UK trip in may - passport needed for toddler?
 

will i need to get a passport for my 18 mo. old for our trip to london in may? i better get cracking on it if i do! my hubby and i have passports, but all i have for the little one is his birth cert. and a SS card....

thanks!
julie

You better get on to the state department!

Hi J,

I do believe that your child needs a passport.

As parent, you may sign it for the child.

There are also family passports.

See http://travel.state.gov/passport/get...inors_834.html

((I))

darn, that's what i figured. okay then, it's been almost 10 years since i got my passport, so i dont' remember much about it - can they do a rush job in less than 6 weeks? is there a special place i need to go besides my local post office to get one in a hurry?

Julie, if it's almost ten years since you got your passport, when does it expire?

expires in 2007, so i have a bit of breathing room.....

thanks for making me doublecheck!

I think you can expedite it for an extra $60. Also, when you get your child a passport BOTH parents have to be present when you apply.

Julie honey, Information like this should only be obtained from the state department!

Suppose that someone on these boards gave you inaccurate information because s/he didn't know about a recent change in the state department policies, would you just tell the check-in lady that someone on the Fodors message boards told you so?!!

Hi Julie, you definitely need a passport and I believe that the latest guidelines mean that both parents have to be present when applying (we had to both sign in the presence fo the consul). Not sure if the children themselves need to be there. Double check with the state dept (soon!)

mveet - are you serious??? don't call me honey, please.

thanks for all your help everyone - i'll be calling the state dept. on monday, and warning my husband that he's got a long lunch coming this week......

love these boards- a great resource, esp. on a saturday when everywhere else is closed!

julie

I don't think the US has family passports, every person needs a passport, even tiny newborns.

You do not need to wait until Monday, the State Department website http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html is very good and all the information you need is there. You can go ahead and download and fill out applications, get photos taken, and gather up documents.

You might want to check with your post office also. Ours has a notice posted that they can now take passport photos right there, which would be very convenient.

I got passports for my children in December. I downloaded all the forms needed on the internet including one for parental consent because my husband could not be with me. I only had to bring my husband's passport. At our post office, they had facilities for passport picture taking. One requirement though is that the minor child has to be with you when you apply for their passport. I had to go back because I only had my son while my daughter was in school. I thought it was going to be easier just having the one child...

But please check the state gov. website as the rules change often. Depending on when in May you'll be leaving, you might not even have to expedite. Good luck! I'm sure everything will work out.

Hi Juliecub, just go on the website that you have been given. You will get all your questions answered.

Some but NOT all postoffices have passport services.

BTW if you want to call the passport office Monday morning their ph # is 1-877-487-2778. They are opened Monday through Friday 8:00am to 8:00pm eastern time. The call is toll free.

You don't even have to call the post office. This site lets you find post offices that offer passport services.
http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/

It lists times,allows you to search for "photo on site" or "photo nearby."

We've found it quite handy and accurate for our area.

And March 8th some of the rates went up - I think they are calling it a "Security Fee".

A word of advice: My son's passport was about to expire so I needed to get him a new one for our trip to England in April. (Children's passports are only good for five years.) I went to the government's passport website, downloaded the forms, and noticed that it said if one parent could not be present, you could use a form from their website authorizing permission for issuance of the passport from the non-present parent, have it notarized, and bring it along with the child. When my son and I went to the passport office with the notarized form from his father, they informed me that they could not issue it without BOTH parents present. When I asked why it was different than the instructions on the website, she said they had recently (in February) been informed that the policy had changed and if any were submitted with the authorization form (without both parents being present), the paperwork would be returned. We ended up having to return a couple of days later with his father present as well. The good news was that his passport arrived within 3 1/2 weeks.

Hi all, that is why I gave the toll free phone no. for the US PASSPORT office (not the postoffice). Again it is 1-877-487-2778.

They are open Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 8:00pm Eastern time.

A phone call can get you the absolute up to date information and my experience has always been with very pleasant employees.

A quick phone call can sure save a long of time running back and forth.
I learned a long time ago even government website are not always up to date.

Go to a real photography studio. It will cost you more, but they will know ALL the regulations and will do it right...(no, a picture printed on your printer at home is NOT a photograph, it is ink on paper, and likely as not will not withstand the heat used in the mounting process.) A friend of mine printed her own...it passed muster, but within 3 or 4 years it was fading fast and caused her no end of problems since the passport had several years left on it but the image was nearly gone.

I recently renewed my kids passports. Please follow the advice of other posters and spend some time reading the info on the website.
Life will be a lot easier if your husband goes with you.