SUBCHAPTER I—PASSPORTS
§ 501. Individuals eligible for passports
(a) NATIONALS OF THE UNITED STATES.—A passport may be issued
only to, or verified only for, a national of the United States.
(b) APPLICATIONS.—An individual may be issued a passport only if the
individual submits a signed application containing all information required
by law and regulations. If the individual previously has not been issued a
United States passport, the application must be executed under oath before
an individual authorized by the Secretary of State to administer oaths.
§ 502. Issuing and verifying passports
(a) INDIVIDUALS AUTHORIZED TO ISSUE AND VERIFY.—Under regula-
tions prescribed by the President, the Secretary of State may—
(1) issue and verify passports; and
(2) authorize only the following to issue and verify passports:
(A) the chief executive officer of a territory or possession of the
United States.
(B) in a foreign country, diplomatic and consular officers of the
United States and other officers and employees of the Department
of State who are citizens of the United States.
(b) REPORTS.—As required by the Secretary, an individual issuing or
verifying a passport shall report to the Secretary—
(1) the issuing or verifying of the passport; and
(2) the information contained in the passport.
§ 503. Validity and use
(a) PERIOD OF VALIDITY.—A passport is valid for 10 years from the date
it is issued. However, the Secretary may limit the validity of a passport to
a shorter period in an individual case or on a general basis by regulation.
(b) RESTRICTIONS ON TRAVEL OR USE.—(1) Except as provided in para-
graph (2) of this subsection or any other law, a passport may not be des-
ignated as restricted for travel to, or use in, any country.
(2) A passport may be designated as restricted for travel to, or use in,
a country—
(A) with which the United States is at war;
(B) in which armed hostilities are in progress; or
(C) in which there is imminent danger to the public health or phys-
ical safety of United States travelers.
§ 504. Passport fees
(a) ESTABLISHING FEES.—The Secretary of State shall prescribe by reg-
ulation the fee for a passport and the fee for executing a passport applica-
tion. However, the following individuals are exempt from paying the pass-
port fee and, when executing the application before an officer or employee
of the United States Government, from paying the execution fee:
(1) an officer or employee of the Government going outside the Unit-
ed States on official business, and a member of the immediate family
of the officer or employee.
(2) a sailor needing a passport for service on a vessel of the United
States.
(3) a widow, child, parent, brother, or sister of a deceased member
of the armed forces of the United States going outside the United
States to visit the member’s grave.
(b) COLLECTION AND RETENTION OF APPLICATION FEES.—The Sec-
retary by regulation may—
(1) authorize an official of a State to collect and retain the fee for
each passport application executed before the official; and
(2) transfer to the United States Postal Service the fee for each ap-
plication executed before the Service.
(c) DEPOSITS IN THE TREASURY.—(1) Except for fees retained or trans-
ferred under subsection (b) of this section, fees collected under this section
shall be deposited in the Treasury.
(2) Notwithstanding any other law and to the extent provided in an ap-
propriation law, not more than $5,000,000 in passport fees collected by the
Secretary may be credited each fiscal year to a Department of State ac-
count. Amounts credited to the account are available only for costs associ-
ated with acquiring and producing machine-readable United States pass-
ports and visas and compatible reading equipment. Amounts credited under
this paragraph remain available until expended.
(3) Fees collected for expedited passport processing shall be deposited in
the Administration of Foreign Affairs Account as offsetting receipts and are
available until expended.
(d) REFUNDS.—(1) The Secretary may refund a passport fee—
(A) paid by an individual exempt from payment under subsection (a)
of this section; or
(B) paid to an officer or employee of the Government by an individ-
ual issued a passport who is refused a visa in the United States by
the appropriate officer of a government of a foreign country if the indi-
vidual within 6 months from the date the passport is issued makes a
written request and returns the unused passport.
(2) Amounts are appropriated to the Secretary to make refunds under
paragraph (1)(B) of this subsection.
§ 505. Limitation on acquiring paper for passports
Amounts may not be used to acquire paper for passports if—
(1) the paper is manufactured outside the United States and the ter-
ritories and possessions of the United States or would be acquired from
an entity owned or controlled by a person that is not a citizen of the
United States; and
(2) a domestic manufacturer for paper for passports exists.
SUBCHAPTER II—TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS
§ 511. Travel document requirements
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section—
(1) ‘‘permit’’ means a passport, visa, reentry permit, or other docu-
ment used to enter or leave the United States.
(2) ‘‘person’’, in addition to its meaning under section 1 of title 1,
includes a governmental entity.
(3) ‘‘United States’’ includes all territory and waters subject to the
jurisdiction of the United States.
(b) ENTERING OR LEAVING THE UNITED STATES.—(1) Subject to condi-
tions and exceptions prescribed by the President, a citizen of the United
States may enter or leave, or attempt to enter or leave, the United States
only if the citizen has a valid United States passport.
(2) An alien may enter or leave, or attempt to enter or leave, the United
States only under regulations prescribed or orders issued by the President.
(c) OTHER RESTRICTIONS.—Unless otherwise ordered by the President,
a person may not—
(1) transport or attempt to transport an individual into or out of the
United States if the person has reason to believe that the entry or de-
parture is prohibited by this section;
(2) knowingly make a false statement in an application for a permit
with the intent to have the permit issued for any individual;
(3) knowingly give, attempt to give, or assist in giving an individual
a permit not intended for the individual;
(4) knowingly use or attempt to use a permit not issued or intended
for that person;
(5) forge, change, or mutilate a permit, or have a permit forged,
changed, or mutilated; or
(6) knowingly use, attempt to use, or give to another for use, a per-
mit that is forged, changed, mutilated, or invalid.
(d) ALIENS OTHERWISE INADMISSIBLE.—This title does not entitle an
alien to enter the United States if the alien is issued a permit but otherwise
is inadmissible.
(e) REVOCATION OF REGULATION OR ORDER.—Revocation of a regula-
tion prescribed or order issued under this section does not prevent prosecu-
tion, or imposition of penalties, for violation of the regulation or order be-
fore it was revoked.
§ 512. Certain rights to enter or leave unaffected
This title does not affect the rights of the following individuals to enter
or leave the United States:
(1) an American Indian born in Canada who is at least 50 percent
of American Indian descent.
(2) an alien member of the armed forces of the United States enter-
ing or leaving the United States under orders or with permission when
the member is in uniform or carrying identification as a member of the
armed forces.
§ 513. Records about residents permanently leaving the
United States
The Attorney General may authorize an immigration officer to record the
following information about a resident of the United States leaving the
United States through Canada or Mexico for permanent residence in a for-
eign country:
(1) name.
(2) race, age, and sex.
(3) country of birth.
(4) marital status.
(5) occupation.
(6) whether the resident can read or write.
(7) nationality.
(8) country of which the resident is a citizen or subject.
(9) last permanent residence in the United States.
(10) intended future permanent residence.
(11) time and port of last entry into the United States.
(12) if the resident claims to be a national of the United States,
facts on which the claim is based.
§ 514. Travel restrictions on citizens of foreign countries
(a) GENERAL POLICY.—(1) To carry out the general principles of the
Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe empha-
sizing the lowering of international barriers to the free movement of people
and ideas and in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Re-
lations establishing the legal principles of nondiscrimination and reciprocity,
it is the general policy of the United States to impose restrictions on travel
within the United States by citizens of a foreign country only when the gov-
ernment of that foreign country imposes restrictions on travel by citizens
of the United States within that country.