Posts Tagged ‘child passport application’

Changes to US Child Passport Application Coming March 1, 2011

Sunday, January 23rd, 2011

US passport applications are getting a make over on the heels of the recent repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell”.  When it comes to passport applications, the State Department is considering more gender-neutral language on passport applications.  Gay rights activists are insisting on further changes to federal policies that they maintain are unfavorable to gay Americans.

Get a Passport Quick in NYCCurrently, passport forms required for first-time passport applicants younger than 16 ask for child’s “Mother” and “Father”.  The State Department was planning to update the forms to ask instead for the names of a child’s “Parent 1″ and “Parent 2.”  Gay rights groups see the “parent” reference as a more gender-neutral reference for same-sex parents.

Gay rights groups are thrilled at the projected changes but feel that the passport application is just one of hundreds of government forms that still need to be changed.

The State Department’s statement about the passport changes states that the passport applications simply reflect “recognition of different types of families.”

Initially, the State Department had announced that children’s passport applications would no longer contain the words “mother” and “father”.  Instead the child passport application would contain the phrases “parent 1″ and “parent 2.”

However, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton intervened and ordered that the terms “mother” and “father” remain on passport forms.

The State Department has confirmed that the passport forms will now ask for the names of the child’s “mother or parent” and “father or parent,” or possibly “mother or parent 1″ and “father or parent 2.”

The new passport forms will be available beginning March 1, 2011.   In the meantime, people can continue using the current passport form as long as they plan to submit the passport application before March 1, 2011.

If you are a US citizen and interested in getting a US passport, contact Rush Passport™. If you need an expedited passport, emergency passport, same day passport, US Passport book, US Passport Card, passport photos or other passport services, be sure to contact Rush Passport™. You can visit us at http://www.rushpassport.com or call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to speak with a Live Passport Agent. (877) 937-7277 (All 50 States) or (212) 643-9305 New York Passport Agency. Rush Passport™ Official US Passport Expeditors, serving Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan, Westchester County, Nassau County & Suffolk County, Long Island, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Miami, Florida.

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Child Passport Renewal: 10 Easy Steps

Monday, November 29th, 2010

10 Easy Steps to Getting a Child Passport Renewal

Child Passport RenewalChild Passport renewal can be confusing.  Rush Passport™, Official US Passport Expeditors Registered with the US Department of State and Foreign Consulates has put forth this guide to getting a child passport renewed.

When it comes to the US Department of State, a minor child is defined as a person who is less than 16 years of age.  Eighteen year olds are treated as adults and are issued adult passports.  (Minors aged 16 or 17 years old adhere to slightly different rules.) 

The rules can get very complicated, so if at anytime you are too confused, just stop reading and immediately call Rush Passport™ (877) 937-7277 (All 50 States) or (212) 643-9305 New York. 

The goal of this article is to make the process of child passport renewal as simple as possible.  To start, the major difference between renewing a child’s passport and renewing an adult’s passport is that the child must appear in front of a passport agent while an adult can renew a passport without being present.  The child applying for the child passport must not only appear in person, but must also appear with both parents.  Both parents must have evidence of parental custody or the child passport application will not be accepted.

Follow these easy steps and your child should receive a passport without a problem.  Make and error and you can kiss your child’s passport goodbye.

Step 1: Get a large envelope or folder ready to collect all of the information that you will need to apply for your child’s passport. 

Step 2: Fill out Form DS-11.  This is the US passport application.  You can either print a blank version or enter the information online and print out the completed child passport application.  You will be required to fill in the child’s name, Social Security number, date of birth, address and parent information.  Do not sign the child passport application!

Step 3: Do not sign the child passport application!  I know that I said that already, but I just want to make sure that you don’t forget…

Step 4: Insert the completed application, proof that you are the child’s parent and the child’s previous US passport that is to be replaced.  The following documents are acceptable as proof as long as they contain both parents’ names: US birth certificate, foreign certified birth certificate, a report of birth abroad, or an adoption decree. If none of these documents are available, then you must produce a court order that states you have custody of your child.

Step 5: Photocopy each parent’s primary identification, such as a valid US driver’s license, U.S. passport, naturalization certificate, current government employee ID or a current military ID.   These documents should be placed inside the passport envelope/folder.  Bring the originals along to show to the passport agent.

