Right now I'm waiting for my state stamped birth certificate by mail. When I get it I'm headed down to the PO to fill out an app for my first ever passport. Anyone know what the requirments are for a U.S. passport?

I need it to visit my sister in BC Canada she's having her first child and I'm the only one in the family able to make it up there.

Thanks

Here.

http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_830.html

A quick google gave me this website. Bet your answers are there:
http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_830.html

Edit:
Estimated processing times are here:
http://travel.state.gov/passport/processing/processing_1740.html
Hope you wren't lookingto leave in the next few days...

I don't know the specifics, but you can apply for an emergency passport that can be issued within 72 hours, its expensive as hell though.

One could get an emergency expedite if they had proof of travel plans in the next two weeks, but for that do NOT send it off via US county or federal. Take it straight into a regional passport office, which in your case may be in Boston or NYC. You would pay them the expedite (post office money order[s]), give them the copy of original birth certificate, fill the crap out, then voila. There's no guarantee you'd get it in time but one thing I'd recommend after getting your passport is a Nexus card. For birth certificate it would have been faster if you could travel to the county office of your birth location, presuming it was close enough to get to via car.

Not doing an expedite means they take their sweet time and you might get it in 4 weeks, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 10 weeks, who knows.

It's quite simple to get a passport, I just got one myself last week. All they required was my birth certificate, drivers license, and a check to pay for it. It only took about three weeks for them to process and ship it to me.

BC. The green province.

Are they not putting photos in them anymore?

EDIT: Mine took a little over a week, and I didn't pay for any speedy processing. I lived in Miami at the time. Don't you just need a passport card to go to Canada?

When do you need a visit. When I got me renewal several months ago, it took 4-6 weeks to get my passport back. I think they can rush it, but it's costly and annoying.

Passport Card for ground POE only, Passport Book for air or air+ground POE. More options with book.

Requires photos that I'm sure any US retail photo center that takes pictures would do.

Edit: These options are not a requisite per se to go to Canada, but in returning to the US. It is ultimately in the best interest of the country you are going to, if you are a visitor, to prove to them you intend to leave, and being that the US does not allow people without a passport or equivalent document (Nexus card) into the US from Canada, that means even US citizens must get a passport to return. I've seen US people enter Canada via Rainbow Bridge without a passport, just a high likelihood of denial since they realize you can't return.

Didn't the government shut-down? Haven't watched or listened to the news yet today but when I went to bed last night they hadn't reached an agreement. IF the government did shut-down you may be out of luck on a passport until the furlow is over.

From what I understand the card only allows you to cross by car. I would need a passport book for flying (which I'm doing). Its $55 for the card and $130 I think for the book. The photo if they take it would cost 15 bucks. And to expedite its an extra $70.

Thanks for all of the replies everyone

I never really liked how much they charge for passport photos, on top of how crappy my passport photos always look. <.<

There is no federal government shutdown, evidently it was averted with an agreement in principle, and I'm not sure how it would have affected border patrol and if their salaries are pre-appropriated for some specific amount of time.

But yeah, using the Passport Card one can enter on ground POE with (which means travel by land or sea), doesn't work for Steelers' case, and if he didn't have a Passport Book he wouldn't be allowed on the plane because it would be presumed he couldn't return. Traveling by air is by far more restricting in those regards, but in the end wind up with less hassle.

There is a temporary funding measure currently in place, with plans for a funding measure that will last the rest of the fiscal year. This year-lasting funding measure will be voted on next week.

You'd be hard-pressed to notice a difference

Strange, given this very week I've gone back and forth, as I just moved here from the US, and I notice no difference in border patrol / customs agents nor the crazy questions they ask.

In Los Angeles (and probably most other cities), you can get passports sometimes same day, or within 1-2 days at the US Passport Agency office.

You have to call 1-877-487-2778 to get an appointment, then arrive prepared to wait in line for up to 6 hours. (My appointment was at 7am and I had to wait in line until about 2pm.)

Based on your date of departure, they will try to do it as fast as same day, but usually it takes about 1-2 days.

Costs around $200

http://travel.state.gov/passport/npic/agencies/agencies_913.html