Children are becoming more frequent international travelers, either with their parents or for school trips. The better time to get a US passport for kids is before they'll actually need one. Since you’re the child's parents, it's your responsibility to make the application and get it done properly.

Minor Passports

For the purposes of applying for a passport, a child is anyone below the age of sixteen. It doesn't matter if your young child already has one. If a new one will be needed before their sixteenth birthday, this is still the necessary process to follow. The documentation required has gotten stricter in recent years as the federal government cracks down on international child trafficking.

Proof of Citizenship

You'll have to prove your child is a US citizen. The easiest way to do this is provide a certified, long form copy of your child's birth certificate. Other acceptable documents to prove citizenship include a valid US passport (not yet expired), certificate of naturalization, report of a birth abroad, or certification of a birth abroad.

Custodial Parent

The next proof required must show you are both indeed the child's parents or legal guardian. Any of the documents proving US citizenship can also serve to prove your relationship as long as both parents' names are listed on the document. If this isn't the case, you'll need additional documentation to prove your relationship to the child. You can offer a court order. That order should show either guardianship or custody. If your child is adopted, the decree can suffice as well.

Requirements

You'll have to prove parental consent. Typically, the consent of both parents is needed for a child to get a passport. However, in recognition of the various forms of family, the specifics of showing consents can vary. You can review the table of parental consent on a US passport website to verify what will be required of your family.

Application

Whatever the family situation, at least one parent or the legal guardian must be present with the child to make the application at an authorized US passport agency. You'll also need a filled out form of federal form DS-11, which you can get from any number of online sites. However, as the parent, you can't sign this form before arriving or it won't be valid. It can only be signed in front of the acceptance agent.

Federal Forms

Ideally, both parents will be present and sign the DS-11. If only one parent can be present with the child at the application appointment, you will have to submit a federal form DS-3053 as well, which is a notarized statement showing the absent parent's consent for the application. There's a different form for passport renewal application.

Lastly, don't forget a proper photo, which means its only two by two inches big, in color and taken in the past six months. You'll also have to pay an application fee, which the application agent will confirm during your appointment. You should find that once you've gotten all your child's necessary documentation together, getting a passport for kids isn't too difficult. A photo is also needed for your expedited passport renewal application.