DS-5513 Passport Supplemental Questionnaire: Fill Online

What is Form DS-5513?

Form DS-5513 is a questionnaire the U.S. Department of State sends when your passport application doesn't include enough evidence that you are a U.S. citizen. It usually comes with a letter from a passport agency or center, and the form itself says not to use it unless the Department has asked you to.

It asks for a lot of background: your family members and whether each is a U.S. citizen, the circumstances of your birth if it happened at home or was registered late, where your parents lived and worked before you were born, and every school and home you had until age 18. The instructions ask you to answer as fully as you can, writing "I don't know" or "N/A" where needed, because more detail can mean faster processing.

FileIt splits the long questionnaire into clear sections and places your answers on the State Department's own DS-5513, with X marks in the citizenship boxes and names with accents printed correctly. Your name and date of birth come from your vault's People records, and the finished questionnaire is saved to your folder, next to the letter that asked for it.

Who fills it: The passport applicant, and only when a passport agency or center asks.
Purpose: Extra evidence of U.S. citizenship to support a pending passport application.
Submit: Printed, signed and mailed to the requesting passport agency/center. It can't be sent electronically.
Length: Sections A to F over two pages, plus a page of instructions.
Edition: DS-5513 10-2024 (OMB 1405-0214, expires 10-31-2027)

Who needs to fill out Form DS-5513?

Passport applicants who received a letter from a passport agency asking for the DS-5513.
People born at home, or whose births were registered late, who are asked about the circumstances of their birth.
Applicants with a delayed birth certificate or limited early records of life in the United States.
Applicants whose U.S. birth record is missing details or doesn't match other records.

When to use Form DS-5513

Only after the Department of State asks you to complete it for a pending application.
Alongside any other documents the agency's letter lists, such as school, medical or census records.
When you have gathered family details, perhaps by asking relatives about dates and places you don't know yourself.

What you need before you start

Your full name, date and place of birth, and Social Security number (voluntary).
Names, places and dates of birth of your parents, stepparents, siblings and grandparents, and whether each is a U.S. citizen.
Details of your mother's medical care during pregnancy and of your birth, if it wasn't in a hospital or was registered late.
Your parents' homes one year before your birth and their employers when you were born.
The schools, day care centers or programs you attended, and every address you lived at, up to age 18.

What’s on Form DS-5513

The 2024 edition has 3 pages. FileIt asks for it in 5 parts:

Section A: Biographical informationApplicant
Section B: Family (living and deceased)Applicant
Section C: Non-institutional births or delayed birth filingsApplicant
Section D: Schools, day care centers and developmental programsApplicant
Section E: ResidencesApplicant

How to fill out Form DS-5513, step by step

1 Section A: About you

Enter your name, date of birth, Social Security number and place of birth.

2 Section B: Family

List parents, stepparents, siblings and grandparents, living or deceased, with place and date of birth and whether each is a U.S. citizen. Note any name changes, such as a mother's maiden name.

3 Section C: Your birth

Describe your mother's medical care, where you were born and who was present. Then give the document your parents used to enter the U.S. if they weren't citizens, their earlier homes, and their employers.

4 Sections D and E: Growing up

List schools and programs you attended and the places you lived from birth to 18, starting with the earliest ones.

5 Section F: Sign

Print the questionnaire and sign and date it by hand before mailing it back to the agency.

Common mistakes to avoid

Leaving questions blank. The form asks you to write "I don't know" or "N/A" instead.
Trying to submit it electronically. It must be printed and mailed.
Sending it without the extra documents the agency's letter asked for.
Forgetting to sign and date section F.
Correcting errors by hand. The form asks for a new form if you make a mistake.

After you fill it out

Print the questionnaire, sign and date section F, and mail it with the requested documents to the passport agency/center that wrote to you.

If you need more room for any answer, attach a separate sheet with the rest.

Keep FileIt's copy with the agency's letter in your vault folder, and add the passport once it's issued so you're reminded before it expires.

Answer any follow-up letter from the agency promptly, since your passport application stays on hold until it has what it needs.

Fill out Form DS-5513 online with FileIt

Pick the person. Choose someone from People and FileIt fills in their name, date of birth, address and other details it already knows.
Answer plain-language questions. One part of the form at a time, with the official help text beside each question — 148 fields in all. Your answers save as you go.
Check the live preview. Watch your answers land on the real U.S. Department of State form, and let FileIt do any worksheet arithmetic.
Generate the official PDF. FileIt prints your answers into the agency’s own PDF and files it in that person’s folder in your vault.

FileIt fills the form — it never files or submits anything for you. Deliver the finished form to whoever asked for it, the way the form’s instructions say.

Start Form DS-5513 now — it’s free

Form DS-5513: frequently asked questions

Why did I get a DS-5513?

The State Department sends it when it needs more evidence of your U.S. citizenship to process your passport application. The form says not to use it unless the Department asks.

What if I don't know some answers?

Write "I don't know". If a question doesn't apply, write "N/A". The Department says it understands the information can be hard to find.

Can I submit the DS-5513 online?

No. The form says you must print it and mail a hard copy to the passport agency/center. It can't be submitted electronically.

Is my Social Security number required?

The form says giving it is voluntary, though leaving it out may delay processing.

Does FileIt send the questionnaire for me?

No. FileIt fills the official PDF and saves it in your vault. You print, sign and mail it yourself.

Do I have to list every school and address?

The form asks for all of them from birth to age 18, starting with the first three of each. Give as much as you can and attach a separate sheet if you need more room.

Who should I ask for family details I don't know?

Older relatives often help with places and dates of birth, and old records may too. The Department says it knows the information may come from other sources.

Will the DS-5513 alone prove my citizenship?

Not necessarily. You may be asked for more documents, such as primary or secondary evidence of citizenship. The Department considers everything together.

Official sources

Blank form (PDF), published by U.S. Department of State: https://eforms.state.gov/Forms/ds5513.pdf
Official instructions and guidance: https://eforms.state.gov/Forms/ds5513.pdf
Edition shown on this page: DS-5513 10-2024 (OMB 1405-0214, expires 10-31-2027) (checked 2026-10-19).

FileIt is not affiliated with or endorsed by U.S. Department of State or any government. This page explains the form in general terms and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Always read the official instructions, and check that you are using the edition the recipient accepts. Page last reviewed 2026-10-19.