One of the biggest hassles of travel is making sure your travel and legal forms are updated and not within the expiring time.  It is a necessary but a complete bore because unless I check with a client about their Travel Visa or passport, there is a chance they won’t be allowed to fly. Your passport must be valid for 6 months prior to your last travel date and some countries require a Visa upon arrival- but no one is there to tell you if you plan the trip yourself.

Getting your child a passport under the age of 16 is called a minor passport. It is only valid for 5 years but is much easier to get. If your child is over one year old, he or she is going to need a passport to travel.  Here are our tips for getting through this stick-in-the-mud process of getting a passport as quick and painless as possible.

Have your forms ready

You will need:

• A completed DS-11 form- This is used for the first time you apply AND if you renew your child’s passport while they are still a minor. A child’s passport is only good for 5 years.
• Birth certificate (Long Form)
• Both parents present at application – if one parent can’t be there – you will need a form DS 3053 that is notarized.
• Parent’s identification
• If you are renewing your child’s passport you must bring the old passport but you CANNOT USE A RENEWAL FORM – you must use the DS 11

Photo

Don’t make this application more complicated than it needs to be, take your baby’s photo at the Post Office instead of somewhere else. The Post Office will take the right sized photo.

Make an Appointment

Make an appointment at your local Post Office. If it’s a busy travel season, there’s a chance there will be a long line of families trying to get their children their first-or new- passport. One time, I spent 4 hours at the Post Office because my mother didn’t come with the necessary documentation already filled out and there was a long line of rushed mothers just like her.

Get it Expedited

A routine passport takes 4-6 weeks to get to you, so you have to plan ahead.  An expedited passport takes about 3 weeks and, if you expedite your passport at a passport agency, it only take 24 hours!!  There is an extra fee you will have to pay for this, but in the end, peace of mind is free.