Most international travel requires the traveler to obtain a passport book, passport card and/or a travel visa. You can apply for a passport at your local post office, passport acceptance facility, or embassy or consulate.  The regular processing time is approximately 4-6 weeks. Expedited service is approximately 2 weeks. A travel visa is required only if the country you travel to requires it.

You Must Apply in Person If:

1. You are applying for your first U.S. passport
2. You are under age 16
3. Your previous U.S. passport was issued when you were under age 16
4. Your previous U.S. passport was lost, stolen, or damaged
5. Your previous U.S. passport was issued more than 15 years ago
6. Your name has changed since your U.S. passport was issued and you are unable to legally document your name change
7. You can complete the application online and print it at http://travel.state.gov/passport/

The Application Process:

1. Fill Out Form DS-11: Application For A U.S. Passport
2. Submit Completed Form DS-11 In Person
3. Submit Evidence of U.S. Citizenship
4. Present Identification
5. Submit a Photocopy of the Identification Document(s) Presented (Step 4)
6. Pay the Applicable Fee for a passport book approximately $135.  Expedited service is $160 additional fees
7. Provide Two Passport Photos

Medical Travel Requirements from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/ for specific concerns about region you are visiting

Before visiting any country, you may need to get the following vaccinations and medications for vaccine-preventable diseases and other diseases you might be at risk for at your destination: (Note: Your doctor or health-care provider will determine what you will need, depending on factors such as your health and immunization history, areas of the country you will be visiting, and planned activities.)

To have the most benefit, see a health-care provider at least 4–6 weeks before your trip to allow time for your vaccines to take effect and to start taking medicine to prevent malaria, if you need it.

CDC recommends that you see a health-care provider who specializes in Travel Medicine.  Find a travel medicine clinic near you. If you have a medical condition, you should also share your travel plans with any doctors you are currently seeing for other medical reasons.

Although yellow fever is not a disease risk in all countries, the government requires travelers arriving from countries where yellow fever is present to present proof of yellow fever vaccination. If you will be traveling to one of these countries where yellow fever is present before arriving in India, this requirement must be taken into consideration. See Yellow Fever Vaccine Requirements and Information on Malaria Risk and Prophylaxis, by Country for more information.

Routine vaccines, as they are often called, such as for influenza, chickenpox (or varicella), polio, measles/mumps/rubella (MMR), and diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT) are given at all stages of life; see the childhood and adolescent immunization schedule and routine adult immunization schedule.

Vaccine recommendations are based on the best available risk information. Please note that the level of risk for vaccine-preventable diseases can change at any time.

Areas of India with Malaria: All areas throughout country except none in areas >2,000 m (>6,561 ft) in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Kashmir, and Sikkim. Present in cities of Delhi and Bombay (Mumbai).

Ways to prevent malaria include the following:

1. Taking a prescription antimalarial drug
2. Using insect repellent and wearing long pants and sleeves to prevent mosquito bites
3. Sleeping in air-conditioned or well-screened rooms or using bednets

Note: Chloroquine is NOT an effective antimalarial drug in India and should not be taken to prevent malaria in this region.

Malaria Contact for Health-Care Providers

For assistance with the diagnosis or management of suspected cases of malaria, call the CDC Malaria Hotline: 770-488-7788 (M-F, 9 am-5 pm, Eastern time). For emergency consultation after hours, call 770-488-7100 and ask to speak with a CDC Malaria Branch clinician.

A Special Note about Antimalarial Drugs

You should purchase your antimalarial drugs before travel. Drugs purchased overseas may not be manufactured according to United States standards and may not be effective. They also may be dangerous, contain counterfeit medications or contaminants, or be combinations of drugs that are not safe to use.

Halofantrine (marketed as Halfan) is widely used overseas to treat malaria. CDC recommends that you do NOT use halofantrine because of serious heart-related side effects, including deaths. You should avoid using antimalarial drugs that are not recommended unless you have been diagnosed with life-threatening malaria and no other options are immediately available.

Malaria is always a serious disease and may be a deadly illness. Humans get malaria from the bite of a mosquito infected with the parasite. Prevent this serious disease by seeing your health-care provider for a prescription antimalarial drug and by protecting yourself against mosquito bites (find out more).

After You Return Home

If you are not feeling well, you should see your doctor and mention that you have recently traveled. Also tell your doctor if you were bitten or scratched by an animal while traveling.

If you have visited a malaria-risk area, continue taking your antimalarial drug for 4 weeks (doxycycline or mefloquine) or seven days (atovaquone/proguanil) after leaving the risk area.

Malaria is always a serious disease and may be a deadly illness.

If you become ill with a fever or flu-like illness either while traveling in a malaria-risk area or after you return home (for up to 1 year), you should seek immediate medical attention and should tell the physician your travel history. 

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/