Getting your baby a passport is no easy task, especially if your baby is a toddler. You know that you need to get a passport before your baby turns 18th birthday, but you are not sure what to do or how to go about it. No worries, we got you covered. Read more.

Get your Baby a Passport

Getting a child a passport can seem like a daunting task. The process is tricky, and if you are a new parent, you might not know how to go about it. If you want to get the process started, there are several steps you need to take. Here are some of the things you need to consider:

1. Fill out the DS-11 form. Simplifying the process of getting a U.S. passport for your child is a great way to have a little more control over their passport application process. Luckily, the two-page DS-11 form is available, and it can be filled out at any passport acceptance facility. The DS-11 form is a joint effort between the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy, and it serves as an application for a passport for U.S. citizens under the age of sixteen.
2. Get the original birth certificate of your baby and have it reproduced. For many families, getting a baby a U.S. birth certificate is one of the first things they have to do to have the baby enter the country. If you already have a U.S. passport for someone else in the family, you can use that as a base to make a birth certificate for your baby. But if you don’t have a U.S. passport for your baby, you need to get one.
3. Both the parents should be present during your baby’s first passport appointment. It is so important that you and your partner are both in attendance during your baby’s first passport appointment, not just one of you. Having both parents there will establish a strong bond between you and your baby and will help your baby feel more secure in your parents’ care.
4. Both of the parents should present their driver’s license, the original, and the photocopy. To get your baby a passport, both parents must go in one car and bring their driver’s licenses to the local Passport Agency. You need to bring the photocopies of both licenses, front and back, and a set of 2 identical photos, front and back. You should have the same color photocopy of your driver’s license because they have machines that make identical copies of the photocopies once they are fed into it.
5. Bring a photo of your baby. When you take a photo of your baby, it helps to meet the requirements to prove you are the parent, but it also helps to document how old your child is, how big he or she is, and to capture a photo of your baby that would work as a passport photo.
6. Book an appointment with the local post office or passport agency that accepts the application for a passport. You will need to provide the passport office or agency with the paperwork they require to process your baby’s passport.
7. Pay the processing fee. For the passport application to be successful, you will need to pay the application fee with one of the steps in the process.
8. There are only a few options for parents wishing to travel with their newborns with the new regulations in place. You can go to the Passport Office in person and apply in person, or you can go online to apply here. It’s a quick and easy process that is much quicker than the long wait time at the Passport Office.

The best advice we have for anyone who is thinking about getting a passport for their baby is to get one right away! Not only is it a very important document to have in case anything happens, but it’s also the easiest way for you to be the one to decide when your baby wants to travel, so you can make sure he or she is old enough and that you are emotionally ready to go.