How to Apply for a U.S. Passport for a Child Under 16

Children under 16 must apply in person every time

A child under age 16 cannot use an adult passport renewal procedure. The U.S. Department of State requires the child and the applying parent or guardian to appear in person and use Form DS-11.

Passports issued to children under 16 are valid for 5 years. They cannot be renewed, so when the passport expires the child must submit a new in-person application.

This is different from the procedure for eligible adults who may renew a U.S. passport online.

Use Form DS-11 and wait to sign it

Use Form DS-11, Application for a U.S. Passport. You can complete it with the State Department form filler and print it on single-sided paper.

Do not sign the form before the appointment. The passport acceptance agent will administer an oath and instruct you when to sign.

You may apply for a passport book, passport card or both.

Bring physical evidence of the child's U.S. citizenship

The application must include acceptable evidence that the child is a U.S. citizen. The State Department currently lists documents such as:

• a qualifying U.S. birth certificate;
• a Consular Report of Birth Abroad or other qualifying Department of State birth document;
• a Certificate of Citizenship; or
• a full-validity, undamaged U.S. passport previously issued to the child.

For a passport issued when the child was under 16, full validity means the document was valid for 5 years.

The State Department requires physical citizenship evidence. A mobile or electronic birth certificate is not accepted as the citizenship document for this application.

Passport Services must verify each parent or guardian relationship

Passport Services must verify the legal relationship between the child and every parent or guardian involved in the application.

If the citizenship document does not also establish that relationship, acceptable examples can include:

• a foreign birth certificate;
• an adoption decree;
• a divorce or custody decree; or
• a court order.

If your current legal name differs from the name on the relationship document, bring proof of the name change, such as a marriage certificate or name-change decree.

Parents and guardians must bring physical photo ID

Both parents or guardians who appear must bring acceptable physical photo identification.

A fully valid driver's license or enhanced driver's license with a photo is a common acceptable form of ID. If your ID was issued by a different state from the state where you apply, the State Department instructs you to bring a second photo ID.

Bring copies of citizenship evidence and parent IDs

You must submit:

• a photocopy of the child's citizenship evidence while also presenting the qualifying original or replacement document; and
• a photocopy of the front and back of each parent or guardian photo ID.

Photocopies must be on 8.5-by-11-inch paper and printed on one side only.

Both parents or guardians generally must consent

For a child under 16, both parents or guardians generally must be present with the child or provide an acceptable form of approval before the passport can be issued.

This two-parent consent rule is a central difference between child and adult passport applications.

Use Form DS-3053 when one parent cannot appear

If both parents have custody but one cannot appear in person, the non-applying parent generally must complete and sign Form DS-3053, Statement of Consent before an authorized notary.

The applying parent must also submit a photocopy of the photo ID the absent parent presented to the notary.

Form DS-3053 and other qualifying notarized consent statements must be submitted within 90 days after they are signed or notarized.

Electronic notarization may be accepted when permitted by state law, but a printed copy must be submitted with the child's passport application.

Proof of sole authority can replace the other parent's consent

If one parent has sole legal authority, the State Department accepts specific evidence instead of consent from a second parent.

Examples include:

• a court order granting sole custody or specifically allowing only that parent to apply for the passport;
• a certified birth certificate or adoption decree listing only one parent or guardian;
• a certified death certificate for the deceased parent or guardian; or
• a certified judicial declaration that the other parent is incompetent.

Form DS-5525 covers qualifying special family circumstances

If both parents still have custody but the other parent cannot be located, the applying parent can submit Form DS-5525, Statement of Special Family Circumstances.

The form must explain the situation in detail. Passport Services may require additional evidence, such as a custody order, incarceration order or restraining order.

If the problem involves a risk that another parent may take the child abroad without permission, review the separate procedure on preventing or reporting international parental child abduction.

A third party needs permission from the parents or guardians

If neither parent can appear, another person such as a grandparent may apply with the child only with appropriate authorization.

The third party generally needs Form DS-3053 or a notarized statement from both parents or guardians, plus photocopies of their photo IDs. The notarized authorization must be submitted within 90 days.

If only one parent provides authorization, the application must also include evidence that this parent has sole custody or sole legal authority.

Submit one recent passport photo

The application requires one passport photo that meets current State Department requirements.

