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It used to be that a newborn baby was permitted to travel on the passport of one of their parents. Now, however, it is a requirement that every US citizen, including a newborn, have their own individual passport. When travelling within approximately two weeks, parents may apply for an expedited American pass port for newborn. Parents can do this themselves or they may go through a specialized agent.

Requirements

There is a lot more involved in obtaining an infant passport than for an adult. Some requirements include a birth certificate or other proof of American citizenship, parental consent, parental identification, parental Social Security Number and proof of intent to travel. Then you must fill in a form, pay the fee and send a couple of photographs. The reality is somewhat more complicated. It gets worse if one of the parents is absent or uncooperative. There are five child passport levels. These are Expedited, Rush, Priority, Next Day and 24-Hour. The expedited passport takes up to two weeks to process and the passport is mailed directly to that parent(s).

DS-11

The necessary form, DS-11 – Application for a pasport renewal, may be completed online and then printed or it may be downloaded, printed and then completed by hand. Form DS-11 is also available at a passport agency or from an Acceptance Facility. It is important not to sign the form until instructed to do so.

Submission

The application must be submitted in person. The baby must also be present and the passport is valid for five years and may not be renewed.

Photos

Requirements for the two passport photographs are rather stringent. They need to be 2 inches by 2 inches in size with a white or whitish background. The head size has to be between 1 and 1.375 inches with no had or anything else worn on the head. It must be taken no more than six months before the date of the application.

Photo Requirements

The look on the child’s face must be natural. This means there can be no smiling, laughing, screaming or crying. Their mouth must be shut and must not contain a pacifier or anything else. The child should face the camera straight on and looking directly at it. Nothing apart from the infant can be visible in the photo. This includes the parent’s hands, face or arms. There cannot even be a car seat in the picture. It may be easier to pay extra and have this done by a professional photographer.

Citizenship

Parental proof of American citizenship is specifically required. This documentation may take the form of a certified birth certificate, a valid passport, Form FS-240 (Consular Report of Birth), Form DS-1350 (Certification of Report of Birth) or a certificate of naturalization or citizenship.