At What Age Does a Child Need a US Passport? Ages, Fees, and Exceptions

A U.S. citizen child needs their own passport book at any age to fly internationally, including newborns. There is no minimum age. What changes with age is how you apply: children under 16 use one process with stricter parental consent rules and a five-year passport, while 16- and 17-year-olds apply under the adult rules and get a ten-year passport.¹²

No child, at any age, can travel on a parent’s passport. Airlines will not board a child on an international flight without their own document.³

The One Exception: Land and Sea Crossings

The all-ages passport rule applies to air travel. Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, a child under 16 arriving at a U.S. land or sea port of entry from Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean can present an original or copy of their birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or a Certificate of Naturalization instead of a passport.⁴ If you’re flying anywhere internationally, though, your child needs a passport book regardless of destination or age. A passport card doesn’t work for flights.⁵

Applying for a Child Under 16

Every child under 16 applies in person using Form DS-11. There is no mail option for this age group.¹ You submit at a passport acceptance facility, which includes post offices, clerks of court, and public libraries; the State Department’s site lets you search by zip code.⁶

The child must appear in person. Both parents or legal guardians must also appear and sign. You’ll need to bring:

Evidence of the child’s U.S. citizenship: an original or certified U.S. birth certificate showing the registrar’s signature and issuing authority’s seal and filed within one year of birth, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, a Certificate of Citizenship, or an undamaged previous U.S. passport. Photocopies and digital birth certificates are not accepted.
Proof of parental relationship: usually the birth certificate covers this, but if it doesn’t list both parents you may also need an adoption decree, foreign birth certificate, or court order.
Both parents’ photo ID (originals plus a photocopy of the front and back of each).¹

Applying at 16 or 17

At 16, the passport rules shift into adult territory in three ways: the passport is valid for ten years instead of five, the fees are higher, and the consent requirement gets lighter. Applicants aged 16 and 17 still use Form DS-11 and still apply in person, but instead of both parents appearing, the State Department only requires evidence that one parent or legal guardian is aware of the application.²

Parental awareness can be shown in any of these ways:

A parent or guardian appears in person alongside the teen and signs Form DS-11, with a photocopy of that parent’s ID.
The teen submits a signed note from a parent or guardian along with a photocopy of the parent’s ID.
The teen submits a check or money order for the fees with a parent’s or guardian’s name on it.

The 16- or 17-year-old must present their own photo ID at the facility. If they don’t have one, a parent with acceptable photo ID must sign alongside them. An out-of-state ID means bringing a second form of identification.²

When One Parent Can’t Appear for a Child Under 16

The two-parent rule is what trips families up. Showing up with only one parent and no paperwork to explain the other’s absence gets you turned away.

If both parents share custody but one can’t attend, the absent parent completes Form DS-3053, a Statement of Consent, signed in front of a certified notary and submitted with a photocopy of the ID shown to the notary. The present parent brings the completed DS-3053 to the appointment with everything else.¹

You don’t need the other parent’s consent at all if you can document one of these:

A court order granting you sole legal custody or specific permission to obtain the child’s passport
A birth certificate or adoption decree listing only one parent
A certified death certificate for the other parent
A judicial declaration of incompetence for the other parent¹

When the other parent is unreachable or uncooperative and none of those apply, Form DS-5525 (Statement of Exigent/Special Family Circumstances) may help. It asks you to explain why two-parent consent is impossible and to detail your attempts to contact the other parent by phone, mail, email, social media, and through relatives. Filing it does not guarantee the passport will be issued; the State Department reviews each case individually.⁷

Fees by Age

Every in-person application carries two charges: the application fee paid to the State Department and a $35 facility acceptance fee paid to the office processing the application.⁸

For children under 16:

Passport book: $100 application fee + $35 facility fee = $135 total
Passport card: $15 application fee + $35 facility fee = $50 total
Both book and card: $115 application fee + $35 facility fee = $150 total

For applicants 16 and 17, adult fees apply:

Passport book: $130 application fee + $35 facility fee = $165 total
Passport card: $30 application fee + $35 facility fee = $65 total
Both book and card: $160 application fee + $35 facility fee = $195 total⁸

Expedited service adds $60 on top of these amounts.⁸

Validity and Reapplying

A passport issued to a child under 16 is valid for five years. A passport issued at 16 or 17 is valid for ten years, the standard adult period.⁹

Children’s passports cannot be renewed by mail. When one expires, you repeat the full in-person DS-11 process: child present, parents present, fresh documents, new photo, full fees.¹ The shorter validity exists because children’s appearances change quickly and an old photo stops working for identification. With young kids, check the expiration date well before booking any trip.

How Long the Process Takes

As of early 2026, routine processing takes 4 to 6 weeks and expedited processing takes 2 to 3 weeks. Those windows cover only the time the application sits at a passport agency. The State Department estimates it can take up to two weeks for the application to reach them and another two weeks for the finished passport to arrive by mail.¹ A routine application can realistically run 8 to 10 weeks from the day you walk into the post office.

If travel is imminent, urgent travel service is available at regional passport agencies for travelers departing within 14 calendar days, or 28 days if a foreign visa is needed. Appointments are required, walk-ins are not accepted, and the State Department cannot guarantee an available slot.¹⁰ For a child’s first passport especially, the safest move is to apply as soon as you know a trip is coming.

1
U.S. Department of State. Apply for a Child’s Passport Under 16
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U.S. Department of State. Apply for Your Passport as a 16-17 Year Old
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USAGov. Travel Documents for Children
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Children – Child Traveling With a Group
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U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passports and REAL ID
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U.S. Department of State. Where to Apply for a U.S. Passport
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U.S. Department of State. Statement of Exigent/Special Family Circumstances for Issuance of a U.S. Passport to a Child Under Age 16 – Form DS-5525
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U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
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U.S. Department of State. Frequently Asked Questions About Passport Services
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U.S. Department of State. How to Get My U.S. Passport Fast