Expedited Child Passport – The Ultimate Guide

Do you need to get a passport for your child quickly? Are you wondering how to apply for an expedited child passport?

In this blog post, we’ll explain how to apply for an expedited minor passport, and, depending on various passport services, how quickly you can get your hands on your child’s new passport. You will also learn what kind of fees are involved in the process.

Applying for an expedited passport for a child

The first thing you ought to know is that child passport applications, expedited or not,  require you and the child to attend a scheduled meeting at the passport office. This is because the form you will be using is DS-11, which a passport office clerk must verify with the applicant present in the room.

Apart from an expedited, regular minor passport, there are 2 (two) more instances where you can get your child’s passport quickly:

• emergency (if a life-or-death situation requires your child to travel within the next 72 hours);
• urgent (e.g. business or family-related) international travel within the next 5 (five) days.

An expedited child passport application will also call for additional documents compared to a regular application for an adult passport. Passport agencies will want to ensure the documentation you submitted is correct and complete. It is a precaution that the U.S. government takes to combat child abduction and trafficking.

You can apply and ask for an urgent expedited child U.S. passport if you have proof of imminent travel plans that require the child to carry a valid passport.

In such a case, you need to call the National Passport Information Center (NPIC) and schedule an appointment for the passport application. The ability to set a date for a meeting through the U.S. Department of State website has been temporarily suspended.

In an emergency situation, you must call the local passport agency or NPIC to schedule a meeting. After you agree on a date, you will soon receive an email listing every bit of documentation required to complete the child’s passport application quickly, within the next 3 (three) days.

How to get an expedited passport for a child?

If your child needs a passport quickly but it is not a matter of an emergency or urgent travel, you can pay an additional passport fee to hasten the application process. That way, by paying an additional passport fee of $60, you will effectively shorten the passport processing time from roughly 10 (ten) weeks to somewhere in between 5 (five) and 7 (seven) weeks.

The passport fees included in your child’s expedited passport application will amount to $195, or $210 should you wish to apply for a passport card as well.

You can also ensure that your passport application form and other required documents arrive quicker by purchasing USPS Priority Mail Express. That will cost you $26.95, but the envelope will arrive at the processing center within the next 2 (two) days.

If your child is 17 (seventeen) years old and eligible to apply for a passport, you can get an expedited passport for a child by applying through the mail. You will need to:

• fill out the Form DS-82 and complete it;
• collect other documents required, such as the child’s soon-to-be previous passport or a single valid U.S. passport photo;
• provide items confirming parental relationship, such as a court order establishing custody or a birth certificate (a certified foreign birth certificate will do as well);
• include the additional $60 with the passport fees you’re paying;
• write down “EXPEDITE” on the outside of the sealed envelope;

You can also pay $18.32 for additional expedited service. It will ensure that once the passport processing time is completed, your child’s new passport finds its way to them within the next 2 (two) days.

The expedite service is also available in a case of lost or stolen passport. You just need to remember to attach a completed Form DS-64 to the list of documents. Make sure to send it or bring it with you to the passport agency.

Getting a child passport expedited – summary

Passport services in the U.S. allow you to acquire a passport quicker than the regular 8 (eight) to 11 (eleven) weeks. Situations in which you can take advantage of these services include life-or-death emergencies and urgent travel plans. Your child will be eligible to request expedited service.

Moreover, you can just pay the additional $60 expedited fee to acquire your child’s passport roughly 3 (three) weeks earlier. This will set the cost for expedited passport book applications at $195.

Expedited Child Passport: FAQ

This is where you will find the most commonly asked questions about expedited child passports.

Sources

• [1] https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast.html