How to renew an expired passport for a child

Updated: How to Renew a Child Passport: Passport Renewals for Children

Did you know that a child passport is only good for five years? Adult passports are valid for ten years, so it’s all too common for families to forget to renew their children’s passports when they expire. If your child has a passport, do yourself a favor and go check the expiration date. Has it expired already? Is it going to expire in the next six months? If so, you’ll need to get it replaced before traveling. Here’s how to renew a child passport.

How to Renew a Child Passport

So, how do you renew a child passport? That’s actually a trick question. You’re only eligible to use passport renewal form DS-82 if you got your last passport after you turned 16.

You can replace your child’s expired passport with a new passport, but you’ll have to go to a passport office in person to apply.

The procedure to renew a child passport is slightly different depending on whether or not your child is under the age of 16.

Step 1: Gather your documents

Here’s what you need to renew a child passport if your child is under 16:

Passport Application Form DS-11. This is the same form you’d use if you were applying for a passport for the first time. Use black ink, and don’t sign it until you’re at the passport office and the acceptance agent tells you to do so.
Proof of citizenship for the child. You can use your child’s birth certificate or their expired passport for this, as long as it’s in good condition.
Proof of your relationship to the child. For this, you can use a birth certificate with both parents’ names, a Report of Birth Abroad with both parents’ names, adoption decree with both parents’ names, or a court order establishing custody or guardianship. If you don’t have a copy of your child’s birth certificate, you can visit the US Government’s vital documents website for instructions on how to obtain one in your state.
Proof of identity for both parents.
Parental consent: For a child under the age of 16 to get a passport, both parents must consent. But what if both parents can’t go to the passport office? Or what if you’re a single parent? In that case, you’ll need one of the following documents: A notarized statement of consent from the absent parent, or evidence that the parent who brought the child in has sole custody.
DS-3053 The DS-3053 Passport Application Form is used alongside the DS-11 passport form for child passport applications. The DS-3053 is only necessary if one parent or guardian cannot attend the Passport Acceptance Agency visit. The missing parent can complete this form and have it notarized to be used as a permission slip for the acceptance agent. In the event that one parent or guardian is missing and their notarized consent cannot be obtained, the DS-5525 passport form may be necessary.
DS-5525 The DS-5525 Passport Application Form is used when consent from a parent or guardian is not able to be obtained. Minor passport applicants age 15 and younger require the consent of both parents/guardians. In the event that there is a missing parent or guardian and their consent cannot be obtained, you will need to provide the DS-5525 alongside the DS-11 passport form. Your statement in the form must explain the reason why you cannot obtain the notarized statement of consent. You must justify that there are exigent or special family circumstances that make two parent/guardian consent unobtainable. Completion of this form does not guarantee passport issuance. Your request may qualify as a special family circumstance if the minor’s family situation makes it exceptionally difficult or impossible for one or both of the minor’s custodial parents/legal guardians to provide the notarized, written consent.
Recent Passport photo: Make sure your passport photo is government compliant. We recommend the G3 Passport & Visa Photobooth mobile app so you can take a compliant photo that you approve.

If Your Child is 16-17

The application process is slightly different for 16 and 17-year-old applicants, even though they are technically still minors. The adult passport with ten-year validity is issued to everyone aged 16 and older. Here’s what you need to get your teen’s passport renewed before they flee the nest:

Passport Application Form DS-11.
Proof of citizenship for the child.
Proof of identity. Your child can use their own driver’s license. Or, if they don’t have one, they can use a parent’s ID instead.
Parental consent: For older teens, only one parent has to tag along to give consent.
Recent Passport photo: Make sure the passport photo is government compliant.

Step 2: Find a passport office.

Most people apply at a post office, but there are often passport offices in libraries and local government buildings, as well. Use this tool from the Department of State for a complete list of passport offices near you. At the passport office, you’ll meet with a passport acceptance agent who will review your documents, take your payment, and watch you sign the application form. Then, they’ll send the completed application to the Department of State for processing.

