Does a minor need a U.S. passport to travel abroad?
Every person who is traveling overseas must have a passport regardless of their age. For passport purposes, minors are children under the age of 16, and special requirements are required to obtaining their passports:
- A minor must have parental consent to apply for a child’s passport. Both parents must either appear in person with the minor or submit a notarized parental consent form. If a minor has only one parent or legal guardian, proper proof that the parent or guardian has sole authority to consent must be provided.
- Parents may enroll minors in the Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program. Designed to prevent international abductions, the program will alert the parents if a passport application is submitted for a minor to verify whether consent has been given.
- If a child is too young to sign their passport book, a parent may do it for them. The parent is required to print the child’s name, sign their own name, and write their relationship to the child.
- Minors are required to comply with all other requirements for a passport including evidence of U.S. citizenship, photo identification (the parent’s alone is acceptable if the child is too young to have an ID), passport photo, regular application forms, and applicable fees.
