Kids’ Passports Expire Much Faster Than Adults—What Travelers Need to Know

Families planning an international trip may want to carefully check their child’s passport expiration date.

While many travelers understand that a regular United States passport is valid for 10 years, the policy isn’t the same for a child’s passport. In fact, the U.S. Department of State, which manages the passport process, states that passports for children under the age of 16 are valid for half of the normal term: just five years. 

To be on the safe side, parents should plan on replacing a child’s passport at least every three and a half years, as many countries require more than six months of passport validity to be able to use the document for entry to their country. 

The State Department has a helpful checklist for parents who are in the process of replacing or obtaining a first-time passport for a child under the age of 16. Some of the special instructions include providing evidence of U.S. citizenship and both parents submitting information and consent for the passport. 

«Both parents or guardians must approve that we can issue a passport to a child, and go with the child to apply in person,» the State Department’s website explains. 

The policy further explains that renewals cannot be completed through the DS-82 form, and instead have to be processed as new passports. ​​The current processing time for a routine passport application is four to six weeks, and expedited service takes two to three weeks. 

For many families, the five-year expiration can cause panic and disruption before flights. 

“The plans were booked last minute and I noticed today his passport is expired!” one parent shared in a Reddit post. 

Another family described the «urgent situation» in which their vacation to Punta Cana was completely ruined when they realized their child’s passport was two months expired, sharing in another Reddit post, “we had to rebook and make an appointment for expedited passport renewal at a passport agency, this sucks!” 

Frequent travelers may also consider applying for a Global Entry membership for their child, which can provide expedited airport security screening. The process similar to what an adult would do to get Global Entry membership, including the in-person interview. However, children under the age of 14 do not need to submit fingerprints. 

The State Department regularly offers «Special Passport Acceptance Fairs» as ways for first-time passport applicants to receive special help and insights on the application process. A full listing of the events is on the State Department’s website at travel.state.gov.