All U.S. citizens are eligible to obtain passports for travel abroad. There are a few types of passports, but the most commonly issued are diplomatic, official regular and no-fee passports. Diplomatic and official passports are issued by the Special Issuance Agency in Washington D.C.
Diplomatic
Diplomatic passports are no-fee passports issued to people who will be residing abroad representing the United States government. Diplomatic passports may only be used while conducting such business. Personal travel requires a regular tourist passport.
Official
Official passports are issued to people representing the United States government traveling abroad, but residing in the United States. This passport is only used while traveling internationally to conduct business.
Official and Diplomatic Passports
Both official and diplomatic passports are issued by the agency employing the person receiving the passport. The primary difference is whether the individual resides in the United States or a host nation. Both are issued at no cost to the person and through the Special Issuance Agency.