U.S passport for a Minor
- The applicant is below 16 years of age
- You are a first time applicant; or your prior passport was issued at age 15 or under
Step 1: Prepare your documents & Forms
Note: Applicants (minors) must appear in front of the Passport Acceptance Agent. US law requires both parents to accompany the child to the Passport Acceptance Facility; if one parent is unable to attend, the absent parent must sign and notarize Form DS-3053, “Statement of Consent.”.
- Form DS-11, “Application for A US Passport.”
This form must be completed online at https://pptform.state.gov/PassportWizardMain.aspx (“Apply for a Passport Book”).Print two copies of the application and sign one in the presence of the Passport Acceptance Agent Find the nearest passport acceptance, agent (here)
The signed copy will go inside the sealed envelope, Note: Please inform the Passport Acceptance Agent that you are using a passport expediting service; you will need to send your sealed envelope to PAVO at the end of this process.
- A copy of your completed Form DS-11. After your envelope has been sealed, attach your second, unsigned copy of Form DS-11 to the outside of the envelope with a paperclip or staple. This will allow us to confirm that the correct application has been included, as we are unable to check the contents of the sealed envelope.
- Form DS-3053, “Statement of Consent,” if applicable. This form is not required if both parents will accompany the child to the Passport Acceptance Facility. If one parent is absent, he/she must sign Form DS-3053 in front of a Notary Public. This form will be sealed into the envelope – Click Here to Download
- The DS-5525 Passport Form is used for a minor child passport. This passport form is used if one of the parents or guardians is not available to give consent (by completing Form DS-3053) for a minor passport at the passport acceptance facility. You can submit Form DS-5525 Statement of Special Family Circumstances Passport Form if you are the applying parent and you want to explain why the non-applying parent/guardian’s consent could not be obtained. It is specifically for special circumstances. A child minor passport is for any passport applicant 15 or younger. The special circumstances may vary from case to case, but the DS-5525 is used for each situation. If a parent or guardian is currently incarcerated, living overseas, or simply just not a part of your life- the DS-5525 Statement of Special Family Circumstances Passport Form is what you need. Click Here to Download.
- A photocopy of the front and back of the parents’ state-issued Driver’s License or Photo Identification Card. they must also bring the original photo ID card with them, which will be used to confirm their identity and will not be sealed inside the envelope.
- Proof of your U.S. Citizenship (one of the following documents)
- An original or certified copy of your birth certificate, with a raised seal from the State Office of Vital Statistics. (Hospital-issued birth certificates are not acceptable) You can acquire a certified copy from http://vitalchek.com
- A naturalization certificate; certificate of citizenship;
- Consular report of birth abroad;
- An expired US Passport.NOTE: If your appearance has changed significantly and/or passport was issued when you were under the age of 16, you must include that old/expired passport in addition to the birth certificate or naturalization certificate.
- Government Fees. Two fees will be paid by check or money order when the sealed envelope is executed.
Please note that starter checks are not accepted.
- An execution fee of $35, payable to the agency (USPS or Clerk of Court). This fee is not sealed inside the envelope.
- Passport processing fee of $140, payable to US Department of State. This fee will be collected by the agent and sealed inside the envelope.
Step 2: INCLUDE THE CORRECT PHOTOS
Two NEW passport-style color photographs, taken within the last six months (Eyeglasses must not be worn Effective November 1st 2016).
Click Here for the latest Passport Photo Guide.
Step 3: Complete PAVO's authorization form
- PAVO Letter of Authorization, completed and signed. The Letter of Authorization (LOA) allows PAVO to represent you to all agencies involved in issuing your passport. The signature on the LOA must be original, preferably in blue ink, no faxes, scans or copies will be accepted. Click Here to Download!
Step 4: Proof of departure
Step 5: Execute the documents
Once you have gathered together all the required documents, you must now proceed to a local passport acceptance agent to have your documents signed, executed, witnessed and sealed into an envelope by the acceptance agent.
This process is referred to as the “Passport Execution Process” or “Sealed Application Procedure”. Your local passport acceptance agent is usually a Post Office or County Court House.
Applicants will be required to write two checks while at your local acceptance location, one for the Government fees and one to the local acceptance agent. These fees are explained in detail under our Government Fees section.
Please Note:
DO NOT send any documents to Passport And Visa Online until you have had your documents executed by your local acceptance agent.
Step 6: Complete the processing request
Step 7: Ship all to PAVO for processing
Ship your documents
Please forward the completed requirements; sealed envelope, authorization letter, a copy of tickets or itinerary and fee payment to:
Note:
- Urgent applications should be shipped to PAVO using only UPS or FedEx.
- Please use “Priority Overnight”. Do NOT ship “First Overnight.” This will delay the delivery of your package.
- Please send all the required documents and payment (Money Order, Company Check, Cashier’s Check, American Express, Visa or Master Card) by trackable mail method so that if there’s a delay, you would be able to track and trace your package.
Summary of Fees:
- U.S. Government Fees: $175.00 (140.00 payment for the passport in the form of a check made out to the U.S Department of State and included with the DS-11 form inside the sealed envelope, and a separate $35.00 payment to the Post Office or the Clerk of Court.)AND
- Passport & Visa Online (PAVO) Handling Fee:
- $300 per passport (/24/48 hours) Please call us first for availability
- $240.00 per passport (3 to 4 Business days)
- $170.00 per passport (6 to 7 Business Days) Note: Passport and Visa online – PAVO is a non-government private service.
PAVO is not in a position to offer guarantees of New or First-Time passport to be issued by a specific date. Passport Issuance is determined by the U.S. Passport Agency based on the urgency of your departure, however, what we can guarantee is that once it is issued and released to us, we will ship it to you on the same day, using your selected/preferred shipping speed & courier.