Baby Passport Tips

While cute, baby passports are a real hassle to obtain. You will face two choices; 1, you will be giving up the better part of your Saturday to wait in line, or 2, you will be missing work for a few hours during the week, but with drastically shorter waits. At least this was the situation we faced at the passport office located in Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn. We opted for the latter option when we went on a Saturday and saw at least a three hour wait for passports.  Saturdays are best reserved for brunch and walks, so we left.

Three days later, our wait was only one hour. I recommend showing up 30 minutes before the passport office opens to minimize any wait. A few things to remember:

1. Have your passport photo of your baby in hand. Most passport offices do not offer this service, and you want to have everything ready to go if you're fortunate enough to be the first few in line. Any FedEx office or Kinko's location can provide these services. 

2. BOTH parents need to show up. If only one can go, the absent parent will need to fill out form DS-3053 and have it notarized prior.

3. Fill out the application beforehand. You'll have your hands full with baby and don't need to be filling out government paperwork. 

4. Bring backup. If only one parent can go, bring a friend to keep you company and help with baby. You may be there for a while, and shouldn't have to attempt this solo.

5. Do all of this at least a month prior to your trip. It takes a couple weeks for the passport to arrive

All information regarding your child's passport requirements can be found here..