Special US Passport Requirements for Children Under Age 16

First Time U. S. Passports / Children’s U. S. Passports/ U. S. Passport Photos /U. S. Passport Renewals

Before You Start, Please Note:

Minors under age 16 must apply in person for their US Passport All children regardless of age, including newborns and infants, must have their own US Passport There are special requirements for All Minors Ages 16 & 17

STEPS TO SUBMITTING A US PASSPORT APPLICATION FOR A MINOR UNDER AGE 16:

Read and understand Steps 1 – 7 before leaving this page.

STEP 1: Complete and Submit Form DS-11: Application For A U.S. US Passport

Complete Form DS-11. To submit Form DS-11, the minor:

• Must apply in person with both parents/guardian(s)
• Must provide the additional documentation required by Form DS-11 (See Steps 2-7)
• Must not sign the application until instructed to do so by the Acceptance Agent
• Must provide his/her Social Security number

STEP 2: Submit Evidence of U.S. Citizenship

The minor’s evidence of U.S. citizenship must be submitted with Form DS-11. All documentation submitted as citizenship evidence will be returned to you. These documents will be delivered with your newly issued U.S. passport or in a separate mailing.

Primary Evidence of U.S. Citizenship (One of the following):

Previously issued, undamaged U.S. Passport Certified birth certificate issued by the city, county or state* Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth Naturalization Certificate Certificate of Citizenship

*A certified birth certificate has a registrar’s raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored seal, registrar’s signature, and the date the certificate was filed with the registrar’s office, which must be within 1 year of your birth. Some short (abstract) versions of birth certificates may not be acceptable for US Passport purposes.

NOTE: If you do not have primary evidence of U.S. citizenship or your U.S. birth certificate does not meet the requirements, please see Secondary Evidence of U.S. Citizenship.
STEP 3: Submit Evidence of Relationship

Parent(s)/Guardian(s) must submit evidence of their relationship to the minor applicant.

Evidence of Relationship (One of the following):

Minor’s certified U.S. birth certificate with both parents’ names Minor’s certified Foreign Birth Certificate with both parents’ names*  Minor’s Report of Birth Abroad with both parents’ names Adoption Decree with adopting parents’ names* Court Order establishing custody Court Order establishing guardianship

*Foreign documents should be accompanied by an official English translation

NOTES:

• Previous U.S. passports are not acceptable as evidence of relationship
• Evidence of a legal name change must be submitted, if the name of a parent/guardian has changed since the original documents were issued (e.g. photocopy of a marriage certificate, etc.)

STEP 4: Present Identification of Parent(s)/Guardian(s)

When applying for a minor under age 16, both parent(s)/guardian(s) must present acceptable identification at the time of application.

 

Primary Identification (One of the following):

Previously issued, undamaged U.S. passport Naturalization Certificate Valid Driver’s License Current Government Employee ID (city, state or federal) Current Military ID (military and dependents)

NOTE: If none of these items are available, please see Secondary Identification.

STEP 5: Provide Parental Consent

Both parents must provide consent authorizing US Passport issuance for a minor under age 16. See the scenarios below, and follow the instruction that best applies to your circumstance:

Both Parents MUST:	Appear in person with the minor Sign Form DS-11 in front of an Acceptance Agent
One Parent MUST:	Appear in person with the minor Sign Form DS-11 in front of an Acceptance Agent Submit the second parents’ notarized Statement of Consent (Form DS-3053)
One Parent (with sole legal custody) MUST:	Appear in person with the minor Sign Form DS-11 in front of an Acceptance Agent Submit primary evidence of sole authority to apply for the child with one of the following: Minor’s certified U.S. or foreign birth certificate listing only the applying parent Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-240) or Certification of Birth Abroad (Form DS-1350) listing only the applying parent Court order granting sole custody to the applying parent (unless child’s travel is restricted by that order) Adoption decree (if applying parents is sole adopting parent) Court order specifically permitting applying parent’s or guardian’s travel with the child Judicial declaration of incompetence of non-applying parent Death certificate of non-applying parent NOTE: If none of the above documentation is available, the applying parent must submit Form DS-3053 stating why the non-applying parent/guardian’s consent cannot be obtained
A Third Party (in Loco Parentis applying on behalf of a minor under the age of 16) MUST:	Submit a notarized written statement or affidavit from both parents or guardians authorizing a third-party to apply for a US Passport When the statement of affidavit is from only one parent/guardian, the third-party must present evidence of sole custody of the authorizing parent/guardian.

STEP 6: Pay the Applicable Fee

Please see Current US Passport Fees and methods of payment.

STEP 7: Provide Two US Passport Photos

We can help you submit clear and correctly exposed US Passport photos the first time – especially when applying for the U.S. US Passport Card. See Quality Requirements for US Passport Book & US Passport Card Photographs to avoid photo processing delays.

