Passports

[disney1474]

Ok, I have all our passports. Question is I have a 9 and 11 year old. Can they sign their passports or do we as parents sign. Wondering what you all do. First time having passports!!

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

For us they sign.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Ok, I have all our passports. Question is I have a 9 and 11 year old. Can they sign their passports or do we as parents sign. Wondering what you all do. First time having passports!!

At 9 and 11 they can write their own names.

 

[perditax]

Oh man, I would have loved to have my own passport to sign as a kid (my parents didn't travel).

 

[disneyfaninaz]

My DD signed hers at that age.

 

[over50visits]

Ok, I have all our passports. Question is I have a 9 and 11 year old. Can they sign their passports or do we as parents sign. Wondering what you all do. First time having passports!!

According to the Dept of State policies, parents/guardians only sign passports of children too young to sign it themselves.

 

[Bree]

They are old enough to sign. If they don't know cursive they can print their names.

 

[Disneyholic]

My son was 21 when he got his passport and he had trouble signing his name in cursive because he usually printed everything. He had to practice signing his name before he signed his passport. It ended up looking like chicken scratch & to this day his signature still looks like that.

When we were at check-in at port last cruise there was a Chinese Family next to us who had printed there names on their documents. The CM at the counter told them they had to sign in cursive. They looked confused and asked if they could sign them in Chinese character as that was their formal signature and that is what they ended up doing.

 

[bumbershoot]

Ok, I have all our passports. Question is I have a 9 and 11 year old. Can they sign their passports or do we as parents sign. Wondering what you all do. First time having passports!!

Looked at your location, saw that you are in the US.

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/FAQs.html#Minors

"A parent or legal guardian may sign the passport if the child is too young to sign his or her own name. To do so, a parent or legal guardian must print the child’s name and sign his or her own name in the space provided for the signature. The parent or legal guardian must also write his or her relationship to the child in parenthesis next to the signature (e.g., parent or legal guardian) so we know who signed for the child."

Since I have a kid who has been VERY late in reading well, and also late in writing decently (same as his father though his father was tormented by parents and school system, while we just relaxed and knew it would come in time, and it has), I'm not going to assume that your kids can *sign* their names. Since the info says "to sign his or her own name" I personally wouldn't (and didn't) assume that *printing* is OK.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Looked at your location, saw that you are in the US.

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/FAQs.html#Minors

"A parent or legal guardian may sign the passport if the child is too young to sign his or her own name. To do so, a parent or legal guardian must print the child’s name and sign his or her own name in the space provided for the signature. The parent or legal guardian must also write his or her relationship to the child in parenthesis next to the signature (e.g., parent or legal guardian) so we know who signed for the child."

Since I have a kid who has been VERY late in reading well, and also late in writing decently (same as his father though his father was tormented by parents and school system, while we just relaxed and knew it would come in time, and it has), I'm not going to assume that your kids can *sign* their names. Since the info says "to sign his or her own name" I personally wouldn't (and didn't) assume that *printing* is OK.

"Printing" would be acceptable, if that's how they "sign" their name. I know several people who don't use cursive. And many more who have a combination of cursive/block letters in their writing (including myself).

 

[cashe]

My son was 21 when he got his passport and he had trouble signing his name in cursive because he usually printed everything. He had to practice signing his name before he signed his passport. It ended up looking like chicken scratch & to this day his signature still looks like that.

When we were at check-in at port last cruise there was a Chinese Family next to us who had printed there names on their documents. The CM at the counter told them they had to sign in cursive. They looked confused and asked if they could sign them in Chinese character as that was their formal signature and that is what they ended up doing.

they aren't teaching cursive in school anymore.... at least here in texas. i think that's STUPID.

 

[MC0810]

cursive is still taught here in FL but not as emphasized as it used to be.

thanks for the info. We went and did paperwork for passports today. My kids are 4 and 6. I will follow the directions bumbershoot posted

 

[Disneyholic]

they aren't teaching cursive in school anymore.... at least here in texas. i think that's STUPID.

They were still teaching cursive when he went to school, but he had problems with it because they didn't catch that he was making clockwise O's and started his letters that had vertical lines, such as I and T, from the bottom up. When switching over to cursive it caused him a lot of trouble.

I remember drawing counter clockwise circles and lines from top to bottom as practice skills in preparation for printing which the would go on to help with cursive.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

My DD hasn't signed her passport yet, but I will have her do it herself before our trip. She has significant fine motor deficiencies. Her handwriting was atrocious. All her letters were so large that she wouldn't be able to fit even her shortened first name in the signature space. She finally started receiving OT services from her school this year and has made huge progress in her handwriting since the beginning of the school year. I'm hopeful that by the time our cruise rolls around in June, her handwriting will be improved enough where she'll be able to at least print her full name in the signature space.

In Ohio, it seems each school district is making their own decision as to whether to teach cursive or not. Many are not, and I feel that's a huge loss.

 

[nzdisneymom]

I signed for our children even at age 12 and 13 as neither was "signing" their name yet. I will tell you that when we went to renew their passports yesterday, because the older one was 18, they couldn't use his passport as ID with his photo and signature since I had signed and he had not. It caused us a problem. The younger one is still 17 so we could sign his application as parents without any trouble but for the older one, we are hoping the passport office will process without needing more. The other issue is that both of our boys still have just their learner's permits which are NOT accepted as photo/signature ID. And once you're 18, they really balk at it. We may be having to fill out a secondary evidence of identification form for the older one if they come back and want more info for him ( http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/secondary-evidence1.html in case anyone else has a similar situation ). It's funny (not) to me that both of our children used their passports as primary ID to get their learner's permits.

 

[Dug720]

they aren't teaching cursive in school anymore.... at least here in texas. i think that's STUPID.

Cursive isn't on THE TEST. (sarcasm)

But in reality, there is really no reason to have to write in cursive. I don't think there ever was.

 

[ptcbass]

My DS (15) still needs to sign his passport and is asking how to sign his name as a official signature. I know someone that prints his name as his signature and some that just look like a scribbled line so I told him his signature is how he decides to always write his name. Well when we went to get his drivers permit the lady told him his signature had to be in cursive. I started to correct her but chose not to and told him to just sign it in cursive (to make everyone happy). No wonder kids are confused now days. That goes along with the answers that were "optional" on the passport application but when I got to the post office they told me they had to be completed and were mandatory questions. I always say pick your battles. This isn't worth it to me. I feel for our kids though cause this world is getting crazier every day.

 

[cashe]

Cursive isn't on THE TEST. (sarcasm)

But in reality, there is really no reason to have to write in cursive. I don't think there ever was.

my grandmother and mother all only write in cursive. there may not be a reason to now, but kids can't read anything written in cursive and that's frightening.