Renthead Mommy Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 The Boy's pappsort is set to expire in Dec of 2018. He turns 16 in July. If I get a new one now, at almost 15 3/4, is that passport only good for five years still? Even though it becomes an 'adult' passport as he will so soon be 16? But if I wait till after he is 16 that is less than six months till it's expiration. Can you travel on a less than six months to go passport? We don't have anything planned at this moment, but you never know when a cruise or a Europe trip will come up. He has military ID for flying in the states so that is no an issue. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 Mostly you require six months to travel overseas. I know one family that was turned back at the airport because one child's passport had less than six months to run. The destination country doesn't want a passportless person on their hands if there's an emergency and the traveller gets delayed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 Years of validity depends on age at time of passport issue, so yes if it is issued when he is 15 it is valid for only five years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 I just took my 18 year old to apply for his passport and even though on line it makes it sound like at 16 they are an adult apparently that is misleading. I still had to show my ID and sign for him. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 If you might travel, just renew now. Renewing at 15 is cheaper than 16 anyway. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renthead Mommy Posted February 13, 2018 Author Share Posted February 13, 2018 I just took my 18 year old to apply for his passport and even though on line it makes it sound like at 16 they are an adult apparently that is misleading. I still had to show my ID and sign for him. Well of course. The difference between a kid and adult is adult passport is 10 years and renewable. A kid passport is only 5 and you get a new one each time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 Well of course. The difference between a kid and adult is adult passport is 10 years and renewable. A kid passport is only 5 and you get a new one each time. I assume this is primarily because children change so much as they grow. I recently came across ds12's first passport--he couldn't have been more than 2 months old and I was holding him up for the photo. Adorable but he would not be recognizable now :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bootsie Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 I just took my 18 year old to apply for his passport and even though on line it makes it sound like at 16 they are an adult apparently that is misleading. I still had to show my ID and sign for him. There is the this odd period of 16 and 17 where special rules apply,to needing both parents present but you still only have 5 years on the passport. I thought once you were 18 you could apply for a passport without a parent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bootsie Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 Some European countries require 6 months of validity to remain on passport, others require only 3 months--but those rules can change and you will need to keep up-to-date on the current requirements. Two years ago, the requirement for Switzerland, for example, was 3 months of validity from the date of your RETURN flight--not your entry flight into Switzerland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 I read up on this a couple of months ago. DD is 17 now. She will apply as an "Adult", however her next Passport will be her first Passport with a validity of 10 years. She will need to use a different form, have more documentation, and pay more than I do when I renew my Passport. We are overseas and need to make appointments in the U.S. Embassy to do that. Probably during April... There are pages on the State.Gov web site that will explain the different procedures, depending on the circumstances of the person renewing a U.S. Passport https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 (edited) If I get a new one now, at almost 15 3/4, is that passport only good for five years still? Even though it becomes an 'adult' passport as he will so soon be 16? Yes, it will only be good for five years. If he can do without one until his sixteenth birthday, he would get the full ten years. Edited February 13, 2018 by TechWife Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 I thought once you were 18 you could apply for a passport without a parent. You can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 There is the this odd period of 16 and 17 where special rules apply,to needing both parents present but you still only have 5 years on the passport. I thought once you were 18 you could apply for a passport without a parent. At 16 and 17, you still need both parents present, just like you do under sixteen. However, the passport is good for ten years. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/apply-renew-passport/16-17.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 As far as how much time you need on a passport in order to travel in a country, it's completely dependent on how long you're allowed to travel in a country without a visa. So for example, since you're allowed to travel in the UK for 6 months with just a passport (no visa), you need to have 6 months left on your passport beginning with the day of entry into the country. In Costa Rica, you're allowed to travel there for 3 months on just a passport and no visa. That means you need to have at least 3 months left on your passport beginning the day of entry into the country. Every country is different and even the nationality of the traveler might make it different. Also, it has nothing at all to do with the length of days your trip is. Even if your trip is only going to be 48 hours long, if you're in a country that allows you to travel for 6 months on a passport only and no visa, then you need to be sure that your passport shows that you have 6 months left on it before it expires. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bootsie Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 At 16 and 17, you still need both parents present, just like you do under sixteen. However, the passport is good for ten years. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/apply-renew-passport/16-17.html The linked site says that you need "parental awareness" at 16 and 17, but that if the young person has a picture ID, parental awareness does not mean that either parent must be present. I know these are different rules than were in place when we were in this situation with a soon-to-be 17 year old Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 Mostly you require six months to travel overseas. I know one family that was turned back at the airport because one child's passport had less than six months to run. The destination country doesn't want a passportless person on their hands if there's an emergency and the traveller gets delayed. Wow, I never knew that. The Hive educates me once again! :thumbup1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 At 16 and 17, you still need both parents present, just like you do under sixteen. However, the passport is good for ten years. