Passport Information for Law Enforcement

This page provides information for law enforcement agencies on how to request passport records, and work with us to take restrictive actions on U.S. passports such as placing someone’s name in our namecheck system and denying or revoking a passport.

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Requesting Passport Records

Law enforcement agencies may request certified copies of U.S. passport records. You must include the following information in your request:

  • Subject’s name,
  • Date of birth,
  • Place of birth,
  • Reason for the request, which must include:
    • Whether your request is in the context of prosecution or an investigation,
    • Names of the defendants, or those under investigation, to the extent possible,
    • Identification of the crimes at issue, including statutory citations if available and,
    • An explanation of how the requested records relate to the pending investigation or prosecution.

Send your request on official agency letterhead to:

U.S. Department of State
CA/PPT/S/TO/LE
44132 Mercure Cir
PO Box 1227
Sterling, VA 20166

Phone: 202-485-6550
Fax: 202-485-6555

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Reporting Lost and Stolen Passports

We immediately invalidate all passports reported lost or stolen. We enter information about lost and stolen passports into a U.S. port of entry database and the document cannot be used to travel internationally. If a U.S. passport is stolen in a robbery or theft or later returned to your law enforcement agency, send us a letter with this information and include the passport. Send the letter on official agency letterhead and the U.S. passport to this address:

U.S. Department of State
CA/PPT/S/TO/LE/CP
ATTN: CLASP
44132 Mercure Cir
PO Box 1150
Sterling, VA 20166

Fax: 202-485-6555

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Passport Restrictive Actions

Placing Subject in Namecheck System

We check every passport applicant’s name against a central name check system. Law enforcement agencies may request that a subject be placed in this system so you are notified before the passport is issued, even when there is no warrant or other court order. The request must include:

  • Full biographical information of the subject,
  • Criminal statute under which the subject is being investigated,
  • Reasons for the request and all relevant details, and
  • Name, agency address, and phone number of the law enforcement officer and supervisor to be contacted

Send your written request on official agency letterhead by mail or fax to:

U.S. Department of State
CA/PPT/S/A
44132 Mercure Cir
PO Box 1243
Sterling, VA 20166-1243

Fax: 202-485-6496

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Denying a Passport

Law enforcement agencies may request the denial of a passport on several regulatory grounds under 22 CFR 51.60. Reasons for denying a passport include a valid, unsealed federal warrant of arrest, a federal or state criminal court order, a condition of parole or probation forbidding departure from the United States (or the jurisdiction of the court), or a request for extradition. These requests must include a copy of the valid, unsealed arrest warrant or criminal court order.

We check all passport applicants against various law enforcement databases. Your request for denial of a passport must include:

  • Full biographical data of the subject,
  • Copy of the arrest warrant or criminal court order, and
  • Name, agency address, and phone number of the law enforcement officer and supervisor to be contacted.

A member of the public cannot request denial of a passport.

Send your written request on official agency letterhead by mail or fax to:

U.S. Department of State
CA/PPT/S/A
44132 Mercure Cir
PO Box 1243
Sterling, VA 20166-1243

Fax: 202-485-6496

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Revoking a Passport

Law enforcement agencies may request the revocation a passport on regulatory grounds under 22 CFR 51.60-65. When we revoke a U.S. passport, we enter this information in databases accessible by law enforcement and border agencies around the world to prevent persons from traveling on revoked passports. The request must include:

  • Subject’s name, including aliases,
  • Date and place of birth,
  • Social security number,
  • Known previous passport numbers,
  • Last known address,
  • Any other biographical data such as identity documents and photographs of the subject,
  • Copies of any criminal court orders or valid arrest warrants, and
  • Name, agency address, and phone number of the law enforcement officer and supervisor to be contacted.

A member of the public cannot request revocation of a passport.

Send your written request on official agency letterhead by mail or fax to:

U.S. Department of State
CA/PPT/S/A
44132 Mercure Cir
PO Box 1243
Sterling, VA 20166-1243

Fax: 202-485-6496

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When to Keep and Return a Passport

When a subject is arrested and has a U.S. passport, your law enforcement agency may keep the subject’s passport as evidence and to prevent the subject from fleeing the country. If the subject is found guilty and sentenced to prison or probation under conditions prohibiting departure from the United States without authorization, send the subject’s U.S. passport to us and provide information about the date and terms of the sentencing order. 

When the passport is no longer needed for law enforcement purposes and the subject is still in custody or under bond or parole, you must return the passport to this address:

U.S. Department of State
CA/PPT/S/A
44132 Mercure Cir
PO Box 1243
Sterling, VA 20166-1243

Notify us immediately after the subject is arrested, when the warrant is overturned or set aside, or when taking a restrictive action on the passport is no longer needed.

For more information on how to return passports, call the Office of Adjudication at 202-485-6400 or contact us by fax at 202-485-6496.

Last Updated: December 8, 2022