Your Photographs Must Be:

• Identical
• In color
• 2 x 2 inches in size
• Taken within the past 6 months, showing current appearance
• Full face, front view with a plain white or off-white background
• Between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head
• Taken in normal street attire:
  • Uniforms should not be worn in photographs except religious attire that is worn daily
  • Do not wear a hat or headgear that obscures the hair or hairline
  • If you normally wear prescription glasses, a hearing device, wig or similar articles, they should be worn for your picture
  • Dark glasses or nonprescription glasses with tinted lenses are not acceptable unless you need them for medical reasons (a medical certificate may be required)

NOTES:

• Vending machine photos are not generally acceptable
• See Digitized US Passport Photos for information on acceptable digital photos
• Professional photographers, see Guidelines for Producing High Quality Photographs for U.S. Travel Documents

 

Passport Fees

As of February 1, 2008

First Time U. S. Passports / Children’s U. S. Passports/ U. S. Passport Photos /U. S. Passport Renewals

Prevent application processing delays by submitting the correct fees the first time! Read the information below carefully and entirely to ensure that your payment is correct.

Are You Renewing a U.S. Passport by Mail? See Fee Info Below

Form DS-11: Application for a U.S. US Passport (Must Submit In Person)
What Are You Applying For?	Application Fee	Execution Fee	Total Amount You Pay
Adult US Passport Book & Card	$140.00	$25.00	$165.00
Adult US Passport Book	$110.00	$25.00	$135.00
Adult US Passport Card	$30.00	$25.00	$55.00

When applying at a US Passport Agency, both the Application Fee and the Execution Fee are combined as one payment to the “Department of State.”

When applying at an US Passport Acceptance Facility, pay the Application Fee to the “Department of State” and the Execution Fee to the facility where you are applying.

Form DS-82: Application for a U.S. US Passport By Renewal by Mail
What Are You Applying For? (Are You Eligible to Renew?)	Application Fee	Execution Fee	Total Amount You Pay
Adult US Passport Book & Card (16 and older)	$140.00	Does Not Apply	$140.00
Minor US Passport Book	Minors under age 16 must use Form DS-11
Adult US Passport Card (16 and older	$30.00	Does Not Apply	$30.00
Minor US Passport Card	Minors under age 16 must use Form DS-11

When mailing Form DS-82, include a payment with the appropriate fee amount to the “Department of State.” See specific instructions on how to submit your payment on page 2 of Form DS-82.

You May Use Form DS-82 If Your Previous U.S. Passport:

• Was issued when you were age 16 or older and
• Was issued in the last 15 years and
• Is undamaged and can be submitted with your application and
• Was issued in your current name or you can document your legal name change

If you answered no to any of the above statements you are not eligible to use Form DS-82! You must submit Form DS-11 in person and pay the appropriate fees.

Expedite Service There is a $60.00 Expedite Fee for each application requesting Expedited Processing. Currently, the U.S. passport card is not eligible for Expedited Service. Note: An application for a US Passport book and a US Passport card may be expedited, but the $60 fee will only serve to expedite the book at this time. The pending production of your US Passport card, will not delay the issuance or delivery of your US Passport book or the return of your citizenship evidence.

Expedite Service Fees
What Are You Applying For?	Routine Service Total	Expedite Service Total
US Passport Book (Age 16 & Older)	$110.00	$170.00
US Passport Book (Under Age 16)	$105.00	$165.00
US Passport Card (Age 16 & Older)	Does Not Apply
US Passport Card (Under Age 16)	Does Not Apply

Overnight Delivery In order to receive your US Passport as soon as possible, no matter what you’re applying for (first-time application, renewal, additional pages, name change, etc.), we strongly suggest that you use an overnight delivery service to: 1. Send your US Passport application to the Department of State (See your overnight delivery service provider for fee information) and 2. Return your newly issued US Passport from the Department of State (Include a overnight delivery service fee of $14.85 with each application) NOTE: The overnight delivery service provider that you use to send your US Passport application to the Department of State must be capable of delivery to a P.O. Box. Only the United States Postal Service can deliver to a US Post Office Box.

First Time U. S. Passports / Children’s U. S. Passports/ U. S. Passport Photos /U. S. Passport Renewals

 

Methods of Payment

When applying at a US Passport Agency, you may submit your payment using one of the following:

• Credit Cards (VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover)
• Debit/Check Cards
• Checks (personal, certified, cashiers’, travelers’)
• Money Orders (U.S. Postal, international, currency exchange)
• Bank Drafts

When applying at an Acceptance Facility, you may submit your payment using one of the following:

For US Passport Application Fee:

• Personal checks, money orders, and bank drafts at all locations
• Exact cash at some locations (verify with the Acceptance Facility)

For $25.00 Execution Fee:

• Money orders and bank drafts at all locations
• Personal checks and exact cash at some locations (verify with the Acceptance Facility)
• Credit cards at U.S. Postal Facilities and some other locations (verify with the Acceptance Facility)
• When applying by mail, pay the application fee (as well as the expedite and overnight delivery return fee, if applicable) to the “Department of State”. There is no execution fee when applying by mail (i.e. Form DS-82)

When applying for a U.S. US Passport from outside of the United States, you should check with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate for guidance on accepted methods of payment. U.S. Embassies and Consulates accept the foreign currency equivalent to the dollar ($) amounts listed above.

No Comments

No comments yet.

RSS feed for comments on this post.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.