Getting a passport for infant/toddler

[cruzinlisa]

How many of you have gotten a passport for your infant or toddler? We cruise in April and DD will be 15 months. I figure we will get a passport for the peace of mind. Also, DH and I like to travel and have used our own passports 3 times since getting them in 2008. We enjoy going to Mexico and are thinking about possibly going in a year or so, so I could see DD using hers again in the next 5 years anyway.

When is the best time to get her passport? I do not want to get it too soon since they are only good for 5 years right. But I don't want to push it either. I am not as worried about not having documentation to cruise if we do not get it back in time because I can easily get another copy of the birth certificate with minimal hassle, but I would prefer not to have to go that route.

I imagine the picture will be so cute, but when she is 4, won't the picture of her at a year be a bit out of date?

[ToddlerMom]

Our DD is 2 and we decided to get a passport for her just in case. I know that some people don't get passports for their children because they are expensive and are only good for 5 years but I wanted the peace of mind to know that if there is an emergency we will be able to fly immediately back to the US.

 

We got DD's passport in less than 2 weeks and I didn't do expedited delivery.

[lrowe70]

I don't understand why you don't want to get the passport? You never know when you may need it and they don't cost too much.

We got our son's first passport in September and have a cruise scheduled for January. We'll potentially take other trips to Canada and Mexico in the next year as well. It can take awhile for the passport to be sent so I'd suggest getting hers now.

 

As far as the photo is concerned, adult passports are good 10 years, so there are tons of people who don't look much like their photo. If anything baby passport photos are darling and somthing to put in her baby book once it expires.

[cb at sea]

They didn't say they didn't want to get a passport...they simply said they wanted to wait so it would be "good" for longer!

 

I'd do it 6 weeks out...that should be more than enough time, even if there are "glitches"...and yet it's close enough that you won't be sacrificing too much pre-expiration time!!!

[Keith1010]

I would get it two months before you need it. While they are being turned around in four weeks or so you just never know and I would want to know that I had them with plenty of time to go.

 

Keith

[Matt&Carolyn]

I'd go ahead and get it after the new year, or in Feb probably... a month or two isn't going to make a big difference, and getting it done is a hassle you will be done with. :) We got our girls' passports a year ago before another trip out of the country, but feel that they're a basic thing to have in case a great deal came up on a fun trip or there was a need to go somewhere quickly. The cost to replace them every 5 years for children is annoying, but it's worth it to me. The pictures on my girl's passports are absolutely adorable, and they'll be fun keepsakes when they're older, even if they look pretty different when their 5 years is up. :)

[B_Mc]

I guess I'm the minority here but I got DS' done as soon as possible because I didn't want to get stuck trying to travel and sweating whether or not it would arrive in time. Now our situation is different being Canadian, but I had his photo taken and passport done around 3 months. He's 20 months now and the photo is terribly out dated but they still accept it. Ours are only good for 3 years for children but I still wouldn't fool around cutting it too close to a departure date.

[Woodmnky]

We ordered DS' about 3 months ahead of time and had it very quickly (just a couple of weeks). I'm a worrier and couldn't push it to 6 weeks out, but likely even if you did that you would be fine.

[cruzinlisa]

Thanks. Her birthday is the end of January, which is 3 months before our cruise so I think I will do it around that time. Then it should be easy to remember when it expires and we will have gotten through the holidays and her birthday (and the expenses that come with it)

[dorito6778]

we got DDs done when she was 4 months old, just to have it just in case. we used it for the first time when she was 15 months old. i'm not worried about the 11 months of "wasted time" and it doesnt matter that the pic will be out of date when we use it when she's five. if the government wants to do it that way...thats their issue, not mine. just do it. i've heard too many horror stories about passports not coming in time, or at the very very last minute.

[Cocoanib]

We did our DD's 2 months before we were scheduled to leave to be safe. You never know if there will be an issue with the application or delays. We wound up getting it in under 2 weeks. I was really surprised!

[travel123456]

My daughter was born overseas...we had to get her passport immediately. She was 6 days old when her photo was taken... the photo shows almost her whole body as she was so tiny!! she traveled many times under that passport..even though it could have been any child!! It is a neat keepsake for her especially because we tried to make sure it got stamped every where possible. She is 16 now and her passport is almost ready to expire..and honestly her photo doesn't look that much like her anymore either. Will get her a new one even as soon as we return from our trip because I would hate for her to not be able to travel if the right opportunity came up.

[QTMichele]

Just chiming in...

 

My children have passports - I have them for peace of mind, an "insurance policy," if you will. Yes, I think they are expensive when you add up the cost for a family of 5, but we've already used our twice, and will use them at least 2 more times before theirs expire. I feel good about the decision we made for our family, but I can certainly understand those who chose not to purchase passports for their children.

