There are some parts of traveling that can feel very overwhelming, especially when you include all of the planning and logistics that need to happen leading up to a trip. I had been putting off getting passports for our kids because once you get them, they are only good for 5 years (versus 10 years for adults) and they are not cheap. It never made sense to do it until we had a set trip planned. Finally at the end of last year we had to bite the bullet as we were planning our first trip outside of the country for early 2024 and wanted to ensure we allowed enough time for processing. At the time, processing times were 12-16 weeks although they seem to have shortened since then. Additionally, there were a couple of things that caught us by surprise even though, once I thought it through, they make perfect sense.
Those two things are:
- You must go in person to apply
- Both parents (if listed on the birth certificate) must be present in person
I had planned to apply for the kids passports just like I did my own – get photos taken at Walgreens, fill out and print the applications and mail them off with the appropriate documents. But while I was trying to find instructions on how to mail them in, I realized my only option was to schedule an in person appointment. And that’s when I realized this needs to be done in person, and that my husband also needed to attend. Was it inconvenient to get all 5 of us in the same place at 3pm on a Thursday between everyones work and school schedules? Yes, it absolutely was. But does it make sense to me that, in order to get a legal document authorizing my child to leave the country, this needs to happen in person with the consent of both parents? 1000% yes.
The state department does a really good job of laying out exactly what you need to complete this process and this website right here should be your Bible when applying for a passport: Applying for a Passport for a Child Under age 16. I would recommend first making your in person appointment because, at least here in Arizona, the first available appointment for 3 kids was 6 weeks out. Perhaps it would have been sooner with only 1 or 2 kids?
Once you have the appointment set, read through the above linked site several times as you’ll need to be very detail oriented to ensure you don’t forget anything. Our children are all US citizens and we are both listed on the birth certificate so our situation was fairly straight forward. Here’s what we brought to our appointment in Arizona (but again, please refer to the link above to confirm what you’ll need for your specific situation):
- Our photo ID’s
- Application for each child (typed, not handwritten if possible to prevent errors)
- birth certificate for each child PLUS a copy of each birth certificate for each child (yes, you need to send in their original birth certificate and a copy. They will mail the original back to you, but it will be sent separate from the passport)
- passport photos for each child (got ours at Walgreens)
- A separate check for each child’s passport fee – this will be mailed in with their application – PLUS $ (a credit or debit card) for the processing fees which are charged day of appointment)
Despite being ultra prepared with paperwork, we did have one hiccup in that during our appointment. The woman who helped us thought that 2 of our 3 kids’ passport photos would be rejected. So she recommended that we drive back to the place we had gotten them taken (like 2 months before, mind you) and have them redone. So my husband went back to work and I traipsed all three kids back to Walgreens, had the photos redone, and then went all the way back to the passport office with all three kids in tow. As a side note, keep your receipt because Walgreens redid them at no cost to me.
She mailed everything off, handed me a receipt and told me how to track the progress, and sent us on our way. It was roughly 4 weeks from our appointment date to the day I received all the passports in the mail, which was a very quick turnaround. While we did not pay for expedited service, you can certainly do that if you have a trip rapidly approaching. I also would not assume that 4 weeks is the norm and would allow for extra time (6-12 weeks) just in case.
Overall, the process of obtaining passports for a child (or three) though initially overwhelming, was a fairly easy process that I’m sure we will appreciate even more as we explore Costa Rica in a couple of months! And now, with passports in hand, our family of five is now ready to embark on more exciting global adventures in the future. In fact, we are already starting to plan 2 big international trips for 2025. Hope you can join us for the journey!