Step 3: Pay the application fee.

Passport government fees vary depending on the age and speed desired for the passport.

Here’s what you’ll pay for a child under 16:

Passport book: $100 application fee plus a $35 execution fee.
Passport card: $15 application fee plus a $35 execution fee.
Passport book and card: $115 application fee plus a $35 execution fee.
If you need your passport expedited, you’ll pay an additional $60 government expediting fee.

For children over 16:

Passport book: $130 application fee plus a $35 execution fee.
Passport card: $30 application fee plus a $35 execution fee.
Passport book and card: $160 application fee plus a $35 execution fee.
$60 expedite fee, if applicable.

Now, all you have to do is wait.

How to Expedite a Child Passport

If you apply at a post office, routine processing can take up to 10 weeks for regular service and up to 8 weeks for expedited service. But what if you need it sooner than that? You have two options: find the nearest regional passport agency, or use a private passport expediting service. Both options can get your child a shiny new passport quickly.

A private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport is often a more convenient option for faster service. A regional passport agency will require a visit to your nearest location and an appointment is often required. As a result, you may have to miss work, school or extracurricular activities to get your child to the office at the scheduled time. With a private expediting company, there’s no need for any of that. By express shipping your child’s documents to an expediting company after being verified at the post office, his or her passport application can be processed in as little as one week.

Expedite your child’s passport with RushMyPassport.com today!

Renew Expired Child Passport Online

Child passport renewal can be tricky. Passports for children under 16 are only valid for five years, so renewing your child’s may be necessary if you’re planning an international trip with your family in the near future. If your child is under 16, he or she still qualifies for children’s travel documents with the US Department of State. Both parents will have to be present with their child, and no applications by mail are accepted. Trust the experts at Travel Visa Pro to assist you with the paperwork related to your child’s passport renewal.

Traveling by yourself can be one of life’s greatest pleasures. Having children of your own can bring great satisfaction. Yet when we put these two together, the experience isn’t always full of sunshine and roses. Getting passport renewals for minors combines some of the more stressful aspects of travel with the “fun” of dealing with government applications.

Renew Expired Child Passport

Getting your own passport for your first international trip as an adult is chocked full of surprises. Even long-standing requirements do sometimes change; glasses are no longer allowed to be worn in passport photos. When it comes time to get a new passport book after 9-10 years, many seasoned travelers are surprised at how tricky the process can be. Not all of us live a stone’s throw from an official passport agency or a US consulate abroad, nor do we all have the expertise to navigate the intricacies of government forms.

As a result, renewing a child’s passport for the first time can leave one feeling like she needs a helping hand, whether it’s understanding the processing time in relation to one’s departure date, getting all the documents needed to ensure there are no delays, or just having a travel expert talk through the application.

While US citizens typically have ten-year validity on their adult passports, minors under 16 are only allowed five years. In addition, having the surname match (assuming it legally does) can save travelers a bit of a headache at immigration checkpoints. More than a few stepparents – yet legal guardians – have been stopped and asked to prove the child with whom they’re traveling is theirs. Documentation asserting one’s status as the legal guardian of the child traveling may be necessary.

Before that, however, is the issue of replacing or renewing a child’s passport. In the eyes of the US Department of State, a “child” is any US citizen under 16 years old. Both parents need to provide documentation with their child when applying for a passport renewal. If one parent is not able to attend, Form DS-3053 (Statement of Consent) may be used in lieu of their presence. Applications by mail are not allowed, but the child may apply by himself or herself under special circumstances, e. g. immediate travel. As with adult passport renewals, your children will need to bring their most recent US passport and one 2”x2” passport-sized photograph.

Online Passport Renewals for Minors

U. S. Birth Certificate Required

To combat identity theft and fraud, if your child had his last passport issued before the age of 5, you’ll need to provide 1-2 photographs clearly showing his or her face from each year starting from when the last passport was issued to the present. In addition, as with the original passport application, a US birth certificate listing the names and nationalities of both parents is required, or a Consular Report of Birth Abroad in the case of someone born outside the United States.

