Passport Minor Applicants

Passports for applicants age 15 or younger are valid for five years. Minor applicants and the parents listed on their birth certificate must appear in person to apply.

Applicants aged 16 and 17 years old are regarded as adult applicants.

How to Apply

1. Be Prepared for Your Visit

   The parents listed on the minor's birth certificate, as well as the child applicant, must all be present to apply for a U.S. passport. 

   Please bring the following:

   • Check or Money Order
   • The Minor’s Birth Certificate (parents listed on the birth certificate must be present; exceptions listed in Step 4 below)
   • Proof of U.S. Citizenship 
   • Proof of Identity for Parents
   • Name change documentation (if name has changed)
   • Form DS-11
     • Note: If bringing a printed DS-11, please ensure the application is fitted to the page so that the edges of the form are not cut off. We recommend having margins set to default on the printer pop up menu.
   • Photo (we can also take and print photos at our facility)

    

   Please see our Plan Your Visit page for more information.

   For your convenience, we can make photocopies of documents at no extra cost.

2. Decide What Passport the Minor Needs

   Apply for a passport book, passport card, or both. The passport book and passport card are both U.S. passports. They are proof of your U.S. citizenship and identity.

   (A) A passport book can be used for international travel by land, sea or air. The vast majority of applicants choose the book. You can also choose how many pages the book has—between 26 (standard) and 50 (large) with no difference in price

   (B) A passport card cannot be used for international air travel. The passport card can only be used for entering the United States at land border crossings and seaports from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.

   (C) You can also apply for both products with the same application. 

3. Prove the Minor’s U.S. Citizenship

   Bring one of the following documents:

   A) U.S. Birth Certificate that meets the following requirements*:

   • Issued by the city, county, or state of birth
   • List applicant’s full name, date of birth, and place of birth
   • List parent(s)’ full names
   • Has the signature of the city, county, or state registrar
   • Has the date filed with the registrar’s office
   • Has the seal of issuing authority

   B) Undamaged U.S. passport, even if expired

   C) Certificate of Naturalization

   D) Certificate of Citizenship

   E) Birth Certificate Abroad

   Examples of what is NOT acceptable: photocopies, social security cards, birth announcements from churches or hospitals.

   Born in Texas or California?

   Short (abstract) versions of Texas birth certificates that are missing the capital letter "I" after the date filed will not be acceptable for passport purposes. Abstracts from California are not accepted by the U.S. Department of State.

   Born in Puerto Rico?

   Certified birth certificates from Puerto Rico that meet all of the aforementioned requirements are only acceptable if they have been issued after June 2010.

4. Prove Parent-Child Relationship

   To prove parent-child relationship, a parent/guardian must:

   1. Bring one of the following for evidence of child’s relationship to the parent/guardian(s):

   • Certified US birth certificate including parent(s)' names
   • Adoption decree including adopting parent(s)' names
   • Court order establishing custody
   • Foreign birth certificate including both parent(s)' names with official English translation
   • If a parent is deceased, please provide a death certificate

   This parent-child relationship document is still needed even if a minor has been issued a U.S. Passport.

   2. Provide parents’ valid government-issued ID.

   The most common IDs are driver’s licenses or passports.

    3.  If a parent is not able to appear in person, they can complete a Form DS-3053 (also called a Statement of Consent), have it notarized, and submit a photocopy of the front and back of the ID they used with the notary.  The parent who does appear with the minor will need to bring this documentation from the non-applying parent, along with their own ID.  Minor applicants with just one parent listed on the birth certificate can apply with just that one parent present.

    

5. Complete the Correct Form

   For each applicant, you must complete a passport application, form DS-11, for both first time and renewal in-person applicants. We have provided a fillable version of this form. To save your edits, we advise printing and then selecting “Save as PDF” to have an electronic backup of this form. The only application our office can process is the form DS-11. 

   Note: On box 8, mailing address line 2, after the phrase “C/O” [Care Of], please write the first and last name of a parent who is living at this address.

   Please print out the DS-11 and make sure the form is on two separate pages –not front and back—and that it is completed in black ink. The size of the form must fit the standard size of 8 ½ x 11 inches.

6. Provide a Photo (Printed on Photo Paper)

   This can be done in one of two ways:

   • Applicant provides their own photo, printed on photo paper, that meets all the requirements found here.
   • Use our photo services for a fee during your visit.

   Since the top reason applications are delayed is due to poor quality photos, we recommend having your photo taken at our facility.

   Note: We do not accept digital photos and cannot print them out.

7. Pay Passport Fee With Check or Money Order

   The passport fee must be in the form of a check or money order and made out to the “U.S. Department of State”. Also, please write the first and last name of each applicant, as well as their date of birth, on the front of the check or money order. Do not write anything on the back of the payment.

   Fees per minor applicant:

   • $100 for Passport Book
   • $15 for Passport Card
   • Routine processing time is currently 4-6 weeks.
   • You can choose expedited processing, and receive the passport in 2-3 weeks, by paying an additional $60 per applicant (which can be included on the check or money order).

   Return Shipping

   For Passport Books only, you can purchase 1-2 day return shipping for an additional $21.36 per applicant that can be included in the check or money order used to pay the passport fee.

   Money Orders

   The closest place to buy a money order is CVS at 2402 Guadalupe Street, Austin, TX 78705. It's a five-minute walk from our office and they will charge a small fee for this service. You will need cash to purchase a money order there, but they have an ATM machine in the store. We strongly recommend leaving the money order blank until you arrive at our office.

8. Pay Facility Fees With a Debit or Credit Card

   All acceptance facilities are required to charge a $35 execution fee per application. This is separate from the passport fee and does not need to be in check form. We accept a debit or credit card to pay this fee.

   If you are applying for both a passport book and card, you will only need to pay one execution fee of $35.

   Our office charges $17 to take and print two passport photos. One is attached to the application, the other the customer can keep. This can also be paid using a debit or credit card.

   Outbound Shipping:

   Our office also offers 1-2 day outbound priority mail express shipping from our facility which can be paid with debit or credit card. This price will be at least $37.94 but mail prices can vary daily.

   Note: Adding the Return and Outbound Shipping fees only reduces shipping times. Processing speeds will still remain at 2-3 weeks (expedited) or 4-6 weeks (routine).