Kids' passports expire in July...renew or not?

[Sneezyone]

Should I go ahead and send them in for renewal now and just expect a major delay? We're not traveling OCONUS anytime soon anyway. Is there any downside to waiting until this fall when DD turns 16 so hers will be good for 10 years?

[MarieCurie]

It used to be much cheaper to do a renewal, but now I think it's the same fee for a renewal as for a new passport. If you're not planning on any travel, I'd wait until she's 16.

[MarieCurie]

One thing to consider is whether your state IDs are Real ID compliant. If not she may need a passport to travel domestically.

[Laura Corin]

Is there any possibility of emergency overseas travel?  When we were living away from grandparents, we always kept our passports valid.

[TechWife]

If you or anyone in your family travels internationally, go ahead and renew. Due to the possibility of emergency, I keep a current passport so that I can travel if my husband becomes ill or is in some kind of accident and I am needed. I don't think things like that are any more likely to happen because he is overseas, it's just common sense for us to avoid delays in case of emergency. Keep in mind that in normal circumstances, my husband travels extensively, so your situation may be different.  The REAL ID requirement for flying stateside has been postponed to October 2021, so there isn't any need to rush to get the passport renewed for that reason.

[Beth S]

I'm always thankful for the Hive.
I was going to reply "renew" . . . but with this new info, it's fine to wait.
I know some countries don't like admitting travelers with a soon-to-expire passport.
But if you're not traveling, it's not an issue.
I renewed mine recently, to be prepared for unexpected travel.

 

[SKL]

I just heard they have put a halt on new passports including renewals.

I hope that will mean you can still renew afterwards without any extra fuss.

You might want to check the website to learn the specifics of the delay.

[Sneezyone]

38 minutes ago, MarieCurie said:

One thing to consider is whether your state IDs are Real ID compliant. If not she may need a passport to travel domestically.

 

Yes, this is another consideration. DMVs are closed and she can't get a learner's permit right now let alone a real ID. We also have family out of state so traveling is always a possibility.

5 minutes ago, HeighHo said:

Check the DMV for your 16.....the permit in my state has good features for non-airplane crossing into Canada as well as domestric flights::

from the NY DMV website:

 

ENHANCED

An Enhanced license, permit, or non-driver ID can be used

• to board a domestic flight (within the U.S.)
• to enter a federal building or military base
• to cross a U.S. border coming from Canada, Mexico, and some Caribbean countries (it is not acceptable for air travel between these countries)
• for photo identification purposes 

Enhanced

• is Federal REAL ID compliant
• costs an additional $30 on top of the regular transaction fees
• requires an office visit to prove your
  • identity- *if your name has changed bring in marriage certificate(s), divorce decree(s) or court order document(s)
  • NY State residency
  • U.S. citizenship
  • date of birth
  • Social Security status
• shows your full legal name (first, middle, last)
• shows your residential address (where you live)
• has an American flag displayed on the document

 

Yes, this isn't an option for us right now and at least through July.

Edited April 27, 2020 by Sneezyone

[Sneezyone]

25 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

Is there any possibility of emergency overseas travel?  When we were living away from grandparents, we always kept our passports valid.

 

There's the possibility, sure, but not likely in the next few years. We still have our official passports. I don't know why I thought they confiscated them but we do still have them. I think they expire a little after the civilian ones do.

[Sneezyone]

37 minutes ago, TechWife said:

If you or anyone in your family travels internationally, go ahead and renew. Due to the possibility of emergency, I keep a current passport so that I can travel if my husband becomes ill or is in some kind of accident and I am needed. I don't think things like that are any more likely to happen because he is overseas, it's just common sense for us to avoid delays in case of emergency. Keep in mind that in normal circumstances, my husband travels extensively, so your situation may be different.  The REAL ID requirement for flying stateside has been postponed to October 2021, so there isn't any need to rush to get the passport renewed for that reason.

 

Thanks. DH and I got ours done around the same time so we still have 5 years left. DD will be doing at least one overseas trip either with school or a summer program while in high school so we're definitely renewing. I just wasn't sure if it would be more onerous in some weird way if we waited until closer to her birthday.

