Getting a kids 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.
No passport will be issued for a child unless they appear in person when the application is made. Their parents or an authorized representative must accompany them. The application can only be made to an acceptance agent who is located in a post office, county or municipal clerk’s office. All children must have a passport, regardless of age.
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.
Because of some well publicized instances of child abduction by unauthorized parents, a law was passed in 2001 called the two-parent consent law. Under this law, both parents or guardians must sign for a child to receive this document. They both must present proof that they are the actual parents. Under some circumstances, there are other arrangements.
If one parent is applying, they have to present applicable evidence to show that they have legal rights to apply for the passport on the part of the child. There are a number of exceptions to the law that can be applied. At the time of application, the child’s birth certificate must be shown, as well as photo identification of the parent.
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 babies passport application is made. They include the child’s original or certified birth certificate or naturalization papers, the parents’ identification, two pictures taken by the pasports photographer and proof of the parents or legal guardian’s relationship.