Baby's First Passport
It has been decreed by the powers that be (aka The United States Department of State) that now everyone traveling outside the US needs a passport! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that means that your 3-month old child needs a passport if you're taking them over the border to Canada to see Niagara Falls. On the U.S. DoS website, under "Minors under age 14" there is a list of documents needed for all minors under the age of 14, including infants, to get their first passport.
For minors under the age of 15, a passport is valid for 5 years, while for those 15 + it's valid for 10 years. It is a good idea, however, to get Baby's passport renewed every few years if you are the type of family that travels a lot.
Something to remember: First-timers under 14 years of age need to have certain documents, as well as both parents' signatures in order to make their application official and satisfactory. If the child is under the custody of one parent only, then that parent must show notarized proof (such as a court order of custody, including travel) that he/she can sign for the minor without the other parent being present. If that, or any of the forms listed in the "under 14" section of the site, is not available, then the parent will have to fill out a separate form - the DS-3053 which also needs to be notarized.
Another reminder: It is now required to have an appointment with a Passport Agency (if you decide to go that route instead of, say, your local post office or any other public passport acceptance facility). Each one is designated a specific area and being found in Boston, Chicago, Colorado, Connecticut, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington D.C.
So if you want to take your new baby to your family's home somewhere outside the U.S. for the holidays, you better start the passport paperwork now, as it takes approximately six weeks for all the processing to go through.
More to come regarding passports and international travel...
Happy traveling and clear skies!!
Passport Photograph by Kevin Connors - Morguefile.com
Labels: baby, foreign travel, passport, Security, Travel