Step 6: Get two passport photos of your child. The photos must be less than six months old.  Place the passport photos into the passport envelope/folder.

Step 7: Bring appropriate forms of payment for the passport fees. Acceptable forms of payment vary depending on the passport office, so it is a good idea to confirm the method with a human being before you make the visit.  Write that person’s name on a piece of paper and put that paper inside the passport envelope/folder.  (Remember, don’t sign the child passport application yet.)

Step 9: Together, both parents must bring the child and the passport envelope/folder with all the enclosed documents to Rush Passport™.  In the event that the other parent cannot appear, then that parent must fill out a notarized Form DS-3033, Statement of Consent.  That form must be brought with you..

Step 10: Now it is time to sign Form DS-11 in front of the Passport Agent when instructed, and submit all passport documentation and payments.  As long as you are traveling within 2 weeks, the new child passport will be ready in less than 48 hours.  Depending on the circumstances, passports may be available within 6 hours. 

If you would like to know how to get an first time adult or child US Passport or US Passport Card or if you would like to know about how to renew your US Passport or US Passport Card, visit us at http://www.rushpassport.com or call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to speak with a Live Passport Agent. (877) 937-7277 (All 50 States) or (212) 643-9305 New York Passport Agency. Rush Passport™ Official US Passport Expeditors, serving Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan, Westchester County, Nassau County & Suffolk County, Long Island, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Miami, Florida.

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Child Passport Instructions: How to Get a Child Passport

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

Child PassportGetting your child a passport should be easy – as long as you follow all of the directions. However, getting a child a passport can be a nightmare if you skip any of the necessary steps. First, when planning a family trip abroad, it is important to understand that everyone – including small children and infants need a passport for air travel overseas. When visiting Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and parts of the Caribbean by land or by sea, the rules differ. Children aged 15 years and younger may use a certified copy of their birth certificate in lieu of a passport.

Children aged 16 – 18 years of age planning to travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and parts of the Caribbean by land or sea under adult supervision such as with a school, religious, cultural or athletic group may also present a birth certificate if they do not possess a child passport.

As a parent or legal guardian, do you think that you may apply for a passport on your child’s behalf? The answer is yes, but your child must present at the time of child passport application. What about if your child has a passport already? Does your child need to be present for the child passport renewal? If your child was under the age of 16 years old at the time that the child passport was first issued, then the answer is yes.

Adults do not have to be present for adult passport renewals.

Here is a list of who and what to bring when applying for a child passport:

1. Application form DS-11
2. Two identical, 2×2 inch color passport photos that were taken within the past six months.
3. Proof of your child’s citizenship. (A certified birth certificate is acceptable.)
4. Proof of your relationship to the child. (As long as you are the child’s parent and your name is on your child’s birth certificate, then the child’s certified birth certificate is acceptable.)
5. Proof of parent’s identity. (An adult passport or valid driver’s license is acceptable.)
6. Child passport fees for the passport application process (Child Passport fees are currently $105.)
7. Bring the child. A child passport application will not be processed if the child is not present.
8. Bring both parents. (If both parents cannot make it, then one parent may appear with a notarized statement of consent authorizing issuance the child passport.)

Single parents may apply alone for the child’s passport as long as the parent has proof of sole authority. A judicial declaration of incompetence of non-applying parent or a death certificate of non-applying parent is acceptable.

A third party may apply on behalf of a minor under the age of 16 years old. (The third party must submit a notarized written statement or affidavit from both parents or guardians that authorizes the third party to apply for the child’s passport.
In the event that the child is too young to sign his/her passport, the parent or guardian must print the child’s name on the child passport and sign their own name. The parent should indicate the relationship to the child in parentheses next to the adult’s signature.

If you need an expedited child passport, expedited adult passport, emergency passport, same day passport, US Passport book, US Passport Card, passport photos or other passport services, be sure to contact Rush Passport™. You can visit us at http://www.rushpassport.com or call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to speak with a Live Passport Agent. (877) 937-7277 (All 50 States) or (212) 643-9305 New York Passport Agency. Rush Passport™ Official US Passport Expeditors, serving Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan, Westchester County, Nassau County & Suffolk County, Long Island, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Miami, Florida.

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