Your passport application form should be completed online using the online passport application, printed, and brought with you to your appointment (print one-sided pages only, bar code appearing in upper left-hand corner). Applicants arriving without the passport application, correct passport photos, and their most recent U.S. passport will be asked to reschedule their appointments.
Important instructions for all passport applicants:
Please print and submit only one-sided pages of the application.
You must provide your Social Security number, if you have been issued one, in accordance with 22 U.S.C. 2714a and 22 C.F.R 51.60(f).
If you do not have a Social Security number, you must submit a signed statement including the phrase, “I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the following is true and correct: I have never been issued a Social Security Number by the Social Security Administration.”
For more information, please see Frequently Asked Questions.
New passports and passport cards are printed in the United States and delivered to Abidjan via a courier service. New passports are generally issued in two to three weeks after application and new passport cards six to seven weeks after application. New passports are available for pickup within two or four weeks of your application. You will receive an email from the Embassy when your passport is ready. Please wait for our e-mail notifying you that your passport is ready for pick-up.
The American Citizen Services unit will hold your new passport for up to 90 days. If you are unable to return to the Embassy to pick up your passport, you may authorize a friend or family member to collect it from the Embassy on your behalf. Your paid receipt, current passport, and a signed authorization letter written in English must be presented by your friend or family member for your passport to be released.
Ensure your U.S. Passport has sufficient validity to travel.
For renewals, we urge you to plan ahead and to apply at least 6 months prior to your passport’s expiration. Many countries require a minimum of 6 months’ validity to accept a visitor’s visa. Airlines will not let you board a flight to these countries without 6 months’ validity on your passport.