(C) U.S. State Dept
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How to Apply for a U.S. Passport: A Family Guide [1]

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Date: 2026-05 

Baby Brian is only 10 months old, but even he needs a passport. His parents will have to learn the rules to apply for his passport since he is a minor. Isn’t he cute?

Did you know? Even newborn babies need passports!

STEP 1: First, mom and dad download Form DS-11 from the State Department’s website. On their computer, they will fill in its blank fields and print out the completed form. (But they make sure not to sign it yet! That happens later, during their appointment.)

STEP 2: Next, mom and dad gather the following documents:

Birth certificate as evidence of Brian’s U.S. citizenship and relation to his parents or another form of documentation that shows his relationship to them and U.S. citizenship.

Their driver’s licenses

Note, both parents must accompany Brian in person to apply for his passport. If both parents cannot attend the appointment, they must provide additional approval documentation.

STEP 3: Mom and dad will photocopy the original documents and bring both the copies and the originals with them to the appointment.

They make sure the photocopies are on single-sided 8.5x11-inch paper.

STEP 4: The trickiest step for the Smith parents is taking a passport photo of Brian. Getting him to sit still is a challenging — but important — part of the process.

The photo of Brian must be 2x2 inches and in color. Learn more about passport photo requirements here.

The Smiths make sure not to staple Brian’s passport photo to the forms yet.

STEP 5: Next, the Smith parents look up the amount for Brian’s passport-application fee and write a check or money order to pay it. Since they plan to apply at their post office, they read the instructions about fee payment carefully and know they’ll need to make two different payments: one to the post office, and one to the State Department.

STEP 6: Finally, the Smiths make an appointment at their local post office, one of 7,500 accredited acceptance facilities. The post office allows applicants to walk in and wait in line, but the Smiths did their research and followed the instructions to make an appointment. That way, they could choose a convenient day and be sure they would be able to apply.

And just like that, Baby Brian’s passport application is off for processing!

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[1] Url: https://stories.state.gov/how-to-apply-for-a-us-passport/

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