Executive Order 235

by President of the United States

1. By whom issued.—No one but the Secretary of State may grant and issue passports in the United States. Rev. Stat. §§ 4075, 4078 [U. S. Comp. Stat. 1901, pp. 2764, 2766].
   
   A person who is entitled to receive a passport if temporarily abroad should apply to the diplomatic representative of the United States in the country where he happens to be; or, in the absence of a diplomatic representative, to the consul general of the United States; or, in the absence of both, to the consul of the United States. The necessary statements may be made before the nearest consular officer of the United States.
   
   Application for a passport by a person in one of the insular possessions of the United States should be made to the chief executive of such possession.
   
   (The evidence required of a person making application abroad or in an insular possession of the United States is the same as that required of an applicant in the United States.)
2. To whom issued.—The law forbids the granting of a passport to any person who does not owe allegiance to the United States.
   
   A person who has only made the declaration of intention to become a citizen of the United States cannot receive a passport.
3. Applications.—A person who is entitled to receive a passport, if within the United States, must make a written application, in the form of an affidavit, to the Secretary of State.
   
   The affidavit must be attested by an officer authorized to administer oaths, and if he has an official seal it must be affixed. If he has no seal, his official character must be authenticated by certificate of the proper legal officer.
   
   If the applicant signs by mark, two attesting witnesses to his signature are required.
   
   The applicant is required to state the date and place of his birth, his occupation, and the place of his permanent residence, and to declare that he goes abroad for temporary sojourn, and intends to return to the United States with the purpose of residing and performing the duties of citizenship therein.
   
   The applicant must take the oath of allegiance to the government of the United States.
   
   The application must be accompanied by a description of the person applying, and should state the following particulars, viz.: Age, _____; stature, _____ feet _____ inches (English measure) ; forehead, _____; eyes, _____; nose, _____; mouth, _____; chin, _____; hair, _____; complexion, _____; face, _____.
   
   The application must be accompanied by a certificate from at least one credible witness that the applicant is the person he represents himself to be, and that the facts stated in the affidavit are true to the best of the witness's knowledge and belief.
4. Native citizens.—An application containing the information indicated by rule 3 will be sufficient evidence in the case of native citizens; but a person of the Chinese race, alleging birth in the United States, must accompany his application with supporting affidavits from at least two credible witnesses, preferably not of the Chinese race, having personal knowledge of the applicant's birth in the United States.
5. A person born abroad, whose father was a native citizen of the United States.—In addition to the statements required by rule 3, his application must show that his father was born in the United States, resided therein, and was a citizen at the time of the applicant's birth. The Department may require that this affidavit be supported by that of one other citizen acquainted with the facts.
6. Naturalized citizens.—In addition to the statements required by rule 3, a naturalized citizen must transmit his certificate of naturalization, or a duly certified copy of the court record thereof, with his application. It will be returned to him after inspection. He must state in his affidavit when and from what port he emigrated to this country, what ship he sailed in, where he has lived since his arrival in the United States, when and before what court he was naturalized, and that he is the identical person described in the certificate of naturalization. The signature to the application should conform in orthography to the applicant's name as written in his certificate of naturalization.
7. Woman's application.—If she is unmarried, in addition to the statements required by rule 3, she should state that she has never been married. If she is the wife of a native citizen of the United States the fact should be made to appear in her application. If she is the wife or widow of a naturalized citizen, in addition to the statements required by rule 3, she must transmit for inspection her husband's certificate of naturalization, must state that she is the wife (or widow) of the person described therein, and must set forth the facts of his emigration, naturalization, and residence, as required in the rule governing the application of a naturalized citizen.
   
   (A married woman's citizenship follows that of her husband so far as her international status is concerned. It is essential, therefore, that a woman's marital relations be indicated in her application for a passport, and that in the case of a married woman her husband's citizenship be established.)
8. The child of a naturalized citizen claiming citizenship through the naturalization of the parent.—In addition to the statements required by rule 3, the applicant must state that he or she is the son or daughter, as the case may be, of the person described in the certificate of naturalization, which must be submitted for inspection, and must set forth the facts of emigration, naturalization, and residence, as required in the rule governing the application of a naturalized citizen.
9. A resident of an insular possession of the United States, who owes allegiance to the United States.—In addition to the statements required by rule 3, he must state that he owes allegiance to the United States, and that he does not acknowledge allegiance to any other government; and must submit an affidavit from at least two credible witnesses having good means of knowledge in substantiation of his statements of birth, residence, and loyalty.
10. Expiration of passport.—A passport expires two years from the date of its issuance. A new one will be issued upon a new application, and, if the applicant be a naturalized citizen, the old passport will be accepted in lieu of a certificate of naturalization, if the application upon which it was issued is found to contain sufficient information as to the naturalization of the applicant.
11. Wife, minor children, and servants.—When the applicant is accompanied by his wife, minor children, or servant who would be entitled to receive a passport, it will be sufficient to state the fact, giving the respective ages of the children and the allegiance of the servant, when one passport will suffice for all. For any other person in the party a separate passport will be required. A woman's passport may include her minor children and servant under the above-named conditions.
    
    (The term "servant" does not include a governess, tutor, pupil, companion, or person holding like relations to the applicant for a passport.)
12. Professional titles.—They will not be inserted in passports.
13. Fee.—By act of Congress approved March 23, 1888 [24 Stat. at L. 45, chap. 34], a fee of $1 is required to be collected for every citizen's passport. That amount in currency or postal money order should accompany each application made by a citizen of the United States. Orders should be made payable to the disbursing clerk of the Department of State. Drafts or checks will not be accepted.
14. Blank forms of application.—They will be furnished by the Department to persons who desire to apply for passports, but are not furnished, except as samples, to those who make a business of procuring passports.
15. Address.—Communications should be addressed to the Department of State, Passport Bureau, and each communication should give the postoffice address of the person to whom the answer is to be directed.
16. Rejection of application.—The Secretary of State has the right in his discretion to refuse to issue a passport, and will exercise this right towards anyone who, he has reason to believe, desires it for an unlawful or improper purpose.

Section 4075 of the Revised Statutes of the United States [U. S. Comp. Stat. 1901, p. 2764], as amended by the act of Congress, approved June 14, 1902 [32 Stat. at L. 386, chap. 1088], providing that "the Secretary of State may grant and issue passports, and cause passports to be granted, issued, and verified in foreign countries by such diplomatic or consular officers of the United States, and by such chief or other executive officer of the insular possessions of the United States, and under such rules as the President shall designate and prescribe for and on behalf of the United States," the foregoing rules are hereby prescribed for the granting and issuing of passports in the United States.

The Secretary of State is authorized to make regulations on the subject of issuing and granting passports additional to these rules and not inconsistent with them.

Theodore Roosevelt.

Oyster Bay, New York,

September 12, 1903.