Applying for a newborn’s first passport in the US

I was booked on a flight to Manila two months after my due date so I had to make sure that my baby had her passport in time.

Here’s how the process was for us.

  • We had to wait until her birth certificate arrived. It came in the mail two weeks after the birth. The birth certificate application is automatically filed by the hospital, and the forms are online so you can actually fill them out beforehand.
  •  Passport Photo: I’ve been taking our ID photos using an iPhone app since I realized how much cheaper it was. I just laid a white blanket down, chose the room with the best natural light and picked the right time to minimize shadows. After lots of cute outtakes, we were able to get a shot of baby that would satisfy the government photo requirements.
  • Passport application Forms: I downloaded online, filled out at home.
  • Picked up photo, my husband and I went to post office at Roosevelt Island with the baby, no appointment required. I had all forms properly filled out.  When we went, there was another couple with a newborn who arrived first, but since they didn’t have their form filled out, we were able to go ahead. (Felt so efficient!) USPS staff verifies her photo and checks eye color.
  • Pay fees, in my case I paid to expedite it since I was traveling. Birth certificate had to go with the application.
  • Received passport in 2 weeks in the mail.
  • Received birth certificate in the mail separately afterwards.
  • Arrival in Manila, her US passport gets stamped for one year stay.
  • Reported her birth in New York, so I can also apply for her Philippine Passport if I want to.