Edited April 27, 2020 by Sneezyone

[Sneezyone]

12 minutes ago, SKL said:

I just heard they have put a halt on new passports including renewals.

I hope that will mean you can still renew afterwards without any extra fuss.

You might want to check the website to learn the specifics of the delay.

 

I checked. They're not halted just significantly delayed. Many of the processing centers are on minimal staffing.

[Sneezyone]

ANOTHER WRINKLE... I cannot have DH go to the passport office with me if I wait until fall b/c he will not be available. Passport offices can be a real pain in the ass when the custodial/non-custodial parent is unavailable for kids under 16, even with the right forms. So, I will probably just send DS's this month and send DDs this fall. Hopefully DD can get a REAL ID learner's permit before then.

Edited April 27, 2020 by Sneezyone

[Corraleno]

Minors don't need a Real ID to fly, so there's no problem with waiting until fall to get your DD's passport. I would just make sure your husband has signed and notarized the permission forms before he leaves.

[Lanny]

I would wait...   The application for the first 10 year U.S. Passport is a little longer and it is a little more expensive, but I would wait until later this year. The photo will be more recent and the validity of the Passport will be twice as long. If the RealID requirement has been delayed because of the Covid-19 crisis, there does not seem to be any compelling reason to apply now. As noted among the first replies here, it is unlikely they would process the Renewal now anyway. We live overseas so DD and I went to the ACS in the U.S. Embassy, 2 years ago, when we were in Bogota for the School Fair, to get new U.S. Passports. As I recall, the Consul called DD to the window, to ask some questions, so although that first 10 year passport costs a little more money, they are providing more service. In your case, if you live in the USA, possibly it can be done by Mail, which isn't possible here?

NOTE: Take previous U.S. Passports and a progression of photos, from the U.S. Passports, and others, until the day applying for the new one. The appearance of children changes a lot as they get older.

[Sneezyone]

1 minute ago, Corraleno said:

Minors don't need a Real ID to fly, so there's no problem with waiting until fall to get your DD's passport. I would just make sure your husband has signed and notarized the permission forms before he leaves.

 

OOOH CRAP! I'm so glad you said that. I'm re-reading the thingy again. It says the parental approval is only good for 90 days so...basically, DH has to do it while he's gone and send it to me to include in the packet. Ugh. One more thing to add to my to do list.

[YaelAldrich]

Sent out our 10 yo son's passport for a renewal about 2.5 months ago.  Usually we get them back within 4-5 weeks.  No sign of it  and I doubt we're going to get it back anytime soon.

[Sneezyone]

19 minutes ago, YaelAldrich said:

Sent out our 10 yo son's passport for a renewal about 2.5 months ago.  Usually we get them back within 4-5 weeks.  No sign of it  and I doubt we're going to get it back anytime soon.

 

Thanks! This gives me some idea what to expect. Maybe if the documentation we send is current as of the time of the postmark it will be considered all good? If so, I can send for both peeps toward the end of the summer.

[SKL]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/Travel/news/us-state-department-stops-issuing-passports-amid-covid-19/ar-BB128JgY?fbclid=IwAR3-Vwc8QiT4x-TYWB_9KjbSp0iev2rzNt_NjjnPR-ehNmfNy-xL850IORA

The usual caveats about news not always getting it right but ....

[Sneezyone]

19 minutes ago, SKL said:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/Travel/news/us-state-department-stops-issuing-passports-amid-covid-19/ar-BB128JgY?fbclid=IwAR3-Vwc8QiT4x-TYWB_9KjbSp0iev2rzNt_NjjnPR-ehNmfNy-xL850IORA

The usual caveats about news not always getting it right but ....

 

Thanks!

[Arcadia]

2 hours ago, Sneezyone said:

 

I checked. They're not halted just significantly delayed. Many of the processing centers are on minimal staffing.

It’s definitely delayed. We did DS14’s renewal in early March and did not opt for expedited. Normally we get the documents back and new passport within a month. Now USCIS is doing the expedited backlog.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/ea/passport-covid-19.html
“Can I expedite my passport?

No. We suspended expedited service (normally 2-3 weeks door-to-door) on March 19 and are not offering this service to any applicants.

What if I applied before March 20?

