Obtaining A Passport For A Minor (U.S. Citizen)
February 24, 2011 16 Comments
Do babies and toddlers need a passport? Any United States citizen, no matter what age, traveling outside of the United States requires a passport to enter or leave foreign countries (at time of publishing, a birth certificate alone will suffice so long as you are traveling by land or sea from a contiguous territory i.e. driving to Canada or taking a cruise through the Caribbean. (See details here).
Applying for a passport for a child can seem rather complicated; although as long as you are organized about it, the process will go smoothly–and its very rewarding. There’s a thrill in doing so, looking forward to the wonderful adventures to come. Beyond the obvious benefits of obtaining a passport for your child, seeing the physical passport with your son or daughter’s cute face inside will melt your heart.
Below is a step by step description of everything that you will need to do. I went through the process immediately after my son’s birth, as we were traveling internationally before his 2nd month. I had to expedite service on both the birth certificate and passport. We obtained a passport in time without a hitch. Here is how:
