Any parent that is going on an international trip and that plans on taking their child should get familiar with passport laws immediately. If you think that just because the child is a newborn or a minor that they can freely pass between borders, you are sadly mistaken. The process itself is almost identical to what an adult has to do, with provisions in place because of the age of the young international traveler.

There are plenty of people that merely shake their head as the prospect of having to have a passport for their child. First and foremost, it is still a matter of national security. If children were able to come in and out of the country with no checks and balances, pure chaos could ensue. As any parent can imagine, this could lead to plenty of legal problems.

Something else that not many people probably even think of is human trafficking. If the law about infant passports was not in place, people could easily transport illegal children across the borders for a variety of reasons. This goes for kids coming both in and out of the country.

The infant or child will get their passport in much the same way that an adult does. It goes without saying that the child will not be able to do this on their own, so mom and or dad are going to have to do all of the work in order for a valid passport to be obtained. In addition to the forms, do not forget to get the passport photos of the child.

Since the children will not be able to sign the passport, this must also be handled by the parents. This is like more of a co-signature in that the parent signs there name in place of the child. It will go next to the child on the passport and serve as their signature until the child can actually get a passport renewal and sign the passport on their own.

In order for the co-signature to be valid, the parent will have to sign their child’s name and then their name next to it along with their relationship. In other words, it would read: child’s name, parents’ signature and then mother, father or guardian in parenthesis. The ideal situation would be that the parent that is signing the passport would actually be accompanying the child on the trip. This could alleviate any challenges that may be faced going through customs.

In order for a child younger than sixteen to obtain a passport, the child must receive written consent from both parents or guardians. This is part of new law passed in an attempt to prevent international custody disputes. A child under sixteen must apply for a passport in person, and both parents must sign form DS-11, in person, together, with the child. A child cannot receive a passport without both parents present.

Clearly, there are a lot of sound reasons behind the laws that require an infant u s passport. Because international travel is always a concern for national security, it is imperative that all citizens carry their pasports, even infants and newborns. Anyone with an infant considering international travel should most definitely take steps to start the passport application process as soon as possible.