sam_gordon
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2010
And both parents still don't need to be present. See my post above.What a pain - when my kids were young my husband never had to come along with me to renew the kids passports.
And both parents still don't need to be present. See my post above.What a pain - when my kids were young my husband never had to come along with me to renew the kids passports.
This is what I was going to suggest. Check your local library to see if they offer this service. Our local library renewed my kids' passports the last time they were up and it was a much better experience vs. going to the Post Office. All I had to do was call to make sure the staff member who does these renewals was available and we went and renewed.I've never had to bring copies of anything, the library we go to takes care of that for us. I highly recommend a library or other community facility rather than a post office.
Oh no doubt it is a pain, but there is good reasoning behind it as @CaptainAmerica said. Parental abduction.
There are no libraries or community facilities that do them here, and we are in a suburban/urban area. Our rev center used to do walk ins once a month but not since Covid.I've never had to bring copies of anything, the library we go to takes care of that for us. I highly recommend a library or other community facility rather than a post office.
Oh yes, I'm aware of that being a issue. I was speaking generally. Sometimes it's a pain to jive schedules in this day and age but you gotta do what you gotta do I suppose. We were able to bring in a form signed by the parent who wasn't there and never had a issue luckily. It's been about 8 or 10 years now since we had to do that so the kids are renewing on their own at this point.
Oh yes, I'm aware of that being a issue. I was speaking generally. Sometimes it's a pain to jive schedules in this day and age but you gotta do what you gotta do I suppose. We were able to bring in a form signed by the parent who wasn't there and never had a issue luckily. It's been about 8 or 10 years now since we had to do that so the kids are renewing on their own at this point.
You're usually good with details, but you've missed the mark a couple times...
1) They're not sending the information electronically. Pictures get stapled to the application and they need original birth certificates, and the check gets stapled to the application. That all gets sent physically to whatever office.
2) Both parents do NOT need to be present. However, if they aren't, there's a form that needs filled out so the "missing" parent acknowledges the passport is being applied for. There's also forms if you can't find the other parent and a list of documents you can provide if you're the sole provider.
3) While you can use the previous passport in place of a birth certificate, it (or the BC) needs to be an original or a certified copy. A photocopy is NOT acceptable.
This is all covered in the link you posted.
Some colleges have passport facilities. Our local one does--MUCH easier than the Post Office! DD18 goes there, and renewed her passport last year. No appointment needed, no lines, and she got it back surprisingly quickly. If you can avoid the post office, I would do that in a heartbeat. In the case of our local college, they also have a post office, literally across the hall, so we were able to mail the forms straight from there (I think that's what it was--we had to go over to the post office for something throughout the passport process).
Of course it can. But it's not being scanned and input electronically at most acceptance facilities is my point.1) I was referring to someone who posted about a passport envelope with a mailing address from across the country. Once the photo is scanned and the data input, all of that can be transmitted electronically now.
Here's the part of your post I'm referring to:3) This one is tricky, because a previous passport is considered proof of citizenship. But the other thing a birth certificate typically proves is who the parents are. There aren't too many documents that do that, so generally most parents will just bring along a certified copy of a birth certificate (we did anyways). I've heard of people just bringing photocopies of birth certificates and having them accepted as proof that the people who showed up with the child are the parents. However, that wouldn't necessarily serve as primary proof of citizenship if the previous passport is submitted.
The photocopy of the BC will NOT be accepted. You MUST have the original or a certified copy.But you'll probably want at least a photocopy of the birth certificate with the name of both parents (if not a certified copy).
I've never heard of a library that did Passport Applications. Where I live, the Post Office is your only choice for getting them, but the PO will do the pictures for you for an additional $15.
Of course it can. But it's not being scanned and input electronically at most acceptance facilities is my point.
Here's the part of your post I'm referring to:
The photocopy of the BC will NOT be accepted. You MUST have the original or a certified copy.
Libraries. City/county clerks. Public universities. Those are the usual suspects outside of post offices.
It must be a state by state thing, the Post Office really is the only place to get them where I live. I put in my zip code and told it I wanted the 25 closest facilities and they were all post offices.
I have the certificate that says I'm a citizen, in spite of being born overseas. My original birth certificate is in German. Luckily, the first time I applied for a passport as an adult, I could use my mother's passport for ID. When I was a child, minors were included in the mother's passport (picture of my mom 3 kids on her passport & everyone's names), so I used that. Didn't need the birth certificate.There are several permutations. A child born overseas with a Certificate of Citizenship (typical if a parent naturalizes and the child gets automatic derivative US citizenship) could have that submitted for a first time passport application as proof of citizenship, but then a photocopy of foreign birth certificate could be used to show who the parents are.
I have the certificate that says I'm a citizen, in spite of being born overseas. My original birth certificate is in German. Luckily, the first time I applied for a passport as an adult, I could use my mother's passport for ID. When I was a child, minors were included in the mother's passport (picture of my mom 3 kids on her passport & everyone's names), so I used that. Didn't need the birth certificate.