A newborn is a child under 16. There is no infant add-on to a parent book. You apply in person on Form DS-11 with the baby present. Both parents usually appear. The cost path is the child passport, not the adult renewal.
The child book application fee is $100. The execution fee is $35 paid at the acceptance facility. Expedite adds $60. Official instructions are on travel.state.gov. Read them the week the baby is born if international travel is on the calendar.
Key takeaways
- Every infant needs a separate passport book. Parent passports do not cover the baby.
- Form DS-11 in person with both parents is the normal path. Budget $135 before expedite.
- Long-form certified birth certificates take time from vital records. Order early.
- Infant photos must meet the same 2x2 rules as adults, with no adult hands in the frame.
- Routine processing is 6-8 weeks. Pay $60 expedite if the trip is inside two months.
Why babies need their own passport
Airlines and border officers issue tickets and entry stamps to named travelers. A parent passport does not list the infant as a traveler on the data page. Even lap infants need their own book for international flights in most cases. Domestic US flights sometimes allow birth certificates for infants, but international gates do not.
Grandparents flying abroad with the baby still need a passport issued in the child name, plus notarized consent if both parents are not traveling. Plan the file before you buy non-refundable tickets for a baptism trip or family visit overseas.
Fees and forms in 2026
Child passport book application: $100. Execution at the acceptance facility: $35. Total before photos and expedite: $135. Passport card for a child is $15 if you add it on the same DS-11. Expedite processing adds $60 for about 2-3 weeks when mailing rules are followed after the in-person visit.
Photos cost about $15 at retail. That is not a government fee. Overnight return mail is $21.36 when selected on the form. See our fee schedule for last-updated government amounts.
| Item | Why clerks reject shortcuts |
|---|---|
| Hospital birth record | Not certified citizenship evidence |
| Long-form birth certificate | Shows parents names; usually required |
| Infant passport photo | White background, no adult hands in frame |
| Both parents at counter | Or notarized DS-3053 from absent parent |
Documents both parents need
Bring proof of the child US citizenship (long-form birth certificate or Consular Report of Birth Abroad), proof of parental relationship, both parents IDs, and one compliant photo of the infant. If one parent cannot appear, Form DS-3053 consent is required with a notarized signature. Single-parent cases need court orders or death certificates as listed on the official site.
Each parent shows a valid photo ID and a photocopy of that ID per current form instructions. Citizenship evidence rules overlap with our proof of citizenship guide. Read that post if you are unsure whether the hospital sheet qualifies.
What to bring in originals
- Certified long-form US birth certificate for the baby
- Both parents valid photo IDs plus photocopies
- Form DS-11 completed but unsigned until the clerk instructs you
- One 2x2 compliant photo of the infant
- Payment for $100 application fee and $35 execution (split payees)
- Form DS-3053 plus absent parent ID copy if one parent is not there
Photos and birth certificates
Photos are the annoying part. Eyes open when possible, mouth relaxed, white background, no adult hands in the crop. Studios that advertise infant passports are worth the extra minutes. See photo requirements and passport photo mistakes. Online photo tools (sponsored) can crop a good original. They cannot invent a compliant original.
Birth certificates can lag. You cannot finish citizenship evidence without the long-form certificate most facilities want. If the trip is immovable, start the certificate request the week of birth, not the week of the flight. County offices mail paper on their own schedule. Some states offer expedited vital records for an extra fee.
The Social Security card is not citizenship evidence. The hospital footprint sheet is not citizenship evidence. Order the certified copy from the state or county vital records office listed on CDC vital records links.
Select child application in the calculator to see the $100 book fee, $35 execution, and optional expedite before your post office appointment.
Calculate your passport costWhen one parent cannot appear
The absent parent completes Form DS-3053 Statement of Consent. The signature must be notarized within three months of the appointment in most cases. Include a photocopy of the absent parent ID with the form. The parent who appears signs DS-11 in front of the clerk with the baby present.
Sole custody cases need a court order showing you may apply alone. Widowed parents bring a death certificate. Do not guess on consent rules. Read Form DS-3053 (PDF) the week you book the appointment.
Grandparents cannot apply without documented parental consent or legal guardianship papers. The clerk sends incomplete packets back. That delay hurts more than the $100 application fee.
