Where DS-11 and DS-82 Passport Forms State Their Own Scope

Both U.S. passport application forms — DS-11 and DS-82 — open with a section titled “SECTION A. ELIGIBILITY TO USE THIS FORM,” and each one closes that section by directing the reader to the other form (and to DS-5504) “depending on your circumstances.” This article documents only where those self-scope sections sit, how they are structured, and how the two forms cross-reference each other. It does not interpret either form’s eligibility language or say which form fits any particular reader.

This original record-reading guide is a general reading aid, not cited evidence. It does not depict a source record; the article text and source links provide the facts.

Key points

• DS-11 and DS-82 each begin their eligibility content with a heading that reads exactly “SECTION A. ELIGIBILITY TO USE THIS FORM.”
• DS-11’s Section A is a short narrative statement describing what the form is used for, followed by bullet conditions.
• DS-82’s Section A is a six-item “Yes”/“No” checklist, one item of which cites the specific regulation 22 C.F.R. 51.41.
• Each form’s Section A closes by naming the other form, plus DS-5504, as where a reader who does not fit may be eligible to apply instead.
• Both forms display a 04-2025 footer date string and an OMB expiration date of 06/30/2028.

DS-11 narrative conditions

DS-11 opens its eligibility content with the heading “SECTION A. ELIGIBILITY TO USE THIS FORM” (DS-11). The section’s opening sentence states what the form is for: “This form is used to apply for a U.S. passport book and/or card in person at an acceptance facility, a passport agency (by appointment only), or a U.S. embassy, consulate, or consular agency (if abroad)” (DS-11). This narrative statement is followed by three bullet conditions on the form itself.

How DS-11 points elsewhere

DS-11’s Section A does not simply list who may use the form — it also tells the reader where to go if none of its conditions apply. The section closes: “If none of the above statements apply to you, then you may be eligible to apply using form DS-82 or DS-5504 depending on your circumstances” (DS-11). That sentence is the form’s own cross-reference to DS-82 and to DS-5504.

DS-82 checklist

DS-82 uses the identical heading — “SECTION A. ELIGIBILITY TO USE THIS FORM” (DS-82) — but structures its content differently from DS-11. Rather than a narrative statement, DS-82 frames Section A as a checklist: “You are eligible to use this form if you can answer “Yes” to ALL statements below about your passport:“ (DS-82). The checklist runs six items. One of those six items names a specific regulation: “My U.S. passport was not limited to less than the normal ten-year validity period due to passport damage/mutilation, multiple passport thefts/losses, or non-compliance with 22 C.F.R. 51.41” (DS-82). This article notes that this checklist item exists and cites 22 C.F.R. 51.41 by number; it does not explain what that regulation covers or what would constitute non-compliance with it.

How DS-82 points elsewhere

Where DS-11’s Section A points forward from a single narrative statement, DS-82’s Section A points forward from the checklist’s failure condition: “If you answered “NO” to any of the statements above, STOP. You cannot use this form. You may be eligible to apply on form DS-11 or DS-5504 depending on your circumstances“ (DS-82). Structurally, this mirrors DS-11’s closing sentence: each form’s Section A ends by naming the other form and DS-5504 as the next place to check.

Matching footer and OMB dates

DS-11 displays “DS-11 04-2025” with “OMB Control No. 1405-0004 Expiration Date: 06/30/2028” (DS-11). DS-82 displays “DS-82 04-2025” with “OMB Control No. 1405-0020 Expiration Date: 06/30/2028” (DS-82). The two cited PDFs display the same footer month/year and OMB expiration date, with different OMB control numbers.

What this article does not answer

This article documents only the location, heading, and cross-referencing structure of each form’s Section A — it does not walk through DS-82’s six-item checklist item by item, and it does not apply any of the checklist’s statements, or DS-11’s narrative statement and bullet conditions, to any reader’s actual circumstances. It reaches no conclusion about which form a given person should use, and it does not determine eligibility for anyone. It also does not interpret what would count as passport “mutilation,” “damage,” or “non-compliance with 22 C.F.R. 51.41” in a specific case — that checklist item is quoted here only to show that it exists and that it names a regulation, not to explain how it would apply to any applicant. Likewise, this article does not describe DS-5504 itself; DS-5504 appears here only because both DS-11 and DS-82 name it as a cross-reference target in their own text.

Source links

• https://eforms.state.gov/Forms/ds11_pdf.pdf
• https://eforms.state.gov/Forms/ds82_pdf.pdf