DS-11 Passport Application: Confusing Instruction Regarding Question #11

[edaesq 2]

Trying to get Passport for my wife who naturalized last year. 

On the Official U.S. State Department Passport application there are little question mark popups (?) which explain what information the State Department is asking for.

Question 11 asks for information about current or most recent spouse. There is then a box asking "Have you ever been married" within Question #11. There is a box next to that asking for "Widow or Divorce date". While it would seem logical that this is asking for my wife's date of divorce from her ex-husband in Japan (My wife is the Applicant), when you hit the little question mark for the date box it instructs: "Enter the most recent date of divorce or death of the applicant's spouse, as applicable".

So, by this language it is clearly not asking for the date of the applicant's divorce, despite the fact the box before that asks if "you" have ever been divorced. (How can "you" NOT be the applicant?)

Since the penalties for providing wrong information on this application are years in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, we quite reasonably want to get this right. 

I have included a screenshot of the Popup Box Instructions which are so confusing. 

So, do we put in my (the applicant's husband's) date of divorce as instructed BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT, or the date of the Japan divorce for my wife who is the applicant for the passport. If the latter, how can that be squared with the instructions on the official State Department website?

Thank you for any guidance you can provide. 
 

[Ontarkie 14,932]

~~Moved to Passports etc.., from US Citizenship General Discussion ~~

[Boiler 47,362]

It is clearly not asking what it is asking for?

[edaesq 2]

I APOLOGIZE.

 

I misinterpeted the lanaguage. There is nothing confusing about Question #11 on the DS-11 Form and I will seek to withdraw original post.

[edaesq 2]

2 hours ago, Boiler said:

It is clearly not asking what it is asking for?

Thanks and Yes. I messed up my reading of the form. There is no issue with the Form DS-11.

My apologies.

I was posting before thinking.

 

[OldUser 9,692]

33 minutes ago, edaesq said:

I APOLOGIZE.

 

I misinterpeted the lanaguage. There is nothing confusing about Question #11 on the DS-11 Form and I will seek to withdraw original post.

What conclusion did you come to?

I think your post is useful. 

[edaesq 2]

They want the applicant's date of divorce. If applicant is a widow, then date of death of applicant's spouse is what goes in the field.

 

I misread it and thought they wanted date of spouse of applicant's divorce, which is not what they are asking for.

[Rekyrts 147]

On 4/13/2025 at 10:42 AM, edaesq said:

They want the applicant's date of divorce. If applicant is a widow, then date of death of applicant's spouse is what goes in the field.

 

I misread it and thought they wanted date of spouse of applicant's divorce, which is not what they are asking for.

 

Correct. In that context, when the person became single.