Getting a kid passports is not as easy as getting one for an adult. The laws are very strict due to incidents of a children being kidnapped and taken to another country by one of the parents. All children are considered a minor if they are under the age of eighteen and unmarried, and all, including newborns and infants, are required to have passports to travel in and out of the country.

For a child to obtain a passport, they must appear, in person, with a parent or someone authorized as a replacement for the parent. An application cannot be made over the Internet, but must be made at a post office, county clerk or municipal offices. These are called acceptance agents. All children, including newborns and infants, must possess a passport if leaving the country.

Sometimes people are employed overseas or are vacationing when a child is born. That child cannot stay in that country nor return to the United States with their parents without a passport. In such a case, the parents have to apply at a US Embassy or Consulate to put in an application for the document. The basic requirements are the same, including the parents' identification as citizens.

In 2001 a law was passed called the two-parent consent law. This was due to the rash of parents taking children out of the country when they had no authority to do so. It is now required that both parents be present and sign the application papers for the child. Proof must be presented that they are the real parents or guardians.

The exceptions to the law, allowing one parent to sign the application, are quite vast, but strictly enforced. Such things as proof of sole custody, courts orders and others are accepted. The child's birth certificate and other documentation must be presented.

Children under the ages of 16 and 17 must be present to apply for a passport; they cannot apply over the Internet. They must be accompanied by one or both parents and the same two-parent law is enacted. If they are adopted, the adoptive parents must bring proof of guardianship. Guardians such as grandparents are allowed to sign, but only if they have the papers to prove it.

The law is quite specific when there is a custody problem with children. A state court has the authority to take and hold a child's passport if there is a threat that they might be removed from the country. In addition, a parent may request an Alert Program to inform them if any application is made for a passport for the child.

The acceptance agents require certain documents to be presented at the time of the child passports application is made. They include the child's original or certified birth certificate or naturalization papers, the parents' identification, two pictures taken by the passport application forms photographer and proof of the parents or legal guardian's relationship.