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 US pass port for newborn. Parents can do this themselves or they may go through a specialized agent.
Requirements
Getting a passport for a newborn is not quite as straightforward as obtaining one for an adult. Proof of US citizenship of the baby is required. This is usually a certified copy of their birth certificate. Proof of parental consent is also a requirement. Parents need to complete a form, pay the fee, attach two photographs of the infant and include evidence of travel intent. The procedure is a little more involved if one of the parents is uncooperative or if they are absent altogether. There are five distinct levels of a child passport – Rush, Priority, Next Day, 24-Hour and Expedited. This latter category may take between eight days and two weeks to process. The completed passport is mailed directly to the child’s parent(s).
DS-11
Form DS-11 (Application for a expedited American pass port for newborn), may be obtained from an Acceptance Facility or a passport agency. It is also available online, where it may be completed and then printed or it may be printed out and completed by hand. It is important that the form remain unsigned until instructed by a passport agent.
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 expression on the baby’s face must be ‘natural’. This means they cannot be smiling, crying, laughing or screaming. They have to keep their mouth closed and must not be sucking on a pacifier. Only the baby can be visible in the photo and there must be no parental face, hands or arms. There must not even be a car seat. It may be quicker to engage the services of a commercial photographer with experience in taking passport photos for infants.
Citizenship
Proof of United States citizenship of the parents is also required. This may be a valid passport, certified birth certificate, Consular Report of Birth (Form DS-240), Certification of Report of Birth (Form DS-1350) or a naturalization certificate or a certificate of citizenship.
