Thousands of children are abducted every year, which is why strict restrictions are placed on child passports in the US
We hear parents complain quite often about how difficult it is to get child passports. And it’s true; the restrictions for getting kid’s passports are quite stringent. You can’t renew a child passport or get a new passport without both parents and the child appearing before a passport acceptance agent. This can be a major pain for families in which the parents don’t live together or families in which one or both parents work. In some cases, getting the whole family together in one room during regular business hours can be an absolute nightmare.
Trust us, we understand. But we also wanted to take a moment to explain why the child passport regulations are so stringent, and why every parent should be glad that they are.
Restrictions on Child Passports in Place for a Good Reason
It’s a sad truth that thousands of children are abducted every year. In the United States, a child is abducted or
goes missing every forty seconds. In most cases, the child reappears within a matter of hours, but some parents aren’t so luck. In over three quarters of cases, children are abducted by a parent or a family member. The reasons why a person might kidnap their own child run the gamut, but whether their intentions are good or not, child abduction by parents is kidnapping, and stringent passport regulations help prevent international child abduction from happening.
Even with the severe rules in place for obtaining a child passport, over 1,600 children were abducted from the United States to other countries in 2009. Imagine how much higher the number could be if one parent were able to get a passport for their child without the other parent’s knowledge. As the situation stands now, far too many children are being taken from the country without the knowledge or consent of one of their parents. While stringent passport regulations can’t prevent every abduction, they help ensure that every child’s safety is looked after during international travel.
Have Questions about Passports for Children?
You can learn more about the passport requirements for your child by contacting Swift Passport Services today. We can help you figure out all of the paperwork and scheduling to make obtaining your child passport as painless as possible. We can also provide you with information about obtaining a passport for a child that you give birth to overseas and other tricky child-travel situations. Plus, we’re always available to help you obtain expedited passports and visas to your dream destinations.
