Obtaining A Passport For Children

Passports are documents that allow an individual to travel to foreign countries. They act as permission to enter any country and re-enter an individual’s country of origin. Until recently children were able to travel on their parents passports, but now due to stricter laws regarding child trafficking all children must have their own passport including infants. Now they must have a separate application must be sent to get a pasport for children.

Young Travelers

Anyone in the United States who is under the age of 18 years old and want to travel internationally must have a child’s passport. However, during this time period you are not allowed to renew your passport if you are under the age of 18. You will have to reapply every five years if you wish to continue traveling to other countries.

Applying

If you are going to try and get a child passport you will first need to acquire all the necessary paperwork. You will have to fully fill out the application. Also, when you send in the completed application you will have to make certain that you have also included any necessary documentation.

Required Documents

There are a multitude of requirements a person must meet before getting a child passport. You have to fill out a brand new application, show proof of citizenship, obtain parental consent, and include a passport photo. You will also need to state the reason you are traveling. If you want to obtain a child passport you must make certain you follow all of these steps.

Proof Of Citizenship

In order to show proof of citizenship you will have to provide a certified birth certificate. The birth certificate must also be the original copy from the hospital you were born in. You are going to need consent from a parent as well. You could also use a social security card for proof of citizenship in your application for a child passport. Lastly, you will need to send not one but two copies a color passport photo.

Fees

Once all documentation is filled out it can be taken to any agency that handles passport matters. The consultant will go through paperwork to double check and the necessary requirements. Additionally a passport can be applied for online, which makes things much easier. There are also fees incurred when applying for a passport. There is nominal government fee, and then depending on the agency in which you go through to obtain the passport there may be additional agency acquired fees.

Time Frame

Assuming that you filled out all of your application and documents properly, you should expect to receive your new child passport in about eight weeks. However, if you need it quicker than this, you can visit an expediting agency to speed the process up for you. Of course, this costs extra money. However, they can guarantee you receive you pass port in time for your overseas travels.