When Should Children’s Passports Be Renewed?



A passport application must be made by a minor under 16 along with both of their parents or legal guardians. Children can obtain passport books and cards, valid only for five years. As a result, anyone planning to go abroad with children will likely need to renew their passports every 4.5 years (while maintaining a six-month validity).

If parents applied right before one's 16th birthday, the earliest a US citizen could possess a kid's passport would be just before the youngster turned 21. To finish the application procedure for a ten-year document, many individuals elect to renew early.

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When should second passports be renewed?

Since adding pages to an existing passport is no longer permitted, many US residents now have several passports. These second passport books or cards have a four-year validity period and the exact entrance requirements as any ten-year document; after three years or more, pay particular attention to the expiration date.

How frequently need ordinary passport booklets be renewed?

Suppose a tourist already has a ten-year passport and it wasn't granted more than fifteen years ago. In that case, they can apply in person for renewal at any embassy or consulate overseas or a local US passport service. Applications can be submitted by mail both domestically and overseas.

The passport book or card must be expired to qualify for a renewal, unlike first-time applicants who must physically produce evidence of citizenship. Those who wait more than five years beyond their passport expiration date are no longer eligible for a renewal and must submit a new application.

How much time does it take to renew a passport in an emergency?

If you offer documentation of imminent travel, especially if these reasons involve a medical emergency or a death in the family, passport renewal applications can be expedited in only a few working days. These in-person applications let you confirm the passport's issue date, but mail-in applications for passport renewals may delay you by a few days. If you need to leave the country within a few working days, schedule an appointment at the nearest regional passport office and provide your proof of travel and any necessary documentation.

 Although it still depends on the volume of applicants at the location and if it's the busiest travel period of the year, renewed passport books can occasionally be returned within 1-3 business days.

Applications for a passport book or card completed quickly are still valid for ten years. Emergency passports' limited validity documents, which are only valid for the duration of an overseas journey and cannot be renewed, are the only exception to the emergency passports' expiration date.

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The final word? Your adult passport should be renewed every nine to ten years, but you can put off getting one until fifteen years have passed since it was first granted without any further issues. You should fill out Form DS-82 and make an appointment with a nearby passport center agency. The two activities that take the most time to complete for a passport renewal are verifying that your passport is still valid and receiving a recent photo.

About This Author

Philip Diack is Founder and Managing Director of Passports and Visas.com, a national passport and travel visa service with offices in Atlanta, Miami, Washington, DC, NYC, Denver and San Francisco.

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