Passports

Bahamas Entry Requirements for U.S. Citizens

How to Get a NEW PASSPORT FOR A CHILD UNDER 16

All children, including newborn infants, must have a passport for international travel by air & as of June 1, 2009 also by sea. (Please note: passports issued to children under the age of 16 are valid for 5 years only and if your child has an expired passport, it cannot be renewed and a new passport must be secured.)

To apply for a new passport for your child, you and the child will need to appear in person at a post office or courthouse that accepts passport applications. Click here to find the passport acceptance office nearest you. You can also call 1-800-275-8777 for the location nearest you.

(If your child is under 14 years of age, the child and BOTH parents should appear in person. If only one parent can appear, the parent making the appearance must submit the second parent's written, signed and notarized Statement of Consent Form (DS-3053) which provides authorization for the child to be issued a passport.)

At the acceptance facility, you will need to provide the following:

1. Proof of Citizenship

You will need to provide ONE of the following

  1. Original or certified copy of your child's birth certificate -- hospital birth certificates are unacceptable (If you do not have your child's original birth certificate, click here to order a certified copy)
  2. Old Passport
  3. Original Naturalization Certificate or Certificate of Citizenship
  4. Consular Report of Birth Abroad

2. Proof of Parents Relationship to Children Under 14

Parents or legal guardians applying for a child under 14 must submit an original or certified copy of ONE of the following:

  1. Certified U.S. birth certificate of the applicant (with parents' names)
  2. Certified Foreign Birth Certificate of the applicant (with parents' names and translation, if necessary)
  3. Report of Birth Abroad of the applicant (Form FS-240) (with parents' names)
  4. Certification of Birth Abroad of the applicant (Form DS-1350) (with parents' names)
  5. Adoption Decree of the applicant (with adopting parents' names)
  6. Court Order Establishing Custody of the applicant
  7. Court Order Establishing Guardianship of the applicant.

If the name of the parent/guardian is other than that on the document, evidence of legal name change is required.

3. Parent's Proof of Identity

In order to prove the parent's or guardian's identity to the acceptance agent, each parent or guardian must submit ONE of the following:

  1. Valid driver's license
  2. State-issued identification (issued more than 6 months ago)
  3. Valid official U.S. Government or military picture ID
  4. Official government or military picture identification
  5. Valid U.S. or foreign passport with recognizable photo
  6. Naturalization/Citizenship Certificate from BCIS with photo
  7. BCIS Alien Resident Card

4. DS-11 Application for a New Passport

Click here to download the DS-11 form
(Do NOT sign the DS-11 until you are instructed to do so by the acceptance agent.)

5. Passport Photos

Go to a passport photographer and have your passport photos taken. You will recieve two (2) identical passport photographs.

Click here for passport photo requirements and where to have photos made

6. Check, money order or bank draft to pay application fees

You will need to provide two separate checks for fees:

  1. payment of $60 payable to U.S. Department of State
  2. payment of $25 payable to the acceptance facility

(Please include your child's date of birth on the memo line of the check)

Expedited Passport Service

You can receive your passport, ordinarily, in about 3 weeks if you pay an additional $60 fee. Write acheck in the amount of $120 made payable to U.S. Department of State (this includes $60 processing fee and $60 expediting fee). You will still need a separate check, payable to the acceptance facility in the amount of $25. Totaling $145 for an expedited child's passport.

  • Provide 2 prepaid “U.S. Postal Service Express Mail” envelopes
    • One envelope addressed to the U.S. Passport Agency (use address listed in the “Mail to” section of your DS-11 application)
    • One envelope addressed to the place you wish to have your childs new passport returned

Here's what you can expect to happen at the passport acceptance facility.
The passport acceptance agent will:

  1. Witness the parents (or child if 14 or 15) signing line 23 of the DS-11 (Do not sign until asked to do so)
  2. Check identification to verify parent's identity
  3. Attach child's proof of citizenship documents to the application
  4. Attach child's photos to the application
  5. Receive payments for child's passport application

At this point, the acceptance agent will send your child's documents to the U.S. Passport Agency. You will receive your child's new passport in the mail in about 6-8 weeks (or about 3 weeks if expedited) together with your child's citizenship documents. Please note: Your child's passport is valid for only 5 years. (Applicants aged 16 or older will receive a passport valid for 10 years.)

When you receive your child's passport, if the child is under 14, in the space provided for signature, the mother or father must print the child's name and sign their own name. Then, in parenthesis by the parent's signature, write the word (mother) or (father) so authorities will know who signed for the child. If the child is 14 or 15, the child should sign.

Questions? Call National Passport Services at 1-877-487-2778 or visit www.travel.state.gov