The issuing authority in a passport is the specific entity, such as a government, state agency, or organization, that has issued the passport. The passport issuing authority is responsible for processing passport applications, verifying the identity and eligibility of the applicants, printing and issuing passports, maintaining records of issued passports, and incorporating security features to prevent passport fraud. The passport issuing authority is usually the country that issues the passport. For example, the U.S. Department of State is the passport issuing authority for U.S. passports. The passport issuing authority information is almost always listed on the photo page of the passport. In the case of U.S. passports, the issuing authority is usually "xxx Passport Agency" where the first part is a city such as "Charleston," "New Orleans," or "Chicago," etc..