How To Apply For An Expedited Child Passport

by garrett on December 21, 2011

Everyone who needs to travel to a foreign country will need a passport. This includes minors or babies. If you are planning to go on a trip abroad with your kids, you will need passports for all your children. If you are scheduled to leave in a few weeks, then you should apply for an expedited child passport. You can get this from a private service or from your country’s passport agency.

Expedited Services

This service can also be useful if both parents do not have time to process their children’s travel papers. It you do not have to time follow up on your kids document, make use of the paid expedited service. Of course, this will entail a small fee but is so practical if you need to process the entire family’s passports.

Government Agency

If you opt to use traditional methods to get a document, you can apply for it at your government’s passport agency. If your children are below age 16 or 17, you will need to be present when your kid sends in his application. Babies and toddlers will also need passports for travelling out of the country.

Timeline

If you will be traveling out of the country with your children within 6 weeks or less, it will be wiser to get your children’s travel documents through an expedited service. Conventional methods might take more than a month to process. It might not be a good idea to risk a delay too close to your travel date. You can also apply for an expedited service from the government’s passport agency.

Costs

It will be more expensive to have your kids travel documents processed faster but the fees may be fair considering the urgency of your need. You can surely get your child’s document before your flight or within a week or two. Conventional applications can take as long as a month or more. If you are applying for a child’s traveling papers now, consider these tips.

Photos

Have your child’s pictures taken. You will need two identical photographs of your child in the appropriate size. Let the photographer know that the images are supposed to be for passports so he can follow the proper guidelines. Take your child to a studio or a local photo booth that produces ID pictures. Your child should wear normal outfits for the picture.

Legal Documents

The application form called the DS11 and supporting papers like your child’s birth record and proof of US citizenship are required. Parents also need to show documents proving they are the child’s real parents or guardians. If your child is adopted, you will also have to provide copies of his or her adoption papers. In case you immigrated to the US and became citizens, provide birth documents translated in English. You will need a different form for a lost online passport.

Once you have all the documents you need, you can visit the application in person with your child. An expedited child USA passport will still require parents to be present with the child. If a parent is not available, he or she will need to submit a DS-3053 form that indicates why you are not present and proves you are the parent or guardian. The form also gives consent for your child’s application. Make sure you don’t have a lost passports.

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