For babies and toddlers, the child should be photographed alone against a plain white or off-white background. No other person may appear in the photo. The child's full face must be visible and the child should face the camera.

The State Department allows a baby's eyes to be not entirely open, but older children must have their eyes open.

Do not attach or staple the photo to Form DS-11 yourself. The acceptance agent will review and attach it.

A child passport requires two separate fees

When applying with Form DS-11, you must pay a State Department application fee and a separate $35 acceptance fee to the facility.

• Passport book: $100 application fee + $35 acceptance fee.
• Passport card: $15 application fee + $35 acceptance fee.
• Passport book and card: $115 application fee + $35 acceptance fee.

The State Department application fee is generally paid by check or money order payable to U.S. Department of State. Write the child's name and date of birth in the memo section.

Payment methods for the $35 facility fee depend on the acceptance facility.

You can pay more for faster processing and delivery

Expedited passport processing costs an additional $60 per application.

You may also pay $23.36 for 1-to-3-day return delivery of an issued passport book. This faster return-delivery service does not apply to passport cards.

An acceptance facility may also offer faster USPS shipping for sending the application to Passport Services; that cost varies by location.

Routine service takes 4 to 6 weeks before mailing time

Current State Department processing times are:

• 4 to 6 weeks for routine service; and
• 2 to 3 weeks for expedited service with the additional $60 fee.

These estimates do not include mailing time. The State Department advises allowing up to 2 weeks for the application to reach a passport agency or center and up to another 2 weeks after processing for the new passport to arrive.

Bring the child to an authorized passport acceptance facility

The child, parents or guardians and required documents must be taken to an authorized passport acceptance facility, such as certain post offices, libraries or local government offices.

Check the facility before going because some locations require appointments.

The acceptance agent verifies identification, administers the oath and has the appropriate adult sign Form DS-11.

Use a passport agency for qualifying urgent travel

If the child's international travel is more than 3 weeks away, the State Department directs families to apply at a passport acceptance facility.

If the child is traveling internationally in less than 3 weeks, you may qualify for an appointment at a passport agency or center once you are within 14 calendar days of travel.

Passport agencies require appointments and proof of qualifying travel.

Contact a U.S. embassy or consulate for local instructions

If the child is applying outside the United States, contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for the procedures that apply in that country.

When a child applies in the United States while one or both parents are abroad, Form DS-3053 is still required when applicable. In some countries, local notarization is not accepted and the parent must have the form notarized at a U.S. embassy or consulate.

Track the application and wait for documents to be returned separately

The acceptance facility sends the application to Passport Services. This mailing stage may take up to 2 weeks.

The State Department sends status updates to the email address listed in the application, and parents can also check the child's application status online.

If you ordered a passport book, it is returned using a trackable delivery service. A passport card is sent by First Class Mail.

Supporting documents such as a birth certificate or previous passport are returned separately and can arrive up to 4 weeks after the new passport book or card.

Contact Passport Services after 4 weeks

If the child's supporting documents have not been returned more than 4 weeks after issuance, call Passport Services at 877-487-2778.

If you want reimbursement for an eligible supporting document that Passport Services lost, you must contact the Department within 120 days from the date the passport was mailed and provide a receipt showing the replacement cost.

Every under-16 application is treated as a new in-person application

A passport issued to a child under 16 lasts only 5 years and cannot be renewed.

Even if the child already has an expired passport, the family must complete a new DS-11 application, appear in person and satisfy the current citizenship, relationship and parental-consent requirements again.

Avoid consent, document and payment problems

• Leaving the child at home: the child must appear in person.
• Signing DS-11 before the appointment: wait for the acceptance agent's instructions.
• Using digital citizenship evidence: the State Department requires physical citizenship evidence.
• Failing to prove the parent-child relationship: provide a birth, adoption, custody or other qualifying legal record.
• Missing parental consent: both parents generally must appear or an accepted consent or sole-authority document must be provided.
• Using an old DS-3053: submit qualifying notarized consent within 90 days after signing or notarization.
• Forgetting photocopies: bring copies of citizenship evidence and both sides of parent or guardian IDs.
• Paying only one fee: DS-11 child applications require both the application fee and the separate $35 acceptance fee.
• Assuming an old child passport can be renewed: children under 16 must apply in person using DS-11 each time.
• Ignoring mailing time: routine and expedited processing estimates do not include shipping to and from Passport Services.