Child passport cost, under age 16
Children under 16 always apply in person on Form DS-11, with both parents or their consent, and pay a lower application fee.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Child under 16: what you pay
$135
Arrives between November 14, 2026 and December 26, 2026
| Application fee · DS-11 | $100 |
|---|---|
| Execution (acceptance) fee | $35 |
| Check or money order to “U.S. Department of State” | $100 |
| Separate payment to the acceptance facility | $35 |
| Total | $135 |
| Mail to the State Department | up to 2 weeks |
|---|---|
| Processing | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Mail back to you | up to 2 weeks |
| Last day to apply, routine, worst case | November 6, 2026 |
| Last day to apply, expedited, worst case | November 27, 2026 |
Arrives before your trip even with the slowest published times.
Official rule: routine service if you travel in 6 weeks or more.
How this was calculated
- Fees from the State Department chart “United States Passport Fees”, October 2026 edition, and 22 CFR 22.1 ($50 application + $80 security surcharge = $130 for an adult book).
- Times from the processing-time page updated October 5, 2026: routine 4 to 6 weeks, expedited 2 to 3 weeks, mail up to 2 weeks each way. The earliest date leaves mail out, the latest adds both legs.
- Not included: photos, the price of faster USPS mail to the State Department (set by the facility), and any private expediter fee.
Estimate from the State Department’s published fees and processing times. Mailing times vary and the Department decides each case. Independent site, not affiliated with the Department of State; we sell no expediting service. Method and sources
A passport for a child under 16 costs $100 for the book, $15 for the card or $115 for both, paid to the U.S. Department of State, plus the $35 execution fee paid separately to the acceptance facility: $135 for a book, $50 for a card and $150 for both. The passport is valid for 5 years and cannot be renewed: the next one is a new application in person, at the same price, so a child who travels from birth to 10 pays about $270 for two books. Both parents or guardians must come with the child, or the absent parent signs the notarized consent form DS-3053 within 90 days of the visit. Expedited service and 1-3 day delivery cost the same as for adults, which brings an expedited child book to $221.87.
The appointment is the expensive part, not the fee
A child’s application fails more often on the parents’ paperwork than on money. The acceptance agent must see the legal relationship between the child and each parent, usually through a U.S. birth certificate that lists both, and must see both parents in person with their IDs and a photocopy of the front and back of each. When one parent cannot come, the other brings Form DS-3053 signed in front of a notary, less than 90 days old, with a copy of the ID shown to the notary. Sole custody is shown with a court order, a birth certificate listing one parent, or a death certificate. The consent guide lists each case.
Fees in the order the facility collects them
The child’s fee goes on a check or money order to the State Department, $100 for a book, and the facility collects its $35. Do not attach the photo: the agent staples it. If you need the passport within 6 weeks, add $60 for expedited service and $26.87 for 1-3 day delivery to the same check, for $186.87 in all.
Five years go faster than they sound
Because a child’s passport lasts half as long as an adult’s, check its expiration before any trip to a country that counts months of validity: a passport issued at age 9 expires at 14, and a six-month rule can make it useless at 13 and a half. The validity checker shows the last day it works for each destination.