Parents of children applying for a passport renewal should carry their state driver’s licenses or other valid government ID and copies of their passport information pages.

Unlike adult passport renewals, which use Form DS-82, children’s passport renewals and first-time applications need to be registered with Form DS-11; assuming your children start their international travels early on, that could mean using this form as many as five times in their lifetime (e. g. birth, 5 years old, 10 years old, 15 years old, and as an adult applying for a first-time passport).

After that, the only thing left to do is pay the fee. Viola. Your child is now eligible to travel.

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Emergency Passport

Issuance (replacement) of a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation

The applicant has the right to file a complaint against the decision and (or) action (inaction) of officials of the migration departments when providing public services, including in the following cases:

Violation of the deadline for registering an application for issuance (replacement) of a passport in the form of an electronic document for the provision of public services.
Violation of the term for the provision of public services.
The requirement to submit an application for the issuance (replacement) of a passport in the form of an electronic document of documents not provided for by the regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation for the provision of public services.
Refusal to accept documents, the submission of which is provided for by the regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation for the provision of public services.
Refusal to provide a public service, if the grounds for refusal are not provided for by federal laws and other regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation adopted in accordance with them.
Requirement for the applicant to pay a fee when providing a public service that is not provided for by the regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation.
Refusal of the migration unit providing the public service, its official to correct misprints and errors in the documents issued as a result of the provision of the public service, or violation of the deadline for such corrections.

Complaint must contain:

Name of the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the regional or district level (including the department (department, point) of the police as part of the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the district level) providing public services, or surname, initials, special rank (class rank) official whose decisions and actions (inaction) are being appealed.
Surname (if any), first name (if any), patronymic (if any), information about the place of residence of the applicant - an individual or name, information about the location of the applicant - a legal entity, as well as the contact phone number (numbers), address ( address) e-mail (if any) and the postal address to which the response should be sent to the applicant (except for the case when the complaint is sent through the Single Portal).
Information about the contested decisions and actions (inaction) of officials of the migration departments providing the public service.
Arguments on the basis of which the applicant does not agree with the decision and action (inaction) of the officials of the migration departments providing the public service.

The complaint is considered by the migration unit that provides a public service, the procedure for providing which was violated due to decisions, actions (inaction) of these units or their officials.

In the event that decisions of the head or deputy head of the migration unit providing a public service are appealed, the complaint is considered by a higher official of the relevant territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the regional or district level.

A complaint can be sent to:

On decisions made by the migration units at the district level (including the migration units of the department (department, point) of the police as part of the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the district level), - to the head of the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the district level or to the corresponding territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the regional level.
For decisions made by migration departments at the regional level - to the head of the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the regional level or to the Main Directorate for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

For decisions made by the heads of the territorial bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the regional level, the leadership of the Main Department of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia - to the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation or the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, who is responsible for the activities of the Main Department of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

The complaint is submitted by the applicant in writing, including at the personal reception of the applicant, or in electronic form to the migration unit or to the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the regional or district level.

In the territorial bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia and subdivisions on migration issues, officials authorized to consider complaints are determined who provide:

Reception and consideration of complaints.
Sending complaints to the body authorized to consider them.

In case of filing a complaint at a personal reception, the applicant shall submit a document proving his identity in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

If the complaint is filed through the complainant's representative, a document confirming the authority to act on behalf of the complainant is also submitted.

When filing a complaint in electronic form, it must be signed with an electronic signature in accordance with Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated June 25, 2012 No. 634 "On the types of electronic signature, the use of which is allowed when applying for state and municipal services." In this case, an identity document of the applicant is not required.

