Last Minute Passports For Children Expedited Passport For Children
It seems that many people have the misconception that very young children and infants do not need passports. This is simply not true, and this misinformation could result in a child being denied travel at an airport. This type of misinformation often results in parents scrambling to get their child a passport at the last minute. Luckily, the U.S. State Departments provides channels to secure an expedited children passport.
As with any type of passport, it is important to become familiar with U.S. passport law before acquiring a child express American 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 first step for a child at that point, just as it would be for an adult, is to get a valid passport photo taken. Because of the rush, it is probably best to utilize the one-hour photo shops that do passport photos. Let them know specifically that the photo is for an express passport and they make it the proper size.
The dual-parent consent form must also be signed prior to filling out the application. This can be difficult if both parents are not in the same area. This is often the most difficult aspect of obtaining an expedited child passport. However, if both parents are able to sign the consent form, then the child's passport application becomes very much the same as an adult passport application.
A normal passport will take about 6-8 weeks to get back. If the time frame that is left in inside of that window, the parents are going to get stuck paying a fee of $60 to have the passport back within three weeks. There are other services that can be provided at a higher cost if that time frame is still not quick enough.
