A long time ago, pre-COVID days, obtaining a passport was a little easier but nowadays it’s a little more challenging because everyone wants to travel post-COVID. If you know one day you will be traveling with your family, I highly recommend applying for a passport as soon as possible. Trust me, it relieves unwanted stress and keeps you motivated to plan your next family trip abroad!
Applying for a child’s passport is easy as long as you have all the correct documentation. I just went through the entire process for my infant sons passport and of course that was the exact week the whole nation decided to grab theirs too! Several delays were in my future even with expedited services. Fortunately, our family trip abroad is not until the summer but it was still concerning.
Keep reading, and I will let you know how to apply for a child’s passport and what to expect.
Birth Certificate & Social Security Number
Please note that ALL persons traveling abroad, including babies, are required to have a passport no exceptions. Once your precious bundle of joy is born obtaining your child’s birth certificate and social security number are vital for a US passport.
In 2023 you can have your child’s brith certificate mailed to you or you can pick up at the local county records building. If you decide to get your child’s birth certificate mailed to you, please pay extra for priority mail to have a tracking number. I say this because I did not opt for priority mail and my son’s brith certificate never showed up! To this day I have no idea what happened to my son’s first birth certificate. After waiting for over one month, the county records office finally decided to reassign my son’s birth certificate so I could obtain a new one. You can typically ask for the birth certificate after 4 weeks or so of your child’s birth.
Your child’s SSN will be mailed out to you about 2 weeks after your child’s birth. I received this one on time! You must have a SSN to apply for a US passport.
Once you have both forms in hand you are ready to apply for your child’s passport!
Child’s US Passport
Most passport approved locations will require an appointment. It is best to secure a spot this way. Once your spot is secured, head to this website for accurate forms that must be filled out before your appointment, https://travel.state.gov/content/travel.html. Be sure to read and re-read the instructions.
For any child under the age of 16 you must follow these instructions:
- Complete the DS – 11 Form.
- Provide US Citizenship Evidence. Ex., the ORIGINAL birth certificate. They will NOT accept a copy of the birth certificate even if it is notarized.
- Show parental relationship. Ex., birth certificate will have parents name on it, be sure to bring a copy of your drivers license or passport as proof you are both child’s parents. Original documents only.
- Show parental consent. Ex., both parents must be present when applying for child’s passport. Once documents are checked both parents will sign form.
- Provide a photo of child.
- Calculate your fees. You can ONLY pay the passport fee using a personal check or money order. You cannot pay with a credit card! You will be charged for 2 different charges: application fee (goes directly to the passport order) and the execution fee (goes to the post office, county clerk, whomever processes the passport documents). It is here that you may be able to pay with your credit card.
I highly recommend when applying for a passport to go to a location that offers photo services. These professionals take pictures of people everyday and know exactly what is needed for a photo to pass the passport guidelines.
We took my son to a local CVS and the young man attempting to take the picture had no idea what he was doing. He wanted my 4 month old to close his mouth for the picture…he’s a baby that was not going to happen. After going back and forth he exclaimed how he had never taken a baby’s passport picture before so I stopped the photo shoot from continuing. Just know my sons mouth is open on his APPROVED passport picture.
When do you receive passport?
Unfortunately, this really just depends on how busy the passport agency is. You have 2 options for receiving your passport:
- Routine (snail mail), 10 to 13 weeks.
- Expedited, 7 to 9 weeks.
Keep in mind the passport agency starts the clock once they receive and review your application. Now that can sometimes take up to 2 weeks or longer. You can always check your status here: https://passportstatus.state.gov/. The sooner you apply and have that passport in hand the easier it will make your life, trust me!
The best times to try to renew or apply for a passport is during the late Fall and Winter seasons. Keep in mind, applying during the Spring and Summer seasons will take much longer to process.
In conclusion…
A child’s US Passport is from age 0 – 15 and lasts for only 5 years. Yes, every 5 years you will have to repeat these steps until your child is over the age of 16. Once your child is 16 or older they will be considered adults and now their passports will only need to be renewed every 10 years.
Recap for a child’s US Passport:
- Schedule passport appointment.
- Visit website https://travel.state.gov/content/travel.html and read ALL instructions, print out DS-11 form and have it filled out completely before the appointment.
- Make at least 2 copies of the filled out forms.
- Must bring passport photo (or take photo there which I highly recommend) and ORIGINAL birth certificate.
- Both parents on birth certificate must be there (NO EXCEPTIONS) to sign off that child is able to obtain passport. Have drivers license handy to prove that you are indeed the parents.
- Bring personal check or money order for fees.
I hope this was a helpful read. Have fun on your future family travels!
