Just as every U. S. adult must present a valid passport for international air travel, so must each child have their own passport. At one time, children under a certain age could travel on their parent's passport but that law has changed and now each must have their own. The requirements for a minors passport are similar to that of getting an adult passport except for a couple of major particulars to which careful attention must be paid.

In order to make a passport application, the child must be there when the application is made. In addition, a filled form DS-11 which is an application for a new passport must be presented. The DS-11 should not be signed until the agent requests.

Getting the passport for any child requires submitting proof of citizenship in the form of a certified birth certificate, a birth abroad record, naturalization certification or citizenship certificate. If none of these documents are available, a combination of secondary documents might be presented but one secondary document alone is not sufficient in most instances.

In addition to documentation proving the child's citizenship, the parents of the child must be present and submit identification such as a valid passport or government issued identification. Proof of relationship to the child for whom the passport is being issued is required for minors under the age of 16. Court adoption records, birth certificates naming both parents or legal guardianship papers can be used for those purposes.

Children aged 16 and 17 are still considered minors but the requirements differ for them slightly. They can present their own photo id or if they have none yet, a parent can present theirs at the passport office. They must fill out the form DS-11 application for new passport and sign it. Unlike the younger children they can apply for their passport themselves without the necessity of parents.

Some children may be able to travel without a passport but the circumstances where this applies are limited. A cruise ship which is considered to be on a closed circuit trip and leaves from a US port with a destination in the Western Hemisphere may not require the child to have a valid passport. However it should be remembered that the port of call in another country may require passengers to have a passport to disembark.

School groups, sports groups or religious groups with children who travel by land or sea to countries adjacent to their own may not require a child to have a valid passport. The group should be prepared to present a letter with the organization name, the number, names, and ages of the children traveling with them. Children may need only a birth certificate but for air travel the requirements include a passport.

When applying for a passport for minors, it will normally take four to six weeks for the passport to arrive. If the passport is desired sooner, an quick passport might be requested which can shorten the wait time to two to four weeks. If the passport is required within two weeks, a passport agency can issue a passport on the day the application is made in person or if that is not convenient, an expediting service might be used.