What is the procedure for renewing 16 year old Child’s Passport?
Question: Our daughter is turning 16 in six days and we want to wait until she is 16 so the passport will be valid for a longer time. What is the procedure for renewing her passport since she is a minor?
Will we need to go with her? Do both parents need to be present for the renewal of her passport? If not, does the non-accompanying parent need to provide notarized consent?
Answer: It is not a requirement for both parents to be present at the time of minor passport renewal. The parent that goes with the minor must provide a valid photo id if the minor does not have their own id.
Parental consent as per the State Department reads that minors at age 16 or 17 must “establish parental consent.” Also they state that it should be “implied on the application.” If not, then a minor “must provide written parental consent.”
- At 16 years old, your son is able to appear with one parent. At 15 years old, both parents or guardians must be present. Both must provide evidence of relationship and valid identifications.
- At age 16, an applicant passport is valid for 10 years. While at age 15 or younger, it is only valid for 5 years.
- Having a passport at age 16, the applicant can renew that passport via mail if all other criteria were satisfy. At age 15, the applicant has to renew his/her passport in person.
- While the execution fee is the same for both 15 and 16, the application fees are different. At age 16, the application fee is $110. At age 15 or younger, the application fee is $80.
