Is passport information public records

by Richard
(Hampstead,NH)

Question: I am a private investigator and wanted to know if passport information was public record, is it possible to check someone's name and find when and if that person left the country as would be documented on their passport?

Answer: Passport Services maintains United States passport records for passports issued from 1925 to the present. These records normally consist of applications for United States passports and supporting evidence of United States citizenship, and are protected by the Privacy Act of 1974, (5 USC 552(a)).

Passport records do not include evidence of travel such as entrance/exit stamps, visas, residence permits, etc., since this information is entered into the passport book after it is issued.

Also, third party requests must include one of the following:

1. Notarized consent from the owner of the passport records,
2. Proof of guardianship,
3. Death certificate, or
4. Court order signed by a judge of competent jurisdiction requesting the Department of State to release passport records.

The only exception to this requirement is when the owner of the passport records was born 100 years or more ago.