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A Baby Abroad
International Travel with Infants Part One
By Danielle Hamilton
According to the song, going to Grandma's house used to be as easy as riding "over the river and through the woods." Nowadays, the trek could easily include long plane flights, passport checkpoints and customs agents. International travel has become commonplace in today's society, and there's no reason why a traveling lifestyle should be abandoned once young children are brought into the picture. Traveling internationally with a newborn can seem daunting, but it's easily accomplished with proper planning and packing.
Obtaining A Passport and Visa
Everyone traveling abroad needs a passport, even babies. The State Department issued 6.7 million passports during 1999. Apply for your infant's passport as soon as you begin to make plans for your trip. You can apply for a passport at many Federal and state courts, post offices, some libraries and a number of county and municipal offices right in your hometown. Apply early and include your date of travel on your application. Routine processing takes about six weeks. If you need the passport earlier, you may pay an expedite fee of $35 to ensure that it is completed within two weeks. Here's what you need to apply:
- Completed Application Form DSP-11 (Visit http://travel.state.gov/get_forms.html to download passport forms -- do NOT sign it in advance!)
- Application fee of $40 (for children ages 16 and younger) plus $35 to expedite.
- Two professional passport photos, size 2"x2". Some passport photo centers are not equipped to take photos of a newborn. Be sure to ask your photo center in advance so they can make special arrangements.
