Child Passport
If you are planning an international trip with your child by air, even if you are flying into Canada or the Bahamas, you will need to get them a passport. While it might be possible to use a birth certificate on a closed-loop cruise through the Caribbean or drive into Canada, it is strongly encouraged to obtain a passport for all international travel. An American passport proves your child’s identity and status as a U.S. citizen, and is the one document that will perform these tasks seamlessly without hassle. A passport issued to children under the age of 16 will be valid for five years, while a passport issued to a 16 and 17-year old will be valid for ten years.
To obtain a passport for children under the age of 16, both parents must appear in person with their child at a passport acceptance facility. If one parent cannot be present, it is possible to have the other parent complete a consent form (form DS-3053) and get it notarized. A 16- or 17-year-old only requires the presence of one parent to obtain a passport. If your child already has a five-year passport, it cannot be renewed through the mail, but instead requires the presence of the child and both parents at a passport acceptance facility. Visa Supply has many years of experience helping our customers obtain passports for children so please contact us if you have questions.
Why Choose Visa Supply?
It is important to have the proper documents when getting a passport for your child. You will need to make sure their application is filled out correctly and you have a photo that meets the government’s requirements. Our job as a private service is to ensure all your child’s application materials are precise and error-free before submitting them to the Passport Agency. We are also public notaries so we can help notarize the parental consent form in case both parents cannot be present at the same time. As passport expediters, we can get a child’s passport quickly from the government. Just contact us today and let us know how we can help!
Top 5 FAQ’s and Search Terms
1) How Much is a Passport for a Baby?
Using the government’s routine 10-week service, the fee is $100, and the expedited 6-week service is $160. Both mother and father will appear in person at a passport acceptance facility to have their identities verified and pay an additional $35 for the “execution fee”. Please note that Visa Supply charges a service fee in addition to the government fee if you use our company’s services. Our fees range in price from $300 - $700 depending on how quickly you need a passport for your child.
2) US Passport Renewal for Minor
It is important to know that a child’s passport cannot be renewed by mail. Anyone under the age of 16 must appear in person with their mother and father at a passport acceptance facility to have their identities verified by the government, even if they already have an existing passport. Children ages 16 and 17 must appear in person at a passport acceptance facility with at least one parent.
3) What Do You Need to Renew a Child's Passport?
You will complete the passport application form (Form DS-11), provide proof of the child’s citizenship (a birth certificate, proof of birth abroad, certificate of citizenship, or an existing passport), evidence of parental relationship (such as a U.S. or foreign birth certificate, an adoption decree, or a divorce/custody decree that shows you are the child’s parent or guardian), identification for the accompanying parents (such as driver’s license, certificate of citizenship, military or government ID, or a U.S. or foreign passport), and a passport photo. For more details, please see the article about this topic published on our website: https://www.visasupply.com/passports-and-visas-101/post/how-to-obtain-a-child-passport-in-atlanta
4) Passport Application Parental Consent Form
Ideally, both parents should accompany the child to the passport facility and sign the passport application. If only one parent can appear, the other parent can complete form DS-3053 and have it notarized. This form can be found here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/forms.html
5) How to Expedite a Child's Passport?
You can get a child’s passport in as quick as one to two days if you schedule an appointment and appear in person with your child at a Passport Agency office location. A private passport expeditor (such as Visa Supply) can also help get your child’s passport in about one week. Please contact us and we can explain your full range of options for expediting a child’s passport.
