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At the beginning of the month, Tyler and I brought our son into the post office to submit his passport application. Since he’ll be coming with us on our trip to Ireland next March, we wanted to make sure he was all squared away on the international travel front (no more passport snafus for this family, thanks). While going through the process, we definitely learned some important things that are specific to getting a passport for a baby. Here’s what you need to know:
- Make an appointment. And appointments are limited, so you may have to go with a weird time or plan extra time into the process. We ended up booking an appointment for a Wednesday morning, so we were able to get in fairly quickly. Children under the age of 16 are required to apply for their passport in person and with both parents or guardians present, so make sure to select a time that works for everyone. If both parents can’t be present, then know that there are other options, but they are a little more involved.
- Bring your paperwork. Mind you, that goes way beyond just the DS-11, which can easily be filled out with the US Department of State’s form filler. With these forms, you’ll need to bring to your appointment 1) US citizenship evidence; 2) a photocopy of said citizenship evidence; 3) proof of parental relationship; 4) your ID; 5) a photocopy of your ID; 6) parental consent. We found the easiest document to bring was his birth certificate, which also shows our parental relationship as well as his US citizenship evidence. They do take your hard copy, so make sure you have backups!
- Bust out the camera. You can either bring a photo or have one taken at your appointment for an additional fee (at least, this is a service provided by the post office). If your little one can’t yet hold up their head or stand in front of a white sheet, the US Department of State recommends either laying your baby on their back on a white sheet or covering their carseat with a white sheet before sitting them in it. Our bub is sitting up well, so they put a white towel behind him while he sat in a chair.
- Be prepared to wait. Routine door-to-door service is currently being estimated at 18 weeks, so definitely don’t cut it too close to your travel plans for your passport! If needed or wanted, you could pay extra ($60) for expedited service, which is currently expected to take 12 weeks. If you’re wondering where your kiddo’s passport is, you can always check their passport status here.
