Our Journey to Get a USA Passport for Our Baby

Our Journey to Get a USA Passport for Our Baby

Getting a passport for your little one can seem daunting, but with careful preparation, it’s a smooth process! Here’s a step-by-step account of how we successfully applied for our baby’s passport through USPS, complete with a timeline and helpful tips! 😌

Appointment Day! 🗓️

We scheduled our mailing with USPS for November 22nd at 11:15 AM. After paying the necessary fees for the application process (which included the passport book, card, and processing fees), we were ready to go! The entire procedure took just five minutes, and the staff were incredibly friendly! 😆

Tracking Our Application 📦

After submitting our documents, we could track the progress online. Here’s how everything unfolded:

• November 26: The State Department received our application documents and began processing it.
• December 2: Our documents were officially sent out!
• December 5: We received the confirmation that our application arrived! 🎉
• December 10: At 7:50 AM, our baby’s birth certificate was delivered! 🍼
• December 11: Our passport card arrived at 8:00 AM! ✌🏻

Photograph Prep 📸

For the application, I took a photo of our baby right at home, edited it, and printed it at our nearby CVS. Only one photo was required, making this part of the application process straightforward!

Materials Needed 📑

To apply for a passport, we gathered the following materials:

1. Original baby birth certificate + a photocopy
2. Both parents’ original IDs + a photocopy of each
3. One 5×5 photo (can be taken on-site or brought from home)
4. Completed DS-11 form (available online for download)
5. Payment method: No credit or debit cards accepted, so cash or check is essential! 💵
6. If you need expedited service, the fee is $60 (2-4 weeks), or you can opt for the normal processing time (6-8 weeks).

Final Thoughts 🥳

We decided against expedited service and paid a total of $152. In just nine business days, we received the passport! By December 12th, we had everything in hand! 🙈 I can’t help but feel we might have set a record! Haha! 😊

Just a note: Both parents need to be present at the application appointment. If one parent can’t make it, you might need a notarized consent form, but we were lucky enough to attend together!

Overall, our experience was incredibly rewarding and faster than we expected. Best of luck to all parents applying for their child’s passport! You’re doing great! 💪🏽