Scheduling the post office visit
Book a passport appointment at a facility that accepts child applications. Not every post office does. Use the acceptance facility locator and filter for passport services. Bring the baby fed and dry, both parents when possible, and every document in originals plus copies.
Clerks cannot notarize DS-3053 on the spot in every location. Confirm notary hours if one parent stays home. Arrive with two payment methods if your site splits State Department fees from execution. Many locations want a check for the $100 application and a card for the $35 execution, or the reverse. Call ahead.
Our document checklist and where to apply pages list what acceptance facilities expect before you leave the house.
Processing time for a first trip
Routine child passports follow the same queue as adult DS-11 files. Count 6-8 weeks, not days. If the baptism flight abroad is within two months, pay the $60 expedite fee at the acceptance visit and track status at passportstatus.state.gov.
Child passports for applicants under 16 expire after five years, not ten. Order the book early enough to receive it before the trip, then mark the five-year renewal date in your calendar for the next overseas vacation.
Expedite and agency appointments
Expedite on DS-11 adds $60 for about 2-3 week processing after the clerk forwards the file. It is not same-day service. Agency appointments are rare for infants unless you meet urgent travel rules on the agency locator. Life-or-death emergencies follow a separate phone line listed on travel.state.gov.
Compare expedite with overnight return on expedite vs overnight shipping. Paying $21.36 for fast return mail does not skip the production queue if you did not pay expedite.
If both parents are military and one is deployed, special rules may apply for consent. Check the official child application page before you assume DS-3053 is the only path.
Twins, multiples, and second trips
Each baby needs a separate DS-11 file and separate $100 application fee. Twins mean two appointments, two photos, two birth certificates, and $70 in execution fees ($35 each) when both files are in person. You can often schedule back-to-back slots at the same post office if you book early enough.
Siblings born in different years follow the same rules individually. A toddler who never traveled abroad still needs a first book on DS-11 with both parents when under 16. Do not assume the newborn file covers the older child.
If the family already holds a child passport for an older sibling, check expiry before you reuse the same appointment day. Child books expire after five years. A book issued when the sibling was two may be expired before the newborn first trip if you confuse the two files at home.
Name on the ticket must match the book
Airlines compare PNR names to passport data pages exactly on international legs. If the hospital used a middle name the ticket omits, fix tickets or wait for the certificate that matches before you buy fares. Name mismatch at the gate is more common than photo rejection for infants.
Social Security number and hospital paperwork
You need a Social Security number for the DS-11 application in most cases. Some parents apply for the SSN at the hospital. Others wait weeks for the card in the mail. If the number is pending, follow the current form instructions for how to write that on DS-11. Do not invent a placeholder number.
Hospital discharge folders contain immunization records and footprint sheets. None of those replace the certified birth certificate for citizenship evidence. Order the certificate from vital records even if the hospital says a form is on the way. County processing times vary from three days to six weeks depending on state backlog.
International travel with a newborn also means airline lap-infant rules, bassinet requests, and sometimes doctor notes for very premature babies. The passport book solves the border side. It does not replace airline medical policies. Call the carrier after the book is approved, not before you hold the document.
After the book arrives, sign it in ink only when instructed and store it away from the diaper bag. Water damage on a infant trip ruins the data page the same way it ruins an adult book. Scan the page for your records and leave the original in the hotel safe during port days when possible.
Keep every receipt until the book arrives. The acceptance facility receipt, the State Department payment proof, and the tracking number from passportstatus.state.gov belong in one folder. If status stalls, you will need those numbers on the phone with the National Passport Information Center.
Common questions
How old does a baby have to be to get a passport?
Can I travel internationally while the passport is processing?
Do both parents need to be US citizens?
How much does a newborn passport cost in 2026?
Related tools on this site
- Passport cost calculator: Select child application to see $100, $35 execution, and add-ons.
- Photo checker: Upload a draft infant photo for an unofficial compliance preview.
- Documents hub: Full DS-11 checklist for child first passports.
Official sources
- How to apply for a child passport
- U.S. Department of State passport fees
- U.S. Department of State processing times
- Form DS-11 (PDF)
- Form DS-3053 consent (PDF)
- Passport photo requirements
A newborn passport is a standard child application with stricter photo rules and both-parent attendance. Order the birth certificate early, book the photo studio before the post office, and budget $135 before expedite.