How to get a Passport for a Child or Newborn Baby

Are you wondering if your baby needs a passport to travel? The answer is yes. Everyone, including newborns, need a passport to travel beyond the U.S. borders by air. Below are steps explaining how to go about getting a passport for your child or newborn baby.

First I provide an overview of the steps involved in obtaining a passport for your child, then I provide details of each step, and finally, I recap with all the documents that are needed for an appointment to get a passport for your child.

Step 1: Make an appointment to apply for a passport by finding the closest Passport Acceptance Facility and making an appointment to appear in person.

Step 2: Fill out Form DS-11: Application For A U.S. Passport. Do not sign the form until you're instructed to do so at the Passport Acceptance Facility.

Step 3: Gathering all the necessary documents is the most time consuming step. Below is a list of all the things that you will need to bring with you to the appointment.

• Evidence of U.S. Citizenship - You will need to bring one of the following as evidence of your child's citizenship: previously issued, undamaged U.S. Passport; Certified birth certificate; Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certificate of Birth; Naturalization Certificate; or Certificate of Citizenship.
• Evidence of Relationship - You will need to bring one of the following as evidence of your relationship to your child: Your child's certified U.S. birth certificate with both parents' names; your child's certified Foreign Birth Certificate with both parents' names (with an English translation); Your child's Report of Birth Abroad with both parents' names; Adoption Decree with adopting parents' names; Court Order establishing custody; or Court Order establishing guardianship.
• Your Primary Identification - You will need to submit one of the following to verify your identification and one copy of the ID of each parent or guardian: U.S. passport; Naturalization Certificate; Valid Driver's License; Current Government Employee ID (city, state or federal); or Current Military ID (military and dependents).
• Provide Parental Consent - Each parent will need to provide consent for your child to get a passport. This can be done by either both parents appearing at the appointment or by just one parent appearing at the appointment and providing the other parent's notarized Statement of Consent (Form DS-3053). If one parent has the sole custody of the child, the parent with sole custody needs to appear at the appointment and will need to submit primary evidence of sole authority to apply for the child.
• Provide One Passport Photo of your child.
• Passport Fee of $80 for a Passport book and $25 for the Execution fee. Additional fees apply for expedited services.

Step 4: The minor and both parents (or guardians) must appear in person to submit Form DS-11 and all the other documents. See details above if both parents are unable to appear in person.

To recap, in order to obtain a passport for your child, you will need to make an appointment at a Passport Acceptance Facility and bring a filled out DS 11 Form, evidence of your child's United States citizenship, evidence of your relationship to the child, your own ID and a copy of it, parental consent, a passport photo of your child, and the passport fee of $105.