Parents can sometimes get caught in the trap of thinking that their small child is immune to the law and that they do not have to worry about silly things like passports. If there is an international family trip planned in the near future, that philosophy is going to have to be rethought. However, there is no need to hit the panic button, because an expedited passport for kids is all that is needed.
As with any type of passport, it is important to become familiar with U.S. passport law before acquiring a child passport. First of all, passports are required for any non-government international travel by U.S. citizens. This includes all citizens, even children and infants.
However, children and infants are subject to specific passport law. For example, as of February 1st, 2008, all U.S. citizens under the age of sixteen must obtain written consent from both parents or guardians to obtain a passport. This law is designed to minimize international child custody disputes. The theory behind this law is that if one parent is trying to sneak a minor out of the country, it will be impossible to do so without the other parent finding out.
This means that when a passport for a child is in the process of being obtained, there is actually an extra step that is required in the process. This is important to know because the process is already a bit time consuming. Adding this extra obstacle means that more time should be allotted for the overall process.
The child must have his or her photo taken prior to applying in person at an application center. One-hour photo stores in pharmacies or supermarkets are often then best and least expensive places to obtain passport photos. When pressed for time, these one-hour photo stores are by far the best place to get express passport photos because they can crop the photos to the requisite specifications immediately on site.
Before the application can be submitted, the dual consent form has to be properly filled out and signed by both parents. If the parents are divorced or living in separate cities, this can sometimes cause a problem, especially if expedited service is needed. This is actually the cause at times for the expedited service as it takes both parents so long to get the forms signed.
The normal process of a passport is around two months. If the trip is going to happen inside of that time frame, it is best to pay the $60 to get the expedited service that will have the passport back in about three weeks. If that is still not quick enough, there are other services that are more expensive that will create an even quicker turnaround time.
Most people have a fairly large warning of when they are going to be traveling internationally. It is always recommended that passport acquisition get started the moment that plans are even being made. Otherwise, the fees of getting an expedited children’s passport are surely in your future. If it is an an emergency, there are express U.S. passport services available to help.