The U.S. Department of State bars passport renewal for children under age 16 and requires a fresh application for each passport. The rule applies even when a child already has an expired passport.
The child generally must appear in person when the family submits the application. The agency directs families to use Form DS-11, not the adult renewal form DS-82.
A child’s passport is valid for 5 years. A child with a valid passport may still travel abroad, subject to the entry and exit rules that apply at the destination.
The Department’s child-passport instructions describe attendance as required each time. Federal regulations allow a senior passport authorizing officer to excuse a child’s appearance under specific departmental guidance.
Federal rules set a separate threshold for mail renewals
Free toolU.S. Passport Photo RequirementsUnder 22 CFR § 51.28(a), both parents or each legal guardian must execute the application and provide evidence of parentage or guardianship. The records must show the child’s name, date and place of birth, and the parent or guardian names.
The rule also allows a senior passport authorizing officer to excuse a minor’s attendance. If that happens, the adult applying for the child must appear and verify the application under oath or affirmation before someone authorized to administer oaths.
A separate regulation, 22 CFR § 51.21, sets the mail-renewal standard. It requires the prior passport to have been issued when the applicant was 16 years of age or older and to meet the regulation’s validity and issuance-history conditions, including a 10-year validity period within 15 years of the new application.
The 2026 charges depend on the document selected
The State Department’s listed child-passport charges divide between the application fee and the acceptance fee collected at the submission office.
| Document | Application fee | Acceptance fee | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passport book | $100 | $35 | $135 |
| Passport card | $15 | $35 | $50 |
| Book and card | $115 | $35 | $150 |
Expedited service adds $60 to the listed charge.
Parents must document consent when they cannot both attend
Both parents or legal guardians generally take part in the application. When one cannot attend, the other must supply additional records or consent, under 22 CFR § 51.28(a)(3).
One parent may submit a written statement or affidavit from the other parent agreeing to issuance. The signature must be made before a notary public or, when the Department authorizes it, a passport specialist at a public passport agency or center counter.
Records that can establish one parent’s sole authority include:
- A birth certificate naming only the applying parent, a death certificate for the other parent, or an adoption decree naming only the applying parent.
- A court order granting sole legal custody without travel restrictions that conflict with passport issuance, or specifically authorizing the applying parent to obtain a passport or travel with the child.
- A court order ending the other parent’s parental rights or declaring that parent incompetent.
A joint-custody order, or one requiring both parents’ or a court’s approval for important decisions, may require that permission. The regulation allows issuance when compelling humanitarian or emergency reasons relate to the child’s welfare.
A person acting in loco parentis may apply with written authorization from all parents or each legal guardian. That authorization must specifically permit the application and be signed before a notary or authorized passport specialist.
When a parent is outside the United States while the child applies domestically, the Department requires Form DS-3053. In some countries, a local notary cannot notarize the form, and the parent must use the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.
The application requires physical citizenship evidence and a child photo
Families must complete and print the DS-11 but leave it unsigned until an acceptance agent gives instructions. The child must attend an authorized facility.
The supporting packet includes physical proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a U.S. birth certificate, Consular Report of Birth Abroad, naturalization certificate or previously issued U.S. passport that had full validity. The State Department says, “We do not accept digital proof of U.S. citizenship.”
Parents or guardians also need evidence of their relationship to the child, physical photo identification and required photocopies. The application requires a passport-compliant photo of the child. If the child’s appearance has changed significantly since the previous application, the office may require photos showing the child’s progression.
U.S. posts handle applications abroad, with emergency options at Santo Domingo
In Canada, families must submit a new application at a U.S. embassy or consulate, under the Department’s Canada passport instructions.
At the U.S. Embassy Santo Domingo, children use DS-11 and usually appear at the embassy or the U.S. Consular Agency in Puerto Plata. Both parents or guardians generally attend together or provide the required consent or custody documents. Each should bring valid identification and proof of relationship, commonly a birth certificate. A Consular Report of Birth Abroad does not establish legal parentage or custody.
Applicants aged 16 and 17 follow different steps. They can sign their own applications, but at least one parent must also sign; parental awareness or consent may still be required.
At the Santo Domingo post, a child whose passport has expired and whose travel is within the next two weeks may qualify for an emergency passport. The family must book the first available passport appointment and follow the embassy’s instructions.
Processing estimates exclude mailing time
The State Department estimates routine processing at four to six weeks and expedited processing at two to three weeks. Those estimates do not include mailing delays, so families planning travel should account for both processing and delivery.
The Department also offers the free Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program. It alerts a parent or legal guardian when someone applies for a U.S. passport for their child.
