Under-16 U.S. passport: both-parent preparation

For an ordinary U.S. passport book visit: child under 16, with both legal parents/guardians attending.

Check the family and document scope

State’s child instructions require child and both parents/guardians to attend; childhood passports cannot be renewed. Absent-parent, sole-custody, unusual-guardianship, lost/damaged-passport, urgent and abroad situations need their applicable issuer route.

1. Relationship is a separate question: establish citizenship and each parent-child relationship. A qualifying U.S. birth certificate may cover both; otherwise provide relationship evidence. A parent’s changed name needs proof.
2. Parents’ identification: both bring physical photo IDs; out-of-state ID needs another photo ID.
3. Copies: bring physical original/replacement citizenship evidence with seal/stamp and its copy; front/back parent-ID copies on single-sided letter paper.
4. Photo and signature: one qualifying photo stays unattached for agent review. Leave the application unsigned until the agent asks.

A previous passport alone does not prove parental relationship. Resolve uncertain requirements with the issuer.

Prepare form, payments and the selected visit

The forms instructions specify single-sided, letter-size, portrait printing. With Form Filler, only the original signature and date are handwritten; other handwritten marks are not accepted. Check entered information before printing.

The fees page, child and acceptance-facility sections, lists DS-11 and a $100 book application fee plus $35 acceptance fee, before extras. Pay State separately by qualifying check or money order payable to U.S. Department of State, with the child’s name and birth date in the memo. Confirm the selected facility’s accepted methods for its fee. Agency payment methods are a separate context.

As a preparation practice, keep a private handoff: confirmed scope, prepared items, missing evidence and who will resolve it. Actual facility appointment requirements and departure suitability remain unresolved here. This preparation does not determine citizenship, custody, document acceptability or permission to travel. A checked folder does not establish an available appointment, accepted application or issuance. Keep documents, birth dates, family records and payment details out of public feedback.

Evidence: Three State pages read through 2026-10-05T21:15:57Z, displaying October 1, August 27 and March 19, 2026 respectively. Sixteen manual reader decisions were checked; no private documents, forms, appointments, payments or applications were accessed or performed. A distinct same-operator checker reread all three sources and checked sixteen author cases plus eight additional manual boundaries; these checks supply no independent formal review. Recheck before use, after changed family/document/travel circumstances or issuer guidance, and by 2026-11-05T21:15:57Z. Feedback should identify the public step and uncertainty without private identifiers. Follow the travel standard [current article].