Children applying for a passport must visit a Passport Acceptance Facility accompanied by parents or legal guardians. Children without an adult present will not be permitted to apply for a passport. Children will need to fill out the Passport Application Form DS-11 and submit the required documents for themselves and their parents to the Passport Acceptance Facility.
Children applying for a passport must bring with them proof of residence in the form of a birth certificate, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, Naturalization Certificate or Certificate of Citizenship. Parents must provide proof of relationship in the form of a child's birth certificate, Report of Birth Abroad, foreign birth certificate, adoption decree or court order specifying guardianship that shows the parents' names as well as proof of identity. Identity can be proved by a driver's license, military or government ID, U.S. passport or Naturalization Certificate.
Children may apply for a U.S. Passport Card in lieu of a passport booklet for travel to Mexico, so long as they are entering and exiting Mexico via cruise port or land. Passport cards are not acceptable for air travel into Mexico. The passport card requires the same application process as the passport booklet.
The fees for passports and passport cards are less expensive for minors than for adults. The fee for a passport book for a child under age 16 is $85. A passport card for a minor child is $35. Passport books can be expedited, meaning that you will receive them in the mail faster than you would without opting to expedite.
Children's passports and passport cards are handled and delivered on the same schedule as those for adults. The standard time frame for receiving a passport or passport card by mail is six to eight weeks. For those who choose to expedite their passports, the wait time for receipt is reduced to two to three weeks.
