# How immigration lawyers request a US passport from clients

Source: https://dokutrak.com/requests/immigration-lawyers/passport
Author: Arthur Teboul, DokuTrak
Published: 2026-11-07
Language: en-US

> Ask the beneficiary for a color scan of the biographic page of their current passport, plus every expired passport that holds US visas or entry stamps. For an adjustment of status case, the pages with the visa and the most recent admission stamp matter as much as the photo page. A phone photo of the closed booklet will not do.

## Why immigration lawyers need a US passport

The biographic page anchors the beneficiary’s name, date of birth and country of citizenship across the I-130, the I-485 and every supporting form. In an adjustment case, the visa and the entry stamp help show how the person entered the United States, which the form instructions ask about. Old passports often carry the only record of earlier visits, and USCIS may compare them with the travel history the client gives you.

## What exactly to ask for

A full-page color scan of the biographic page of the current passport, plus the pages with US visas, entry stamps and any parole or I-94 notation. Ask for expired passports too when they contain US travel. If the petitioner is a US citizen, ask for the biographic page of their own US passport as proof of citizenship.

## What to check when it arrives

- The name and date of birth match the birth certificate exactly, or you have the document that explains the difference.
- The expiration date is visible, and you know whether the passport will still be valid when the case is filed.
- Each US entry stamp is legible and matches the dates the client listed in their travel history.

## Email to send your client

Subject: A copy of your passport for your case

```text
Hi [Client name],

To prepare your filing I need a copy of your passport. Please scan the photo page in color, along with any page that has a US visa or an entry stamp.

If you have older passports, even expired ones, that show trips to the United States, please send those pages too. They help me build an accurate travel history.

A flat scan works best; a photo of the closed passport or a cropped page will not be readable enough. Could you send everything by [date]? If a passport was lost or is held by a consulate, tell me and we will work out what to do.

Thank you,
[Your name]
```

## Sources

The rules above come from these primary sources. Check them, and your local rules, before you rely on them.

- [USCIS Form I-485 instructions](https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-485instr.pdf)
- [USCIS Form I-130 instructions](https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-130instr.pdf)

## Ask once. DokuTrak does the chasing.

- Your client uploads from one link, with no account and no password.
- Reminders go out on a schedule, by default 2, 5, 10 and 14 days after the request, until the file arrives.
- With AI review switched on in your workspace (it is off by default), each upload gets a first pass that flags a file that is not a US passport, an unreadable or blurry scan, a copy where one of these is missing or cut off: the holder’s name, the expiration date or an expired document. It says so when it is not sure.
- You accept every file or mark it for re-upload, and your client gets the note by email. The AI never accepts a file.

14-day free trial, no card. Add one only to keep going.