Passport Information for Law Enforcement

Law enforcement agencies may ask for passport records and restrictions on the use of U.S. passports.

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
    • Explain if you are prosecuting or investigating the subject
    • Include the names of the defendants, or those under investigation
    • Identify the crimes and include statutory citations, and
    • Explain how the records you want relate to the investigation or prosecution of the subject

Send your request on official agency letterhead to:

U.S. Department of State
Office of Records Management
Records Review and Release Division
44132 Mercure Cir
PO Box 1227
Sterling, VA 20166

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

When a customer reports a passport lost or stolen, we cancel it so no one can use it to travel to a foreign country. If a lost or stolen U.S. passport is returned to your office, send the passport and a letter (on your agency's letterhead) to this address:

U.S. Department of State
Consular Lost and Stolen Passport Unit (CLASP)
44132 Mercure Cir
PO Box 1150
Sterling, VA 20166

Passport Restrictive Actions

We use a system to check the name and verify the identity of every passport applicant. Law enforcement agencies may ask us to enter a subject's name in this system. We will let you know before a passport is issued, even if there is no warrant or court order.

In your agency's request to add a subject's name to this system, you must include:

  • The name, date of birth, and place of birth of the subject
  • A list of the crimes you are investigating with the statutory citations
  • Reasons for the request, and
  • The names, agency addresses, and phone numbers of the law enforcement officer and supervisor whom we can contact

Send your 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

Law enforcement agencies may ask us to deny a passport under 22 CFR 51.60. Some reasons to deny 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)
  • A request for extradition

In your agency's request to deny a passport, you must include:

  • The name, date of birth, and place of birth of the subject
  • A copy of the valid arrest warrant or criminal court order, and
  • The names, agency addresses, and phone numbers of the law enforcement officer and supervisor whom we can contact

Send your 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

Law enforcement agencies may ask us to revoke a subject's passport under 22 CFR 51.60-65. After we revoke a U.S. passport, we inform law enforcement and border agencies around the world so the subject cannot travel. 

In your agency's request to revoke a passport, you must include:

  • The subject’s name (include aliases)
  • Date and place of birth
  • Social security number
  • Known previous passport numbers
  • Last known physical address
  • Any other identity documents and photographs of the subject
  • Copies of any criminal court orders or valid arrest warrants, and
  • The names, agency addresses, and phone numbesr of the law enforcement officer and supervisor whom we can contact

Send your 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

Your agency may keep a U.S. passport as evidence and to prevent a subject from fleeing the country.

If the subject is sentenced to prison or probation under conditions which prevent leaving the United States, send the subject’s U.S. passport to us. 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

Let us know immediately if:

  • A subject is arrested
  • When a warrant is overturned or set aside
  • When you no longer need us to restrict use of the subject's U.S. passport

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

Last Updated: April 24, 2024