Check your child's passport
 

I just learned last night that a U.S. passport for a child expires in 5 years. Don't assume your child's passport expires when yours does.

My friends learned this on a Friday morning before leaving the country the next day. Apparently the post-911 ennvironment makes it nearly impossible to get a passport issued within one day even in an emergency. Had my friends not had a good friend whose relative had the right connections at the Department of State, they would not have gotten a renewed passport for their child that day.

Funnily enough, the same is true for a UK passport. My daughter's new passport is only valid for 5 years. She's only 8, so it's not as if she'll reach the age of adulthood in 5 years time.

I was told that a child's passport expires in a shorter time because they change so much and need updated pictures to reflect this. After all, a 3 year old will look nothing like an 8 year old. If the passport lasted 10 years, think of how different the child will look in that time (3 vs 13!). The picture most certainly not be reflective of the child any longer.

* For Canadian passport holders
child newborn-3yr, 3 years
child 3-15, 5 years
adult 16 and over, 5 years

I was told that as well, nibblette. The UK Passport authorities used to allow you to update your child's photo after 5 years without renewing the actual document. Now, it seems, it just expires after 5 years.

My son is 16 and he got his passport at 12....looks like a completely different person. He's also going to carry all of his school IDs so they can see his transformation from baby-fat face to sleek and handsome in case they give him a hard time. I'll feel more comfortable when we get his picture updated.

Hi, Sandi. At age 16 your son can now get an adult passport, good for 10 years, and you do not have to wait until the old one expires. Have you considered renewing it now? If he looks that different, it might be a good idea.

The only problem IMHO with a 16 year old getting a 10 year passport now is that he is going to change alot in looks maturity wise in the next few years. I was looking at my grandson the other day who is 18 1/2 and I think if I did not see him often I could walk by him without recognizing him. Just a thought.

That's a good point, LoveItaly, but his current passport will expire in another year anyway, so if he has a trip planned now I think it's best to get a new passport with an updated photo. In today's world of heightened security he might encounter problems with a passport photo that looks nothing like him. Then if he changes drastically again in 5 years, he can always get another one.

When we first applied for my oldest son's passport, he mistakenly put down that he was 5' 10', when he was two inches shorter. He asked the clerk for another application to correct his error, but she just laughed and said he would probably grow the two inches before his trip. Six months later, her prediction had come true.

He's since added three MORE inches - his five year passport expires next year. He looks pretty much the same - just bigger and, in the afternoon, scruffier.

I had to get my daughter a passport when she was first born. She was a premmie and only weighed about 1.5 kilograms (sorry, American viewers, I have forgotten the imperial equivalent). The photo consisted of a giant adult hand holding what looked like a shrivelled pink prawn. Five years later, when she was using the same passport, it caused open guffaws amongst even the most stony faced customs officials in ports all around the world: not an easy feat!

I'm not 100% certain about this, but I think your passport has to have more than six months left on it if you're travelling abroad. Our 16-year old daughter's passport expires in Jan. 2006, and she's going on a school trip to Italy in July 2005. That's cutting it awfully close for that six-month timeframe. I think we'll be getting a renewal for her! Now I'm wondering what she should put down for &quot;hair color.&quot; Do they want her <i>natural</i> color, or the color that's on her head currently...? Hmmm.

dln, does a passport have to have six months left on it? I've never heard of that before... In the US also?

LOL dln, they probably want the color that her hair will be in July 2005! Good luck :-)

Brooke, grandaughter must also renew her passport.
She had the first one when she was 7 , is good only for 5 years and it will expire next March.
She changed a lot since then, but we need a new one for our trip to Rome the end of May.
After reading so much about the notarized permission to take a child out of the country, I decided that I should have one also just in case.

Althought I never had any problems and was never questioned taking the grandchildren to Europe.Iave been doing that for 5 years now.
Betterto be safe than sorry,especially in today troubled world.

It should have been, Brooke, MY grandaughter...

dln, yes one must have 6 months left on their passport to be admitted to a European country.

Now about hair color, that is always a problem for me LOL. I never know what to put done. Very embarrasing.