Getting the Baby Passport

Being the new parents of an amazing little girl, we knew that she would not get too far into this life before she needed a passport.  Just as soon as we received her social security card and official copies of her birth certificate, we began looking up information.

The State Department has good information, not to mention the official forms that need to be completed.

The Photo

As parents before us have noticed, it is amazingly difficult to get a baby to get in the right position to please the passport office, let alone keep said child still for long enough to snap the photo.  Here’s a few things needed in the requirements:

• Baby needs to not have on a hat
• Baby needs to be on a white background
• baby needs to be looking straight ahead, chin not tucked, nor mouth open.
• shadow does not need to fall across baby’s face and shadows shouldn’t be present on your white background.

And that doesn’t even talk about the proportions of head, should, etc.  Thank God we found a website that generates passport photos in the correct proportions.

Thankfully, one of the gifts we gave ourselves prior to our daughter’s arrival was a nice digital SLR.  After about team minutes of nearly constant shooting–and a flash diffuser cube–we got a photo we thought would work.  We uploaded the baby’s photo, positioned it within the guidelines the web app provides and it generated 5 pics of the baby on a 4 X 6 sheet.  You will need 2 pics for the passport application.

Documents

1. As mentioned earlier, you must download the correct forms.  They are not that complicated, but I really think to be a web designer for the government, you must take a class for how to make website NOT user friendly.
2. You will need your child’s Social Security Number to apply for passport
3. You will also need official copies of your child’s birth certificate.  Official is defined differently by people.  But for the Department of State, it means, “A certified birth certificate has a registrar’s raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored seal, registrar’s signature, and the date the certificate was filed with the registrar’s office, which must be within 1 year of your birth. Some short (abstract) versions of birth certificates may not be acceptable for passport purposes.”  Every state has a different procurement process for birth certificates.  Many allow you to order online.  Those that do not, some have you go to the county health department while others have specific offices.  We went ahead a picked up 5 copies of our child’s birth certificate for future use.
4. You will also need to verify that you are the parents of child you are applying for.  Both parents need to have name on birth certificate.
5. While you are at it, make sure you bring your own I.D. with you.  Passports will do fine.  Bring photocopy of the photo page with you.

Applying

Once photo is done and documents are in order, its time to head to the appropriate facility, most of the time your local post office.  Both parents need to be present with your baby.  And you need to make sure you have your i.d. as well as all the forms for the baby.  If both parents cannot be present, there is a process of having a notarized document verify absence parent gives permission, but it is easier for both to be present.  This is all due to an international treaty on child abduction.

Our experience was not bad.  We went to the post office in the middle of the week.  We took the baby and a good attitude.  It took about an hour.  Then again, my wife was renewing her passport, as well.

*Note: if one parent or grandparent takes child out of country, its always smart to have a notarized letter detailing that adult traveling with minor has permission.

Cost

As long as you don’t need your passport too quickly, it costs $85: $60 for the passport and $25 for the processing (two separate fees, by the way.  So carry two checks or enough cash).  If you need expedited service, it will cost you more.

How long will it take?

Passport services reports four weeks for processing.  It did not take us that long.

How long is the passport valid?

Adult passports are good for 10 years.  Passports for babies are valid for five years.