Expedited Service: Due to limited staffing resulting from COVID-19, we are still working on a small number of expedited applications submitted on and before March 19. While we made every effort to meet our commitment of 2-3 weeks door-to-door service, you may experience additional delays if you applied and requested expedited service on or before March 19.

Routine Service: Due to limited staffing resulting from COVID-19, if you applied and requested routine service on or before March 19, we will not be able to meet our commitment of 6-8 weeks door-to-door service. You should expect significant delays beyond this time period it normally takes to receive your passport and your citizenship evidence documents.”

 

[Amira]

We started the process to renew ds’s passport a few weeks before coronavirus struck and we’ve been told that there’s no timeframe for when we’ll get the new one. 

Personally, I’d submit the paperwork now.  Who knows how long it will take to get things on track, and I’d rather just get it going. Doubly so if your dh will be gone, especially if he’ll be overseas. The mail is not working well right now and getting the right forms from him might not be very straightforward.  

[Corraleno]

@Sneezyone It looks like once your DD is 16, she only needs permission from one parent, not both. So as long as you go with her to apply, you shouldn't need permission from her dad. I would definitely wait until she is 16, so the passport will be good for 10 years.

Click on "parental awareness": https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/16-17.html

[Sneezyone]

51 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

@Sneezyone It looks like once your DD is 16, she only needs permission from one parent, not both. So as long as you go with her to apply, you shouldn't need permission from her dad. I would definitely wait until she is 16, so the passport will be good for 10 years.

Click on "parental awareness": https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/16-17.html

 

I was hoping this was the case but, when I looked at the form itself, it was unclear whether I needed to submit DS-3053 for her if DH can't be present. Having been through this once before for both peeps, ugh, I think it's better to have the form and not need it than need it and not have it. I had one false start too many. You never know what kind of power trip the agent is going to be on that day. LOL. I just don't want to be in a position where we NEED to have valid passports and can't get them for months or years due to the backlog. That's not a viable option for us.

[Corraleno]

33 minutes ago, Sneezyone said:

 

I was hoping this was the case but, when I looked at the form itself, it was unclear whether I needed to submit DS-3053 for her if DH can't be present. Having been through this once before for both peeps, ugh, I think it's better to have the form and not need it than need it and not have it. I had one false start too many. You never know what kind of power trip the agent is going to be on that day. LOL. I just don't want to be in a position where we NEED to have valid passports and can't get them for months or years due to the backlog. That's not a viable option for us.

I hear on you on that! Both my kids were born abroad, and we lived in Europe for 10 years, so most of the the passport applications/renewals I've had to do in the last 25 years were handed through US Consulates, where staff know the rules. One renewal was a same-day application at the US Passport Office in Seattle (where staff were surly but knowledgable, lol) and the other was through the post office in NM, where the designated passport employee was a complete idiot who repeatedly turned people away for not having the right documents when in fact they had everything that was required. I got into a big argument with him and basically forced him to accept our applications even though he insisted that they would be retuned for insufficient documentation. (He was wrong and our new passports arrived by FedEx 2 weeks later). If I have to do the next renewal through the PO, I will definitely print out all the relevant rules and take them with me.

Edited April 27, 2020 by Corraleno

[Arcadia]

On 4/27/2020 at 12:47 PM, Amira said:

We started the process to renew ds’s passport a few weeks before coronavirus struck and we’ve been told that there’s no timeframe for when we’ll get the new one. 

I just got the notice via email notification for DS14’s passport. We also applied before shelter in place. 

Hopefully you would receive your son’s passport soon.

“You requested routine service when you applied, which we are currently processing in 6-8 weeks. You should receive your passport book on or around 06/27/2020”

ETA:

USCIS is back to work as well. DS15’s certificate of naturalization is ready.

Edited June 20, 2020 by Arcadia

[Liz CA]

On 4/27/2020 at 7:47 AM, MarieCurie said:

It used to be much cheaper to do a renewal, but now I think it's the same fee for a renewal as for a new passport. If you're not planning on any travel, I'd wait until she's 16.

 

This unless there is a chance that you will have to travel for unexpected reasons. For a younger kid who will still need a passport before s/he can get adult passport, I'd start the process now.

[Splash1]

Renew, just easier and peace of mind