Passport for a 16 Year Old: Documents, Fees, and Timing

A 16-year-old getting a U.S. passport applies as an adult, not as a child, which means an in-person appointment using Form DS-11, one parent’s awareness rather than both parents’ consent, and $165 in fees for a passport book that stays valid for ten years. Getting a passport for a 16 year old is close to the standard adult process, with one meaningful difference: proof that a legal parent or guardian knows the application is being submitted.

What Changes at 16

The State Department treats applicants 16 and older as adults for passport purposes. The book is valid for ten years from the date of issue, compared with five years for passports issued to children under 16.¹ A passport issued at 16 carries you to 26.

Every 16 and 17-year-old first-time applicant must apply in person at a passport acceptance facility using Form DS-11. There’s no mail-in option at this age, even if a parent previously held one for you.²

Parental Awareness, Not Full Consent

Under 16, both parents generally have to appear in person or provide notarized consent. At 16 and 17, that requirement eases: you only need to show that at least one legal parent or guardian is aware you’re applying. The State Department accepts any of the following:²

A legal parent or guardian comes to the appointment, signs Form DS-11 alongside you, and provides a photocopy of their ID.
You bring a signed note from a parent or guardian confirming they know you’re applying, along with a photocopy of their ID.
You submit a check or money order for the fees that bears a parent’s or guardian’s name.

If the acceptance agent isn’t satisfied that parental awareness has been shown, they can ask for a notarized statement on Form DS-3053, along with a photocopy of the parent’s ID.³ Showing up alone with no signed note, no parent-named check, and no accompanying parent is the fastest way to walk out without an application submitted.

Documents to Bring

Form DS-11

Download DS-11 from the State Department website or pick one up at the facility. Complete it in black ink, but do not sign it. You sign in front of the acceptance agent at the appointment.⁴ The form asks for your Social Security number, place of birth, and both parents’ full names; that parental information is required regardless of your family situation.

Proof of U.S. Citizenship

Bring an original or certified copy of one of the following: a U.S. birth certificate, an undamaged previous U.S. passport, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or a Certificate of Citizenship or Naturalization.⁵

A birth certificate has to list your full name, date of birth, place of birth, and both parents’ full names. It must carry the registrar’s signature, a filing date within one year of your birth, and the seal or stamp of the issuing city, county, or state. Hospital souvenir certificates don’t count; you need the official version from the state vital records office.

Bring a single-sided photocopy of your citizenship document. The photocopy stays with the application, and the original is returned separately by mail after processing.

Photo Identification

You need one photo ID. For most 16-year-olds, that’s a driver’s license or learner’s permit. A government employee ID, military dependent ID, valid foreign passport, or previous U.S. passport also works.⁶ If you use a learner’s permit or a non-driver state ID, the agent may ask for a second form of ID. Bring a photocopy of the front and back.

Passport Photo

One recent color photo, exactly 2 inches by 2 inches, taken within the past six months. The image of your head, from top of head to bottom of chin, must fall between 1 inch and 1⅜ inches. Plain white background, face centered and forward.⁷ Eyeglasses are not allowed, absent a signed medical statement. Headwear is not allowed unless worn for religious reasons, with a signed statement to that effect. Post offices, pharmacies, and shipping stores usually take passport photos for $8 to $18.

Fees

The total for a first-time adult passport book is $165, split into two payments:⁸

A $130 application fee, paid to the U.S. Department of State.
A $35 execution fee, paid to the acceptance facility.

For the application fee, the State Department accepts personal checks, certified checks, cashier’s checks, traveler’s checks, and money orders made out to “U.S. Department of State.” Write the applicant’s name and date of birth in the memo line. Most acceptance facilities don’t take credit cards for the application fee. The execution fee goes to the facility, and accepted payment methods vary by location, so confirm before you go.⁹

Applying for a passport card at the same time brings the total to $195 ($160 application fee plus the $35 execution fee). A passport card by itself costs $65.

Book or Card

The passport card is a wallet-sized ID that works for land and sea travel between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, and it counts as REAL ID for domestic flights. It cannot be used for international air travel.¹⁰ For most 16-year-olds, the book is the right choice because it covers all international travel. Adding the card to a book application costs an extra $30 and can be worth it if you cross a land border often.

The Appointment

Passport acceptance facilities are usually post offices, public libraries, or county clerk offices. Find one through the State Department’s online locator or, for USPS locations, the postal service’s appointment scheduler. Most facilities require appointments, and slots fill up quickly in spring and summer.²

At the appointment, the acceptance agent watches you sign Form DS-11, verifies your documents, administers an oath, and collects the fees. Everything goes to a passport processing center. Your original citizenship document comes back by mail, in a separate envelope from the new passport.¹¹ You can track the application online, though it takes up to two weeks after you apply for the status to show as “In Process.”¹²

How Long It Takes

Routine processing currently runs 4 to 6 weeks. Expedited processing runs 2 to 3 weeks and costs an additional $60 on top of the standard fees.¹³ For an extra $22.05, you can add 1-to-3-day return delivery of the finished passport.¹⁴

If you have international travel within 14 calendar days, you can book an appointment at a regional passport agency, which processes applications directly. You’ll need proof of the upcoming trip, such as a flight itinerary.¹⁵ For life-or-death emergencies involving an immediate family member, the State Department can issue a passport in as few as three business days with documentation of the emergency and proof of imminent travel.

Published times are estimates, and real-world timelines can stretch during peak periods. Build in a cushion, or pay the $60 to expedite.

If You Don’t Have a Birth Certificate

If you can’t get a certified birth certificate from the state where you were born, request a Letter of No Record from that state’s vital records office and submit it with secondary evidence: at least two early public documents, or one early public document plus a sworn birth affidavit on Form DS-10.⁵ Early documents are records created in your first few years, such as a baptism certificate, hospital birth record, early school records, or a census record listing your birthplace. Each needs to show your full name, date of birth, and place of birth. Start collecting these well before your appointment.

If a Previous Passport Was Lost or Stolen

If you already had a passport that’s now missing, report it to the State Department using Form DS-64, online, by phone at 1-877-487-2778, or by mail. Once reported, that passport is permanently invalidated and cannot be used even if found later.¹⁶ After reporting the loss, apply for a new passport in person with DS-11 and pay the full set of fees again, including new citizenship evidence, photo ID, and a fresh photo.

1
USAGov. Get a Passport for a Minor Under 18
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U.S. Department of State. Apply for Your Passport as a 16-17 Year Old
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U.S. Department of State. Statement of Consent – U.S. Passport Issuance to a Child
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U.S. Department of State. Application for a U.S. Passport
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U.S. Department of State. Get Citizenship Evidence for a U.S. Passport
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U.S. Department of State. Get Photo ID for a U.S. Passport
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U.S. Department of State. 8 FAM 402.1 – Passport Photographs
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U.S. Department of State. United States Passport Fees for Acceptance Facilities
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U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
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U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passports and REAL ID
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U.S. Department of State. After You Get Your New Passport
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U.S. Department of State. Checking Your Passport Application Status
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U.S. Department of State. Processing Times for U.S. Passports
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U.S. Department of State. How to Get my U.S. Passport Fast
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U.S. Department of State. Make an Appointment at a Passport Agency
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USAGov. Lost or Stolen Passports