[cruisincarly]

Regarding pictures -- like a previous poster, I had to get a passport for my son when he was really little (we moved abroad when he was 7 months and had to get visas, so we're talking pictures at 4 weeks old). The picture not only doesn't look like him, but it meets only about half the criteria for a proper passport photo (his eyes are closed, his little hand is in the picture and I'm pretty sure its not sized correctly), but no one really cares. He looks like he's the right age, and no one expects him to still look like a 4 week-old baby!

[Onessa]

DD is on her fourth US "children's" passport. And pretty much each time it is time to replace it, the picture is so grossly out of date that it could be any of a hundred kids! But it works, and she's been to about twelve countries on about 20 trips.

[lgionet]

2-3 months before travelling should be more then enough time.

I got passports for both of my kids when they were 3 months old.

[mymollysue]

My DD got her passport when she was 9-10 months old. She cruised when she just turned 1 and also when she was almost 2. We leave tomorrow morning on her 3rd cruise. It is good to have. It does have to be renewed after 5 years but we like having one now for peace of mind. I think it took us about 6-7 weeks to get in the mail at the time. Just give yourself plenty of time in case things are slow on their end.

[crusinmama06]

Yes I have them for mine. And actually, my 7 year old's is up for renewal, so she has had it for 5 years already (WOW, did the time fly :eek:)

 

On our last cruise, the agent said to my youngest while holding my oldest's passport "This child looks like YOU! I guess you grew up to look like your sister and you aren't a baby anymore. ;)"

 

So yes, we have them. And we now need new ones. :D

[twinmommy08]

We got the twins' passports when they were three months old. They are three now. I always bring their BC with their passport just incase we get questioned. I don't want to be the one denied boarding because their photos don't look anything like them now.

 

Just worried but better be safe than sorry! :D

[parrotthead]

How many of you have gotten a passport for your infant or toddler? We cruise in April and DD will be 15 months. I figure we will get a passport for the peace of mind. Also, DH and I like to travel and have used our own passports 3 times since getting them in 2008. We enjoy going to Mexico and are thinking about possibly going in a year or so, so I could see DD using hers again in the next 5 years anyway.

When is the best time to get her passport? I do not want to get it too soon since they are only good for 5 years right. But I don't want to push it either. I am not as worried about not having documentation to cruise if we do not get it back in time because I can easily get another copy of the birth certificate with minimal hassle, but I would prefer not to have to go that route.

I imagine the picture will be so cute, but when she is 4, won't the picture of her at a year be a bit out of date?

We are doing PassPort Card for our 6mo old. Less $$ same ID as PassPort (altho cant be used to Fly international, but we cruise so no problem)

[ToddlerMom]

We got a passport for DD. I don't get the purpose of a passport card unless you frequently drive across the Mexican/Canadian border. You don't need it to get on the ship and it won't do you any good if you need to fly back to the US from the Caribbean. Seems like a huge waste of money to me.

[bean24]

We got a passport for our son 3 months before our cruise, and he wound up having a severe asthma attack and we had to leave the ship and fly home. I can't imagine how much more stressful and expensive this would have been if we first had to try and get his passport while we were in Bermuda.

[parrotthead]

We got a passport for DD. I don't get the purpose of a passport card unless you frequently drive across the Mexican/Canadian border. You don't need it to get on the ship and it won't do you any good if you need to fly back to the US from the Caribbean. Seems like a huge waste of money to me.

IMO- PP Card=$40

PP Book=$100

We drive to Port and Cruise, so for Baby PP card makes sense..it is Govt Issued Photo ID of Child, Proves Citizenship and therefore and since I dont Fly, it works out great.

and Yes, we have/do Drive from Dallas, Tx to NiagaraFalls Canada, from time to time.

So, to use 4-5 times a year its the best for us.

[TheCalicoCat]

We got one for our son when he was an infant. We've used it for 2 cruises since then & will use it again next summer. (We get them stamped.)

[Almost Packed]

dh convinced me to get ds a passport. so we got everything ready and headed up to the post office after picking ds up from school instead of letting him ride the bus home. We wanted to get to the post office before they close...you know, govt. hours lol....

 

anyways so after waiting in line we get up to counter and the postal worker tells me they cannot do passports at this time....it's about 3:15 pm. Then he points to a sign hidden behind a wall that says passport hours are from 9am till 12:00 noon. He says the government only gives them a certain amount of hours a day to do passports. So not only is the government paying them (govt. being us taxpayers). So I asked what I was suppose to do for my child who needs a passport. I said is he suppose to skip school so he can get a passport and the postal worker told me yes. Ridiculous! i was furious! It's not like the postal people are not being paid for their time standing at the counter.

 

needless to say, now we don't have enough time to get one if we have to wait until Christmas break-as the current processing times according to the govt. website http://www.travel.state.gov/passport/processing/processing_1740.html

is about 6 weeks. so, we'll just take a birth certificate....:eek::rolleyes: and people wonder why i post office is in a mess....just think..i pay them already to pay them to pay them lol.