Any parent that is going on an international trip and that plans on taking their child should get familiar with passport laws immediately. If you think that just because the child is a newborn or a minor that they can freely pass between borders, you are sadly mistaken. The process itself is almost identical to what an adult has to do, with provisions in place because of the age of the young international traveler.
While it may seem silly to force an infant to carry a passport, there are several practical reasons that make it necessary for all U.S. citizens to carry passports during international travel. First of all, it is a matter of national security and border security. The government needs to know who is entering and leaving a country at a given time. Allowing infants to forego passports would make it easy to sneak in infant illegal immigrants–an action that seems innocuous, but could have serious consequences twenty years down the line.
Something else that not many people probably even think of is human trafficking. If the law about infant passports was not in place, people could easily transport illegal children across the borders for a variety of reasons. This goes for kids coming both in and out of the country.
Applying for an infant passport is rather similar to applying for an adult passport, save a few practical differences. Obviously and infant will not be able to fill out his or her own passport form. A parent will have to fill out the forms, and a parent will have to aid in the passport photo process.
Since an infant cannot sign their own name, mom and or dad are going to have to handle the task for them. It is actually a co-signature that goes on the passport until the child can sign the passport by themselves. When the child is able to sign their own name, the passport can be renewed with their actual signature on the passport.
If a parent needs to sign a passport in place of a child, the parent must print the full name of the child, and then beside the child’s name, they must sign their own name and write their relationship to the child (mother, father, guardian, etc…) in parenthesis next to their own signature. Ideally, the parent traveling with the infant should be the parent to sign the passport. However, this is not necessary, as other laws ensure both parents consent to child passports.
In order for a child younger than sixteen to obtain a passport, the child must receive written consent from both parents or guardians. This is part of new law passed in an attempt to prevent international custody disputes. A child under sixteen must apply for a passport in person, and both parents must sign form DS-11, in person, together, with the child. A child cannot receive a passport without both parents present.
It may have seemed a little silly before reading all of this as to why an infant passport is required, but it should be clear now. Unfortunately, international travel is not always about business or fun. There are a lot of people with ulterior motives that would love to be able to get children in and out of countries with no records being kept. While it can take some time, infant passports are a necessity and always will be.