A complaint can be filed through a subdivision of the St. Petersburg State Treasury Institution "Multifunctional Center for the Provision of State and Municipal Services" (MFC). Upon receipt of a complaint, the MFC ensures its transfer to the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the regional or district level or the migration unit in the manner and within the time limits established by the agreement on cooperation between the MFC and the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

If the complaint is filed by the applicant with the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the regional or district level or the migration unit, whose competence does not include making a decision on the complaint, within 3 working days from the date of its registration, the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the regional or district level or the migration unit sends the complaint to the body authorized to consider it and informs the applicant in writing about the redirection of the complaint. In this case, the period for considering a complaint is calculated from the date of registration of the complaint with the body authorized to consider it.

If, during or following the consideration of a complaint, signs of an administrative offense under Article 5.63 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation or elements of a crime are established, the official authorized to consider complaints shall immediately send the relevant materials to the prosecutor's office.

A complaint received by a territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the regional or district level or to the relevant unit for migration issues is subject to consideration by an official authorized to consider complaints within 15 working days from the date of its registration, and in case of appealing against the refusal of the unit on migration issues or an official in receiving documents from the applicant or in correcting misprints and errors, or in case of appealing against a violation of the deadline for such corrections - within 5 working days from the date of its registration.

There are no grounds for suspending consideration of the applicant's complaint against decisions and (or) actions (inaction) of officials.

Based on the results of consideration of the complaint, one of the following decisions is made:

To satisfy the complaint in whole or in part.
On refusal to satisfy the complaint.

The grounds for refusal to satisfy the complaint are:

The presence of a court decision that has entered into legal force, an arbitration court on a complaint about the same subject and on the same grounds.
Submission of a complaint by a person whose authority has not been confirmed in the manner prescribed by the legislation of the Russian Federation.
The presence of a decision on the complaint, taken earlier in relation to the same applicant and on the same subject of the complaint.

The body authorized to consider the complaint has the right to leave the complaint unanswered in the following cases:

The complaint contains obscene or offensive language, threats to the life, health and property of an official, as well as members of his family.
Inability to read any part of the text of the complaint, surname (if any), first name (if any), patronymic (if any) and (or) postal address of the citizen indicated in the complaint.

No later than the day following the day of the adoption of the decision specified in subparagraphs 210.1 - 210.2 of paragraph 210 of the administrative regulations, the applicant is sent in writing and at the request of the applicant in electronic form a reasoned response on the results of the consideration of the complaint.

The response based on the results of the consideration of the complaint shall indicate:

Name of the state body providing the public service that considered the complaint, position, surname, name, patronymic (the last name, if any) of the official who made the decision on the complaint.
Number, date, place of the decision, including information about the official whose decision or action (omission) is being appealed.
Surname (if any), given name (if any), patronymic (if any) or name of the applicant.
Grounds for making a decision on the complaint.
Decision made on the complaint.
If the complaint is found to be justified, the terms for eliminating the identified violations, including the term for providing the result of the public service.
Information on the procedure for appealing against the decision taken on the complaint.

The response based on the results of the consideration of the complaint is signed by the official authorized to consider complaints.

The applicant has the right to appeal the decision on the complaint made by the official to a higher official or in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

The applicant has the right to receive information and documents necessary to substantiate and consider the complaint.

The applicant may submit documents (if any) confirming the applicant's arguments, or copies thereof.

Informing applicants about the procedure for filing and considering a complaint against decisions and actions (inaction) of officials is carried out by posting information on the official website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, the official website of the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the regional or district level, on the Single Portal, in MFC, as well as at the information stands of the migration departments.

