Information, Applications and Procedures for:
New Passports for Minors Under 16 Years

Gather Documents to take to an Acceptance Agent

• You and your child must appear in person before an Acceptance Agent.
• Acceptance agents are at designated Post Offices and Court Houses throughout the United States.
• Inform the Acceptance Agent that you are using an expediting service to "hand carry" your child's passport application to the passport agency for processing.
  
  If your child is 16 or 17 years or old: New passport applicants age 16 or 17 are required to appear in person with a parent or legal guardian before the Acceptance Agent. The US State Departments recent instructions indicate that, "For security reasons, parental consent may be requested". It has been our experience that the consent is ALWAYS required.
  
  The Acceptance Agent will witness the child and one parent sign the DS-11 Application for U.S. Passport form and seal your passport information documents in an envelope and return the sealed envelope to you.
  
  If your child is less than 16 years or old: New passport applicants less than 16 years old are required to appear in person with both parents or legal guardians before the Acceptance Agent.
  
  The Acceptance Agent will witness the child and both parents sign the DS-11 Application for U.S. Passport form and seal your passport information documents in an envelope and return the sealed envelope to you.
  
  If only one parent can appear, the parent making the appearance must submit the second parent's written, signed and notarized Statement of Consent: Issuance of a Passport to a Minor Under Age 14: DS-3053 giving his or her authorization for the child to be issued a passport. The consent statement must include the child's name and date of birth, as well as parent's identification information or a copy of his/her ID. This requirement is strictly enforced to protect children.

Locate the nearest Acceptance Agent here. You can also call 1-800-275-8777 for the location nearest you.

Click here to fill out an A Briggs Passport & Visa Expeditors order form.

Ship your Passport Application to A Briggs Passport & Visa Expeditors.

NOTE: If you are departing the U.S. within 4 business days, you must call A Briggs to ensure processing prior to your departure date.

You must have an original or certified copy of your child's birth certificate, naturalization papers or old passport.

If you do not have your child's Birth Certificate, you can obtain information about ordering a certified copy of your birth certificate here.

Requirements for Acceptable Forms of Birth Certificates can be found here. (All proof of citizenship documents will be returned to you with your child's new passport.)

In order to prove the parent's or guardian's identity to the Acceptance Agent, each parent or guardian will be required to show a driver's license or state-issued identification issued more than six months ago. Official government or military picture identification, valid U.S. or foreign passport with photo, or an I.N.S. Alien Resident Card is also acceptable.

If you do not have this identification,
Supplemental Identification described here.

You will be required to submit two (2) identical passport photographs. Photographs must be taken by a passport photographer. Homemade photos are not acceptable and most often cause a delay in passport issuance.

Passport Photo Requirements

For children under 16, you must be prepared to submit proof of parent's or legal guardian's relationship to the minor applicant. Note: Previous U.S. Passports are not acceptable as proof of relationship to the applying parent(s)/guardian(s). Parents or legal guardians applying for a child under 16 must submit an original or certified copy of one of the following:

Certified U.S. Birth Certificate of the applicant (with parents' names); or

Certified Foreign Birth Certificate of the applicant (with parents' names and translation, if necessary); or

Report of Birth Abroad of the Applicant: Form FS-240 (with parents' names); or

Certification of Birth Abroad of the Applicant: Form DS-1350 (with parents' names); or

Adoption Decree of the Applicant (with adopting parents' names); or

Court Order Establishing Custody of the Applicant; or

Court Order Establishing Guardianship of the Applicant.

NOTE: If the name of the parent/guardian is other than that on the document, evidence of legal name change is required.

Click on the link at the bottom of this section to create your child's DS-11 Application for Passport. After entering your child's personal data, click on the “Create Form” button.

Print two copies of the completed DS-11 form. Do not sign the DS-11 until you are instructed to do so by the Acceptance Agent. Give one DS-11 to the Acceptance Agent to be placed inside the sealed envelope. The second DS-11 is to be placed inside the shipping envelope to A Briggs.

Application for U.S. Passport DS-11 here.

Two checks or money orders, one payable to U.S. Department of State for $120 and the second for $25 payable to the courthouse or post office (the Acceptance Agent fee).

Please include the parent or legal guardian's date of birth on the check. Do not use starter checks for new bank accounts.

Although it is recommended that your check have your name pre-printed on it, if submitting a business check or someone else's check, make sure to include your name, address and date of birth on the check. Money orders must contain your information on them.

Please note: The fee for a passport for a child under 16 is $15 less than a passport issued for a person 16 or older. For persons under 16, the passport is valid for a 5 year period, whereas passports issued to persons 16 or older are valid for ten years.

Submit a Letter of Authorization giving A Briggs the authority to submit your child's application and pick up your child's passport when issued. Provide two originally-signed Letters of Authorization - One copy should be inside the sealed envelope and one copy outside the sealed envelope.

NOTE: Each copy MUST contain your original signature preferably in Blue Ink. Fax or photo copies of your signature are NOT acceptable - both letters must contain original signatures.

Click here for the A Briggs Letter of Authorization.

Submit a copy of your child's computer-generated itinerary or your ticket from an airline, travel agency, or online booking agency showing your child's departure date from the U.S. FAX or photocopies are acceptable. Please include one copy inside the sealed envelope and one copy outside of the sealed envelope.

If you are unable to provide a trip itinerary, click here for other forms of Proof of Departure.

The Online Order Form must be completed. Please print two copies of the confirmation page. Include one copy in the A Briggs envelope and keep one copy for your records.

The Online Order Form will prompt you for payment method. You may pay the A Briggs fees online with a credit card or enclose a personal or business check or money order. If you pay by check or money order, this payment must be placed in the shipping envelope outside of the sealed envelope.

Processing times are business days and do not include shipping time. Keep this in mind when placing your order. Orders are filled based on departure date. For example, a traveler leaving in 10 days that selects 1 to 4 day service may experience fulfillment times of up to 6 days including shipping.

Note: Additional shipping costs must be charged to a credit card for each package shipped to an international destination and the following locations: Alaska, Hawaii, and all U.S. Territories.

Saturday Delivery is an additional $14 when available to US destinations.

Failure to follow these instructions may cause a delay in processing, and could also result in additional charges on your order for shipping, such as: before 8:00am delivery, Saturday Delivery, etc. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us toll free at 1-800-806-0581.

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Contact our office in:
Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle or Washington, DC.

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