Have big plans for international travel this summer? Here are some quick tips on how to obtain your child’s passport quickly and efficiently.
Set up an appointment at a U.S. Postal Service location.
You can get passport photos taken at other places, but the easiest option is to take it at the post office because they will take your child’s picture and accept all your paperwork in one stop. We scheduled the appointment and were in and out in under 30 minutes for two kids! This is the first step because it can sometimes take a few weeks to find an appointment time. You can find the most convenient location here. If you decide to take your picture somewhere else, be sure to read the requirements here.
Fill out the D-11 form.
You cannot submit this electronically, so make sure to fill it out ahead of time, print it out and bring it with you. You will need to know your child’s social security number.
Gather all the forms you need, which includes:
- Your child’s birth certificate – both the original and a black and white copy. Heads up – they do staple the original birth certificate to the application, so be prepared. You will need this even if your child has already been granted a passport previously.
- Both parents’ driver’s licenses (or other forms of ID) as well as a black and white copy of each. Be sure to bring one copy for each child. I brought only one copy total and didn’t realize that each child submits a separate application so each child needs their own copy.
- A previous passport if your child has one
- Passport photos (if you took them in advance)
Bring your checkbook.
It’s a hefty fee. For us, it was $80 per child for the passport, plus a $50 U.S.P.S. fee per child for the photo and service. Yikes! You can only pay the passport fee with a check or money order, so be sure to have that with you. And, again, each child needs a separate check, so bring more than one!
Remember that BOTH PARENTS NEED TO BE PRESENT.
This is because you both have to prove you are the parent and sign the paperwork. If one parent absolutely cannot be present, then you need to do the following:
Bring the second parent’s notarized written statement or Form DS-3053 (including the child’s full name and date of birth) consenting to the passport issuance for the child. The notarized statement cannot be more than three months old and must be signed and notarized on the same day, and must come with a photocopy of the front and back side of the second parent’s government-issued photo identification.
OR
Second parent’s death certificate.
OR
Primary evidence of sole authority to apply, such as a court order
OR
A written statement or Form DS-5525 (made under penalty of perjury) explaining in detail the second parent’s unavailability.
Here are some other tidbits:
Wait times:
- Routine: 4-6 weeks from time of application
- Expedited: Within 3 weeks door-to-door
- Expedited at agency: Within 8 business days from the time your application is received
If your child is 16 or under, their passport will expire in 5 years. Once they turn 16, then the passport expires in 10 years.
Have more questions? Find the answers here.
