Please follow the instructions on this page if your child is under age 16, has never had a U.S. passport, and he/she has a claim to U.S. citizenship through birth in the United States, birth abroad to a U.S. citizen, or naturalization. The child must appear at the passport application appointment. The new passport will be valid for five years.
Application Requirements
Please bring the following to your appointment:
- Proof of U.S. citizenship for the child – one of the following original documents:
- S. Birth Certificate from the state where the child was born.The National Center for Health Statistics maintains a list of states’ contact information for this purpose
- S. Consular Report of Birth Abroad. If your child was born overseas to a U.S. citizen parent, you should first apply for a U.S. Consular Report of Birth Abroad and once that is approved, you can apply for a U.S. passport.
- S. Certificate of Citizenship. For certified copies, please contact the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
- S. Naturalization Certificate.For certified copies, please contact the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
- Passport of the U.S. citizen parent(s) if the child was included in that parent’s U.S. passport.
- Evidence of Parental Relationship
If you are not already submitting a U.S. Birth Certificate or U.S. Consular Report of Birth Abroad as proof of citizenship, you must submit evidence that lists you as the parent of the child applying for a passport. Examples of other documents that may be used as evidence of parental relationship are:
- Foreign birth certificate
- Adoption decree
- Proof of identity for the applying parents – one of the following original documents:
- Valid passport of any country
- Valid U.S. driver’s license with photograph
- Valid U.S. or State government ID card
- S. military ID card
- Foreign national identity card with photograph
- Passport application: Complete and print the application using the on-line Passport Wizard, which will help you to complete the DS-11 form. It must be printed on separate sheets of paper; do not print this form on the front and back of the same sheet. You should not sign the passport application until you appear at the U.S. Embassy.
- Parental Consent
Children under age 16 cannot apply for a passport by themselves. Both parents/guardians must appear in person with the child and provide consent, authorizing passport issuance to the child. If one parent/guardian is unable to appear in person, then the DS-11 passport application must be accompanied by a signed, notarized Form DS-3053: Statement of Consent (PDF 54 KB) from the non-applying parent/guardian – done within three months prior to the application. (Forms notarized overseas must be done at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate.)
If the child only has one parent, the applying parent should submit evidence, such as a birth certificate or adoption decree listing only one parent, or a death certificate for the non-applying parent. Otherwise, evidence of sole authority to apply for the child must be submitted with the application in the form of an original version (not photocopy) of:
- A court order granting sole legal custody to the applying parent (unless the child’s travel is restricted by that order).
- A court order specifically permitting the applying parent to apply for the child’s passport.
- A judicial declaration of incompetence of the non-applying parent.
- Form DS-5525 Statement of Exigent Circumstances – Issuing a Passport to a Minor Under age 16(PDF 43 KB) submitted by the applying parent if the other parent is absent and cannot be located to provide parental consent in a timely manner.
- Photo: One color 5 cm x 5 cm (2 in x 2 in) photograph
- SeePhoto Requirements. Local photography shops can provide the appropriate type photos.
- Fees: $135.00, payable in cash (either in U.S. dollars or Algerian dinars)
Requesting an appointment
Once you have all of the above, please request an appointment on-line. If the on-line system is unavailable, please request an appointment by writing to ACSAlgiers@state.gov.
Processing Time / Pick-up
Once your application is complete and approved, your new passport will be printed in the United States and sent to the U.S. Embassy in Algiers. You should allow two to three weeks for your application to be processed, and you will receive an email when your passport is ready for pick-up. You may designate in writing to have someone pick up the passport on your behalf.
If you have emergency travel and cannot wait for a full-validity passport to be printed in the United States, see our information on Emergency passports.
