It is a legal requirement that any person, adult or child, wishing to leave or return to the United States of America have their own official passport. Even very small children need to have their own documents. A kids passport can be obtained easily providing you have the necessary identification.

Age Requirements

A child passport will be issued to anybody who is under sixteen years old at the time of application. The application form should be filled out with their details and the parent or guardian will be responsible for giving consent. Sometimes, it can be a little confusing figuring out exactly who is supposed to give consent but you can narrow down the options easily.

Parents Must Be Present

The ideal situation is for both parents to be present in order to sign the forms in front of an acceptance agent. Should only one parent be able to appear to give consent, they will need to bring a notarized statement of consent from the other parent. If the parent attending has sole custody, they will need to provide proof of this arrangement. For example, the death certificate of the other parent or a court order explaining the custody arrangement would be acceptable documentation. There is a seperate form for expedited damaged passport renewal.

If the child is being cared for by people other than their parents when they make application, a notarized statement or affidavit will need to be presented from both parents or the parent who has sole custody. If there is a custody arrangement, documentation will be needed to prove this. Any documents presented as proof will have to be less than three months old.

US Citizenship

Every applicant, regardless of age, will be required to prove their United States Citizenship. There are a number of documents that can be used to do this. The best ones are what are called “Primary Identification”. One such form of identification is the birth certificate of the child. It could also be a certificate showing that they have become citizens. If none of these items are available, you will need to check the secondary ID requirements to see which of those you can meet.

Birth Certificate

In addition to the identification of the child, evidence should also be presented showing the relationship between the parents or guardian and the child. This could be the birth certificate or a report showing their birth overseas with both parent’s names present. Those that were adopted can easily provide documentation to prove this. If a name has been changed since the document was issued, proof of the legal name change should be given as well. For example, proof of marriage or divorce is considered an acceptable form of proof.

Alternatives

Depending on the location you will be travelling to, it is not always necessary to get a passport issued. If you are only travelling to countries that have a border the United States like Canada, you only need to show a primary form of identification, for example a birth certificate or, for Canadians, a “Canadian Citizenship Card” can be produced.

A kids U.S. passport is a legally required document for travelling outside of the country. Once you have obtained it, it will last for five years before needing to be renewed. Remember to apply for it in plenty of time before your planned trip. There are also expedited damaged U.S. passport renewal services.