Issuance (replacement) of a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation

The applicant has the right to file a complaint against the decision and (or) action (inaction) of officials of the migration departments in the provision of public services, including in the following cases:

Violation of the application registration deadline on the issuance (replacement) of a passport in the form of an electronic document for the provision of public services.
Violation of the term for the provision of public services.
The requirement to submit an application for the issuance (replacement) of a passport in the form of an electronic document of documents not provided for by the regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation for the provision of public services.
Refusal to accept documents, the submission of which is provided for by the regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation for the provision of public services.
Refusal to provide a public service, if the grounds for refusal are not provided for by federal laws and other regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation adopted in accordance with them.
Requirement for the applicant to pay a fee when providing a public service that is not provided for by the regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation.
Refusal of the migration unit providing the public service, its official to correct misprints and errors in the documents issued as a result of the provision of the public service, or violation of the deadline for such corrections.

Complaint must contain:

Name of the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the regional or district level (including the department (department, point) of the police as part of the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the district level) providing public services, or surname, initials, special rank (class rank) official whose decisions and actions (inaction) are being appealed.
Surname (if any), first name (if any), patronymic (if any), information about the place of residence of the applicant - an individual or name, information about the location of the applicant - a legal entity, as well as the contact phone number (numbers), address ( address) e-mail (if any) and the postal address to which the response should be sent to the applicant (except for the case when the complaint is sent through the Single Portal).
Information about the contested decisions and actions (inaction) of officials of the migration departments providing the public service.
Arguments on the basis of which the applicant does not agree with the decision and action (inaction) of the officials of the migration departments providing the public service.

A complaint can be sent to:

On decisions made by the migration units at the district level (including the migration units of the department (department, point) of the police as part of the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the district level), - to the head of the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the district level or to the corresponding territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the regional level.
For decisions made by migration departments at the regional level - to the head of the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the regional level or to the Main Directorate for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

In the territorial bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia and subdivisions on migration issues, officials authorized to consider complaints are determined who provide:

Reception and consideration of complaints.
Sending complaints to the body authorized to consider them.

In case of filing a complaint at a personal reception, the applicant shall submit a document proving his identity in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

If the complaint is filed through the complainant's representative, a document confirming the authority to act on behalf of the complainant is also submitted.

When filing a complaint in electronic form, it must be signed with an electronic signature in accordance with Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated June 25, 2012 No. 634 "On the types of electronic signature, the use of which is allowed when applying for state and municipal services. " In this case, an identity document of the applicant is not required.

There are no grounds for suspending consideration of the applicant's complaint against decisions and (or) actions (inaction) of officials.

Based on the results of consideration of the complaint, one of the following decisions is made:

To satisfy the complaint in whole or in part.
On refusal to satisfy the complaint.

The grounds for refusal to satisfy the complaint are:

The presence of a court decision that has entered into legal force, an arbitration court on a complaint about the same subject and on the same grounds.
Submission of a complaint by a person whose authority has not been confirmed in the manner prescribed by the legislation of the Russian Federation.
The presence of a decision on the complaint, taken earlier in relation to the same applicant and on the same subject of the complaint.

The body authorized to consider the complaint has the right to leave the complaint unanswered in the following cases:

The complaint contains obscene or offensive language, threats to the life, health and property of an official, as well as members of his family.
Inability to read any part of the text of the complaint, surname (if any), first name (if any), patronymic (if any) and (or) postal address of the citizen indicated in the complaint.

The response based on the results of the consideration of the complaint shall indicate:

Name of the state body providing the public service that considered the complaint, position, surname, name, patronymic (the last name, if any) of the official who made the decision on the complaint.
Number, date, place of the decision, including information about the official whose decision or action (omission) is being appealed.
Surname (if any), given name (if any), patronymic (if any) or name of the applicant.
Grounds for making a decision on the complaint.
Decision made on the complaint.
If the complaint is found to be justified, the terms for eliminating the identified violations, including the term for providing the result of the public service.
Information on the procedure for appealing against the decision taken on the complaint.

The response based on the results of the consideration of the complaint is signed by the official authorized to consider complaints.

The applicant has the right to appeal the decision on the complaint made by the official to a higher official or in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

The applicant has the right to receive information and documents necessary to substantiate and consider the complaint.

The applicant may submit documents (if any) confirming the applicant's arguments, or copies thereof.