Small Children & Passports

[tchalene]

I noticed that our passports are not valid until signed. My 6 year old DD can write her name legibly. Should she sign her passport or am I supposed to? I know that this seems silly, but with all of the security, etc. right now, I just don't want any glitches when we are trying to get on a plane or on the boat. Has anybody else had this problem?

 

[TootyJane]

Here is the info from the FAQ section of http://travel.state.gov/passport_services.html:

Q: My child is too young to sign his/her own passport. How do I sign my child's passport?

A: In the space provided for the signature, the mother or father must print the child's name and sign their own name. Then, in parenthesis by the parent's name, write the word (mother) or (father) so we know who signed for the child.


HTH

 

[padams]

I had this question when we went on the Wonder 1/30/03. It was the first time that DSs 5 and 7 used their passports. I left the passports blank and asked the check in person at Port Canaveral what to do. She said exactly what the governemnt regulation above says, except that she said that DSs could write their own names, and then I needed to sign next to their signatures. DSs were excited to do it themselves, and were very careful to write their names as clearly as possible.

 

[aa4mom]

Do young children need to have passports? I was just going to bring birthcertificates? the ages are 6 and 9

 

[shelly3girls]

I believe that as long as the children are under 18, a birth certificate is fine.

 

[mcnuss]

It does not matter what age you are, an official birth certificate is fine. But a passport is the gold standard, and I would never travel out of the US without one, especially these days.