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/apply-renew-passport/16-17.html My son is 17 and they did not require both parents present. Lastweek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 The linked site says that you need "parental awareness" at 16 and 17, but that if the young person has a picture ID, parental awareness does not mean that either parent must be present. I know these are different rules than were in place when we were in this situation with a soon-to-be 17 year old I just had my 17 yo in for her first U.S. passport, which arrived yesterday. The post office where we applied only required one parent, although I agree with others who have noted that the online application makes it look like a 16 or 17 yo can get a passport without a parent present. The parental awareness requirement noted on the linked site is not on the application itself, but clearly some processors are going to require one parent present. FWIW, my renewal passport arrived in exactly two weeks; hers was held up by a request for additional documentation (Chinese adoptee) but then arrived one week after I sent in the additional documents, which was three weeks from the original application. Very speedy, I thought. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 There is the this odd period of 16 and 17 where special rules apply,to needing both parents present but you still only have 5 years on the passport. I thought once you were 18 you could apply for a passport without a parent. They did not require both parents to be present for my ds last week when he applied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 If it's critical to you to be ready to go at any moment, go ahead and renew it now. Given all the craziness in the federal gov't these days, I would NOT rely on speedy or reliable service. A local friend's husband's renewal took SIX MONTHS. He just finally got it a week or two ago. They had to cancel a trip. No particular reason, either. (Native born US citizens, no connections or travel to unusual places, just occasional Caribbean travel!) Just the application got misfiled in some office, etc. They couldn't "reapply" since his application WAS somewhere, etc. etc. So, given that, I'd plan to get a new passport with at least 6 months breathing room. You can always renew it again before he leaves for college, so then he's ready to go for a decade. Personally, I know about international travel months ahead, and it's rare for us, so I waited until ds was 16 to renew his. I was sort of freaked out when I realized that both my older 2 kids will never again need Mom's help to get a passport . . . Freakish. Also nice to know I won't be spending that $$$ again, lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*LC Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 Yep, you need to wait to 16 to get a 10-year passport. Thanks for starting this thread. I have a high schooler who needs a new passport, and I had not thought of needing to go to the appointment, since he qualifies for an adult passport. I looked at the parental awareness info and will send my approval/signature along with a picture of my id. It is interesting that approval from two parents is not being required as it was definitely required the last time my kids & their cousins got passports. I was asked for father's approval letter. You definitely can travel with less than six months to some countries. Look up your countries of interest here to see what the country requires for a US passport. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages.html There are countries that require 6 months. Italy, Germany: Must have at least six months vailidity beyond your planned date of departure from the Schengen area. Others do not. Australia, South Korea: Must be valid at time of entry Ireland, Japan: Valid for the duration of your stay United Kingdom Must be valid for duration of your stay (six months remaining validity recommended) We did this with multiple kids having about 4 months on passports, without any trouble. Portugal: 3 months beyond the intended date of departure France: Must be valid for at least three months beyond your planned date of departure from the Schengen area (We did this with 4 months remaining, without any troubl Spain: 6 months recommended, 3 months beyond your date of departure is required. Since you mentioned a cruise: Bahamas, Mexico: Must be valid at time of entry. Cayman Islands, Aruba, Jamaica: Must be valid at the time of entry and exit Costa Rica: Length of stay If a trip comes up as your son turns 16, you can pay for an expedited passport. I think it says 2-3 weeks. Regular passports are running 4-6 weeks according to the website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renthead Mommy Posted February 14, 2018 Author Share Posted February 14, 2018 Yep, you need to wait to 16 to get a 10-year passport. Thanks for starting this thread. I have a high schooler who needs a new passport, and I had not thought of needing to go to the appointment, since he qualifies for an adult passport. I looked at the parental awareness info and will send my approval/signature along with a picture of my id. It is interesting that approval from two parents is not being required as it was definitely required the last time my kids & their cousins got passports. I was asked for father's approval letter. You definitely can travel with less than six months to some countries. Look up your countries of interest here to see what the country requires for a US passport. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages.html There are countries that require 6 months. Italy, Germany: Must have at least six months vailidity beyond your planned date of departure from the Schengen area. Others do not. Australia, South Korea: Must be valid at time of entry Ireland, Japan: Valid for the duration of your stay United Kingdom Must be valid for duration of your stay (six months remaining validity recommended) We did this with multiple kids having about 4 months on passports, without any trouble. Portugal: 3 months beyond the intended date of departure France: Must be valid for at least three months beyond your planned date of departure from the Schengen area (We did this with 4 months remaining, without any troubl Spain: 6 months recommended, 3 months beyond your date of departure is required. Since you mentioned a cruise: Bahamas, Mexico: Must be valid at time of entry. Cayman Islands, Aruba, Jamaica: Must be valid at the time of entry and exit Costa Rica: Length of stay If a trip comes up as your son turns 16, you can pay for an expedited passport. I think it says 2-3 weeks. Regular passports are running 4-6 weeks according to the website. Thank you. I will probably just wait, and if something too good to miss comes up we will just pay the extra fee. I want him to have a ten year passport. Sort of a step into adulthood. And I don’t want it to be something he needs to worry about in college, especially when that is prime time for out of country travel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 Mostly you require six months to travel overseas. I know one family that was turned back at the airport because one child's passport had less than six months to run. The destination country doesn't want a passportless person on their hands if there's an emergency and the traveller gets delayed. I was just in getting my kids passports done today and the lady at the passport office told me that some airlines and trabsportation companies are even more strict than some countries, too. So, even if a country allows 3 months until expiration, the airline might still require 6+ or they won’t let you board. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 (edited) FWIW we just updated ours and got them in under two weeks (not expedited). It's a good time before the spring rush. Edited February 14, 2018 by MEmama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.