There may be instances in which you’ll need to sign your child’s passport for them. As a good rule of thumb, if your child is still working on developing good penmanship (typically children 11 years of age or under), it’s a good idea to sign their passport on their behalf rather than having them sign it independently.
Who Signs a Baby’s Passport?
If a child or baby is too young to sign their passport, someone else must sign it for them. Typically, the baby’s parent or legal guardian will need to sign their passport on their behalf. This ensures that the penmanship on the passport is legible and that there won’t be any problems reading the signature.
How do I Sign my Baby’s Passport?
If you find that your child is too young to sign their name on the passport, you may be wondering how to sign an infant’s passport for them. Believe it or not, signing your baby’s passport is actually relatively easy.
One parent or guardian should print the child’s name on the passport, sign their own name, and then in parenthesis, indicate their relationship to the child.
For example, if Jane Lee is signing a passport for her daughter Kate Lee, Jane would sign her child’s passport. Here’s a US passport minor signature example of how Jane would sign Kate’s passport:
Why Does a Parent or Legal Guardian’s Signature Need to go on a Child’s Passport?
One important thing to remember is that if your child will ever be traveling without their parent or legal guardian, having your signature on their passport provides an extra level of security for your child. It safeguards them from instances where an unauthorized person would attempt to sign a consent form of any kind on your behalf.
If you plan on going on an international family vacation and need to get your child a passport, Swift can help! You can start the application process for your child’s passport on our website. Please contact our team if you have questions about obtaining your child a passport. We’d be happy to help! No matter where you plan on going in the world, we’ll get you there!