“If you are applying to register your child’s U.S. citizenship for the first time/apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad and first U.S. Passport, please visit this page for instructions: https://rw.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/child-family-matters/crba/. Appointments for this service are not available on the online appointment system.”
All non-emergency American citizen services are provided by appointment only. Please use our online system to schedule an appointment. All passport applications require an in-person appointment at U.S. Embassy Kigali.
Important Notice: According to Section 215 of the U.S Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1185) it is illegal for an American citizen to enter or leave the U.S on anything other than an American document. This applies to dual citizens as well, meaning that persons holding e.g. both Rwandan and American citizenships MUST enter and leave the U.S. on a valid U.S. passport; they may NOT enter/leave the U.S. on a Rwandan passport. This applies to children as well as adults. To acquire a U.S. passport, please see the information below.
Renew a Passport
Passport services are provided by appointment only. Please use our online system to schedule an appointment.
Passport services are provided by appointment only. Please use our online system to schedule an appointment.
Apply for a Passport
Applying for first-time passport (children under 16)
Passport services are provided by appointment only. Please use our online system to schedule an appointment.
Applying for first-time passport (adults)
Passport services are provided by appointment only. Please use our online system to schedule an appointment.
Amend a Passport
You may, in some circumstances, amend the name in your passport for no fee within one year of having your passport issued.
Application Procedure:
- Passport services are provided by appointment only. Please use our online system to schedule an appointment.
Required Documents:
- DS-5504 (PDF 82KB) (Accepted within a year of last passport issuance; otherwise, you will need to renew your passport and complete the DS-82);
- Most recent valid U.S. passport;
- One photo 5×5 cm (2×2 inches), on a plain white background, taken in the last 6 months; Please do not staple the photo to your application;
- Original legal document showing name change or other data to be corrected (if applicable) See additional information.
Replace a Lost or Stolen Passport
FEE: 145 USD*
Application Procedure:
- Passport services are provided by appointment only. Please use our online system to schedule an appointment.
Required Documents:
- DS-11 ; (unsigned)
- Proof of U.S. citizenship (previous U.S. passport, U.S. birth certificate, U.S. Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA), U.S. naturalization certificate or U.S. certificate of citizenship);
- Proof of Identity (previous U.S. passport, U.S. driver’s license, U.S. naturalization certificate, U.S. certificate of citizenship, or another government-issued document that includes your photograph;
- One photo: 5×5 cm (2×2 inches), on a plain white background, taken in the last 6 months; Please do not staple the photo to your application;
- DS-64 (for lost or stolen passports).
Replace a Lost or Stolen Passport
My passport has been lost, stolen or mutilated, what do I do?
If your passport has been lost, stolen or mutilated, you may apply for a new passport at U.S. Embassy Kigali. Please use our online system to schedule an appointment.
The Embassy encourages you to report the loss or theft of your passport to local authorities, and to obtain a police report if possible.
What do I need to provide to replace my lost/stolen/mutilated passport?
Please be prepared to provide the following when you come to the Embassy:
- Completed but unsigned DS-11: Application for Passport (First-time);
- Completed but unsigned DS-64: Statement Regarding Lost or Stolen Passport;
- Proof of identity, such as a driver’s license, U.S. naturalization certificate, or U.S. certificate of citizenship, or another government-issued document that includes your photograph;
- One passport-sized photo,5×5 cm (2×2 inches) on a plain white background, taken in the last 6 months;
- Payment in the amount of $145. We accept U.S. dollars printed during or after 2009, Rwandan francs, or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Diners, and debit cards bearing the Visa or MasterCard logo).
How long will it be before I receive my new passport?
Normally, it takes approximately ten business days for the Consular Section to receive your passport at U.S. Embassy Kigali. Upon receipt, you will be contacted by email to inform you that your passport is ready to be picked up. If it has been more than one month since you submitted your application or if you have an urgent need to travel, please contact us via email at ACSKigali@state.gov.
Is it possible to get a passport the same day? I have immediate travel plans.
We issue emergency passports only in emergency cases. Such passports are limited in validity and cannot be extended. Bearers are required to exchange their limited validity passports for full-validity passports upon completion of their emergency travel, either through passport facilities in the United States or at U.S. Embassies and Consulates abroad. As a reminder, inconveniences such as airline change fees do not constitute real emergencies. All services provided after business hours incur a fee of $231 per hour.
To apply for an emergency passport, please collect the information indicated above and make an appointment to come to the Embassy. If you are unable to make an appointment using our online system, please contact us via email at ACSKigali@state.gov. If you need emergency assistance, please see our Emergency Contact page.
I previously reported my passport as lost/stolen, but I’ve since found it. Can I use it to travel?
No. Passports reported lost or stolen are immediately invalidated and can no longer be used for travel. You will need a new passport to travel.
Second Passport
FEE: 110 USD* (for DS-82) or 145 USD (for DS-11)
Application Procedure:
- Passport services are provided by appointment only. Please use our online system to schedule an appointment.
Required Documents:
If you can submit your previous U.S. passport with your application:
- DS-82;
- Your current, valid passport;
- One photo 5×5 cm (2×2 inches), on a plain white background, taken in the last 6 months; Please do not staple the photo to your application;
- Written Statement (PDF 4 KB)
If you cannot submit your previous U.S. passport with your application:
- DS-11;
- A photo ID;
- One photo 5×5 cm (2×2 inches), on a plain white background, taken in the last 6 months; Please do not staple the photo to your application;
- Written Statement(PDF 4 KB);
Who can apply for a second passport?
