servant, when one passport will suffice for all. For any other person in the party a separate passport will be required. A woman's passport may include her minor children and servant under the above-named conditions.
    
    (The term servant does not include a governess, tutor, pupil, companion, or person holding like rations to the applicant for a passport.)
12. Titles.— Professional and other titles will not be inserted in passports.
13. Blank forms of application.— They will be furnished by the Department to persons who desire to apply for passports, but are not furnished, except as samples, to those who make a business of procuring passports.
14. Address.— Communications should be addressed to the Department of State, Bureau of Citizenship, and each communication should give the post-office address of the person to whom the answer is to be directed.

Section 4075 of the Revised Statutes of the United States, as amended by the act of Congress, approved June 14, 1902, providing that "the Secretary of State may grant and issue passports, and cause passports to be granted, issued and verified in foreign countries by such diplomatic or consular officers of the United States, and by such chief or other executive officer of the insular possessions of the United States, and under such rules as the President shall designate and prescribe for and on behalf of the United States", the foregoing rules are hereby prescribed for the granting and issuing of Passports in the United States.

The Secretary of State is authorized to make regulations on the subject of issuing and granting passports additional to these rules and not inconsistent with them.

Theodore Roosevelt.

The White House,

June 13, 1907.