Passports for Children 15 and Younger

How do I get a passport for my US citizen child/children who is/are 15 and younger?

     You can either fill out a paper copy of your child’s passport by hand, or you can enter the information online, print it (single sided, not double-sided), and bring it with you to the appointment.  To print a blank copy of the passport application form you need to complete, click here.  The passport application must be filled out in English.  However, if you need some help understanding what it says, click here to see a Spanish video explaining how to fill out the form.  For printed versions of this form, you may pick one up at the USPS office during office hours or at the CRCKY office on Fridays between 10:00 am and noon.

How much will the passport cost?

There are several things to pay for, each of them to be paid for separately:

1. The first fee for is the U.S. Department of State fee, which is $100.  U.S. Department of State fees must be paid by check (personal, certified, cashiers, travelers) or money order (U.S. postal, international, currency exchange) with the child’s full name and date of birth printed on the front and payable to "U.S. Department of State".

2. The second fee is a $35 “execution fee” for the USPS (post office), which must be paid separately.  Cash, check, credit card, or debit card can be used to pay the execution fee and passport photo fee. 

3. $15 for a passport photo, if you make it at the USPS location.

How do I make an appointment to get a passport?

​

• To make an appointment to get a passport at your local USPS office, click here:=

https://tools.usps.com/rcas.htm

• This online appointment tool, which used to be available in Spanish, is now available in English only.

How do I prepare for the passport appointment?

​

• If you have an appointment online, please make sure to bring the following with you:

  • Your child’s birth certificate

  • Government issued photo ID for each of the parents, preferably an up to date passport page, work permit, or matricular ID.  Both parents must come to the appointment, and each one must have their own government issued photo ID.

  • The post office will be able to take a passport photo for you, but it costs $15.

Who needs to be at the passport appointment?

​

• Only the child and the parent(s) listed on the child’s birth certificate need to show up at for the passport appointment.  If only one parent is listed on the birth certificate, only that parent needs to go to the appointment.  If both parents are on the birth certificate, both parents must come to the appointment.  Each of them must bring their own government issued photo ID.

• If both parents live in Kentucky but only one can go to the appointment in person, the other parent must bring a completed, notarized form ds-3053.  This gives permission for the parent who can be at the appointment to get the passport, even though the other parent is not there.  If you need to have this form notarized but cannot afford to pay for a notary contact CRCKY for help: one of our office notaries can do it for you.  Notarizations are by appointment only; walk-ins will not be seen.

• If you would like to obtain a passport for your child but the other parent is on the child’s birth certificate and they are unable to be there because of special circumstances, contact CRCKY.  There is a form we can help you fill out, form ds-5525, which explains why the other parent is not there.  Examples of special circumstances include: the other parent is dead, the other parent has left the state or the country and you have no way of contacting them, or the court gave you single custody of the child.

Important tips:

• On top of the first page of the application, check that you only want a “U.S. Passport book”.  A U.S. passport card cannot be used to travel internationally, there is little point in asking for one unless you want a passport just to travel within the U.S.

• Whatever identification documents you attach (for example, birth certificate, passport page,  matricular ID), make sure the application spells your name and your child/children’s the exact same way your other documents spell it.  For example, if your last name is “Martinez Reverez”, but your documentation says it is “Martinez-Reverez”, spell your name with a dash on the passport application.  You can always change the way your name is spelled later, but right now having names spelled differently on the application may result in it getting rejected.

• Page 2 of the application asks for the parents’  information on question #10 .  It does not matter if you list the mother or the father first.

• Page 2 of the application also asks for the parents’ city and country of birth on questions #10.  This can be confusing if you are used to saying the region, state, or county you are in.  The U.S. government only wants to know the name of the city they were born in and the country: please make sure that is all you include here.

• Question #11 asks if you have ever been married.  This question is meant for the passport applicant, the child, so the answer is "No".

• The application asks for two addresses.  On the first page, #8 asks you for your “mailing address”.  Remember that the government will have this address in its records, so make sure the address you list here is one you are comfortable sharing.  This could be your home address or that of an organization or person you trust, who has agreed to receive mail for you.   Make sure the address you write here is one that is stable: you may not get the passport for several months and you don't want it sent to an address you no longer have access to.

• On page 2, question #19 asks you for your “permanent address”.  You may leave the “permanent address” blank.

• If you do not have travel plans, you can leave #18, the section that asks about your travel plans, blank.

• On page 2,  #20 asks for an emergency contact.  This would be the person the government contacts if there is ever an emergency when the child is traveling.

• Unless you are renewing an old passport, there is no need to write anything in question #21: you can leave it blank.