Current regulations reflect the long-standing policy of the Department of State that no person should be in possession of more than one valid, or potentially valid, U.S. passport at any time unless specifically authorized by the Department of State.
The issuance of a second valid passport should be considered an exception to the regulations, and is to be approved on an individual basis only where justified. Some common reasons for obtaining a second passport are:
- Obtaining a work permit in the primary passport, which requires submitting the passport to immigration authorities for several months;
- Frequent travel requiring the submission of your passport for visas; and
- To meet entry requirements of certain countries that may deny entry to travelers bearing stamps from certain third countries.
How long will my second passport be valid for?
The second valid passport will be limited in time, valid for a period of four years. Thereafter, a new second valid passport must be applied for; second valid passports are no longer extendable.
How do I apply for or renew a second passport?
To apply for a second valid passport, please schedule an appointment and bring the following documents at the time of your appointment:
- Completed passport application form DS-82: Application for Passport (Renewal) if renewing your second passport, or unsigned DS-11: Application for U.S. Passport (first-time applicant) if you cannot submit your previous U.S. passport with your application;
- A valid U.S. passport;
Applicants who already hold a second passport should present either their second passport or their full validity passport.
- A Written Statement (PDF 4 KB), giving the reason(s) why the second passport is required, and attesting that the loss of either of the two passports will be reported immediately to Passport Services, or if abroad, to the nearest U.S. Embassy, Consulate, or Consular Agency.
- One passport-sized photo, 5X5 cm (2×2 inches), on a plain white background, taken in the last 6 months; Please do not staple the photo to your application.
- Payment in the amount of $110. We accept U.S. dollars printed during or after 2009, Rwandan francs, or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Diners, and debit cards bearing the Visa or MasterCard logo).
Emergency Passports
We issue emergency passports only in emergency cases. Such passports are limited in validity and cannot be extended. Bearers are required to exchange their limited validity passports for full-validity passports upon completion of their emergency travel, either through passport facilities in the United States or at U.S. Embassies and Consulates abroad. As a reminder, inconveniences such as airline change fees do not constitute real emergencies. All services provided after business hours incur a fee of $231 per hour with a minimum of two hours’ time charged per emergency passport produced.
Information Regarding Third Party Attendance at Passport and CRBA Appointment Interviews
Generally, immediate family members may accompany passport or CRBA applicants to their appointment interviews at a U.S. embassy or consulate, and all minor children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Passport or CRBA applicants also have the option of being accompanied by an attorney at their appointment interview. Attendance by any third party, including an attorney, accompanying an applicant is subject to the following parameters designed to ensure an orderly appointment interview process and to maintain the integrity of the adjudication of the application(s):
- Given space limitations in the consular section, not more than one attendee at a time will be allowed to accompany an applicant (or the applicant’s parent or guardian if the applicant is a minor).
- Attendance by an attorney does not excuse the applicant and/or the minor applicant’s parent or guardian from attending the appointment interview in person.
- The manner in which a passport or CRBA appointment interview is conducted, and the scope and nature of the inquiry, shall at all times be at the discretion of the consular officer, following applicable Departmental guidance.
- It is expected that attorneys will provide their clients with relevant legal advice prior to, rather than at, the appointment interview, and will advise their clients prior to the appointment interview that the client will participate in the appointment interview with minimal assistance.
- Attorneys may not engage in any form of legal argumentation during the appointment interview and before the consular officer.
- Attendees other than a parent or guardian accompanying a minor child may not answer a consular officer’s question on behalf or in lieu of an applicant, nor may they summarize, correct, or attempt to clarify an applicant’s response, or interrupt or interfere with an applicant’s responses to a consular officer’s questions.
- To the extent that an applicant does not understand a question, s/he should seek clarification from the consular officer directly.
- The consular officer has sole discretion to determine the appropriate language(s) for communication with the applicant, based on the facility of both officer and applicant and the manner and form that best facilitate communication between the consular officer and the applicant. Attendees may not demand that communications take place in a particular language solely for the benefit of the attendee. Nor may attendees object to or insist on the participation of an interpreter in the appointment interview, to the qualifications of any interpreter, or to the manner or substance of any translation.
- No attendee may coach or instruct applicants as to how to answer a consular officer’s question.
- Attendees may not object to a consular officer’s question on any ground (including that the attendee regards the question to be inappropriate, irrelevant, or adversarial), or instruct the applicant not to answer a consular officer’s question. Attendees may not interfere in any manner with the consular officer’s ability to conduct all inquiries and fact-finding necessary to exercise his or her responsibilities to adjudicate the application.
- During a passport or CRBA appointment interview, attendees may not discuss or inquire about other applications.
- Attendees may take written notes, but may not otherwise record the appointment interviews.
- Attendees may not engage in any other conduct that materially disrupts the appointment interview. For example, they may not yell at or otherwise attempt to intimidate or abuse a consular officer or staff, and they may not engage in any conduct that threatens U.S. national security or the security of the embassy or its personnel. Attendees must follow all security policies of the Department of State and the U.S. embassy or consulate where the appointment interview takes place.
Attendees may not engage in any conduct that violates this policy and/or otherwise materially disrupts the appointment interview. Failure to observe these parameters will result in a warning to the attendee and, if ignored, the attendee may be asked to leave the appointment interview and/or the premises, as appropriate. It would then be the applicant’s choice whether to continue the appointment interview without the attendee present, subject to the consular officer’s discretion to terminate the appointment interview. The safety and privacy of all applicants awaiting consular services, as well as of consular and embassy personnel, is of paramount consideration.