How to Get a US Passport for Infants
All American citizens, including infants, must have a passport when traveling by air internationally. Infants are only exempt from passport requirements and are eligible to show alternate proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, when entering or returning from a contiguous territory, such as Canada or Mexico, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website. The steps for obtaining an infant passport are straightforward but processing typically takes more than a month, so be sure to plan ahead before traveling internationally with an infant.
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Things You'll Need
- Form DS-11: Application for a Passport
- Birth certificate
- Parents' passports or driver's licenses
- Two 2-by-2 inch passport photos
Instructions
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Submit Form DS-11. After completing the infant's passport application on Form DS-11, take the application, along with two 2-by-2 inch color, frontal face photographs of the infant to a nearby passport acceptance facility. A list of facilities can be found on the U.S. Department of State's (DOS) website and a link has been provided in the resources section of this article. Both parents and the infant must be present at the acceptance facility to submit the application.
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Provide evidence of citizenship and relationship. According to the DOS website, proof of the infant's American citizenship must be shown at the passport acceptance facility and is submitted with the passport application and will returned by mail after the passport has been issued. A certified copy of the infant's birth certificate is acceptable as primary citizenship evidence. Proof of the parents' relationship to the infant must also be submitted and the infant's birth certificate serves this purpose as well, if both parents' names are recorded on the certificate. For adopted children, court orders or adoption decrees are also accepted as proof of relationship.
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Provide parental identification. Both parents must submit an approved form of identification at the acceptance facility. A U.S. passport or in-state driver's license are common forms of identification submitted. A government or military ID, or a naturalization certificate, are also acceptable forms of identification. A black and white photocopy of the front and back of each parent's identification must accompany the infant's passport application and must be on white, 8 1/2-by-11 inch paper.
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Provide consent for a passport to be issued. Both parents must grant consent for the passport to be issued by signing the passport application form in the presence of a passport acceptance agent. According to the DOS, if a third party or only one parent is with the infant when applying for a passport, a signed statement of consent from the absent parties must be presented to the agent. In instances of a single parent having sole custody, proof of sole parental rights must be presented.
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Pay any passport fees. There is both an application fee and an execution fee for minor passports. Fees must be paid with a check, money order or bank draft, although some passport acceptance agencies accept cash. After all fees are paid, the infant's passport application is submitted to be processed and upon issuance, the infant's passport is mailed to the child's home address.
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Tips & Warnings
Expedited service is available if an infant's passport is needed quickly.
An infant's passport cannot be applied for by mail.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Australian Passport image by dc_slim from Fotolia.com
