Child Passport – Apply For One Before You Really Need It
It is smart to know the regulations surrounding a child passport if you need to apply for one for your child. Even newborns are required to have one when traveling abroad. There are also some special rules for children between 16 and 18 years of age.
Passports for children under 16 must be applied for in person with both parents or guardians present. You must supply proof of American citizenship, which will be returned to you. Acceptable types of proof include a U. S. Or foreign birth certificate, a prior U. S. Passport which is undamaged, or proof of citizenship or naturalization. You must also provide a social security number.
The accompanying parents or guardians need to prove the relationship they have to the child applicant. This proof may be in the form of a foreign or U. S. birth certificate, a decree of adoption, or a court order that establishes guardianship or custody.
If any furnished documents are in another language, they must be translated. It can be formally or informally translated. Both original and English translation must be submitted with the passport application.
Previous U. S. passports cannot be used as proof that parent and child are related. If one of the parents or guardians has had a name change since original documents were issued, proof of that legal name change must also be provided. An example of proof for a name change would be a certificate of marriage. Both parents or guardians must also show valid identification such as: a U. S. Passport that is undamaged, a naturalization certificate, a government or military ID, or a driver’s license.
Both parents must consent in order for a minor below 16 years of age to get a passport. Therefore, they must both appear when the application is made along with the minor. If they are not able to appear together, one parent must attend, and submit a notarized Statement of Consent from the absent parent. The consent form must not be older than 3 months.
If complete custody is with only one parent, that parent must go with the minor to the passport agency and sign the form before the agent. Proof of sole authority must also be furnished. This can be a birth certificate or consular report of birth abroad, which lists only the one name. Alternative proof may be an adoption decree, a court order, an incompetence declaration, or a death certificate.
A third party can apply for the passport of the minor if necessary. In this case, that person must go to the passport agency with a notarized statement from both parents or guardians. Sole-custody proof must also be presented if there is only one parent or guardian.