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There was a time in the United States when a baby or a small child could travel on the passport of one of their parents, usually the mother. Nowadays, however, even a newborn infant must have a passport of their own. When travel is urgent or imminent, an expedited American passport for newborn may be obtained. Parents may go through the procedure themselves or they may avail themselves of the services of 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

The application form is called a DS-11 (Application for a expedited US passport for newborn). This may be obtained from a passport agency or an acceptance facility. It may be filled in online and then printed or it may be printed out first and then filled in by hand. It is essential that the form not be signed until instructed to.

Submission

An infant passport is valid for five years and cannot be renewed. The application cannot be submitted in the mail, it must be in person. The baby must be present at the time of submission of the application.

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 look on the child’s face must be natural. This means there can be no smiling, laughing, screaming or crying. Their mouth must be shut and must not contain a pacifier or anything else. The child should face the camera straight on and looking directly at it. Nothing apart from the infant can be visible in the photo. This includes the parent’s hands, face or arms. There cannot even be a car seat in the picture. It may be easier to pay extra and have this done by a professional photographer.

Citizenship

Parental proof of American citizenship is specifically required. This documentation may take the form of a certified birth certificate, a valid passport, Form FS-240 (Consular Report of Birth), Form DS-1350 (Certification of Report of Birth) or a certificate of naturalization or citizenship.