Step one, right? Shortly after Maya Lu was born I had a nagging feeling. She's trapped (AKA I'm trapped)! What if she wants to take a vacation? Jet off to Costa Rica or something? No can do. Yes, I realize this was me projecting my own concerns of being grounded on her, but figured we might as well nip that in the bud. Lucky this is a quick and easy process. I think it took less than a month, so Maya had her passport in hand at the ripe old age of 2.5 months. Here's what you need to know...
Go to the U.S. Government's passport site to find the application for kids under 16. Try to avoid passport services that will charge you random fees for expedited services.
Complete the DS-11 form available on their site. HINT: You will need your baby's Social Security number. Print it.
Gather originals and copies of your baby's birth certificate and your U.S. photo IDs (both parents).
Use their search feature to find a U.S. Post Office or other facility to submit your application. We made an appointment at a local post office. We also made sure they take the passport photos for you since baby passport photos are known to be hit or miss.
Both parents need to come to the appointment, but if one can't make it they can complete a DS-3053 parent consent form.
Pay the passport fee. We also go the ID card, but we were probably suckers for doing that. It is nice to have just in case on domestic travel.
Wait a few weeks and there you'll have your baby's first passport good for 5 years!
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