Renewing a Child’s Passport (Under age 16)

Here's what you will need to renew your child's (under age 16) passport.

Appointment
Please make an appointment. All services are provided by appointment only. Appointments are made online, please click here .

Personal Appearance by Your Child
All children under age 16 must apply in person, accompanied by both parents. No exceptions can be made.

If your child’s appearance has changed significantly since his/her last passport was issued, you may also be asked to provide photos that show your child’s age progression over the last five years.

Passport Application (DS-11)
Please submit one copy of Form DS-11, available for download at http://shanghai.usembassy-china.org.cn/passport_forms.html. Though the instructions for world-wide use say only 8.5" x 11" paper is acceptable, we can accept A4 sized copies if you print it out at home.

Starting February 15, the Shanghai American Citizen Services Section will require use of electronic application forms for all passport services, including passport renewals and adding visa pages.  After filling out your application on-line, print and bring your application to your appointment.  You may fill out the required forms using the Passport Wizard at the following site:  https://pptform.state.gov/?Submit=COMPLETE+FORM+DS-4085+ONLINE.  Additional information about our passport services may be found here:  http://shanghai.usembassy-china.org.cn/passports.html. We recommend using either an ink-jet or laser printer to print the completed application form. Failure to fill out applications on-line, instead using handwritten applications, will delay processing of your application. .
 
Two-Parent Consent for Passport Issuance
All applicants under the age of 16 must meet the requirements listed in the Law on Passport Applications for Minors. In most instances this means that both parents must sign your child's passport application, even if one parent is not an American. All parents or guardians must present proof of the child's birth or adoption to verify their relationship to the child.

Parents can consent in one of two ways:

Both parents, even if one is not an American, can come to the Consulate with their passports and sign together, in person. If the parent is not present in China, s/he may give his/her consent through a written affidavit, the DS-3053 form. (The form must be notarized by a notary public in the U.S or at a U.S. embassy or consulate within the previous three months). Please note that the parent who signs in person will need to still have a copy of the non-present parent's passport with him/her.

All notarized statements must be in English and in original form.

Proof of Child's Birth

Please bring along an original of one of the following documents:

• Certified U.S. birth certificate (with parents' names); or
• Consular Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240) (with parents' names); or
• Certification of Birth Abroad (DS-1350)(with parents' names); or
• Adoption decree (with adopting parents' names); or
• Court order establishing custody; or
• Court order establishing guardianship.

If the parent(s)/guardian current name(s) is/are other than what is stated on these documents, evidence of legal name change (e.g. marriage, divorce, court-ordered name change) is required.

Proof of U.S. Citizenship

For most children, their old US passport, even if it is recently expired, is proof of identity and US citizenship.

For first-time applicants, citizenship is proven through an official birth certificate or naturalization/citizenship certificate, or a Consular Report of Birth. 

Two Identical Photos

The photos must be 2" X 2" (5 cm X 5 cm) with a white background.

Please be careful with the size-- "passport photos" you get at a local photographer's shop are often too small and are intended for Chinese people to use to obtain a Chinese passport. The photo in your current US passport may be a different size from what is needed for a new passport, as standards have changed from time-to-time.

Here's what your photo should look like:

The photo must be 2 inches by 2 inches with the face size as specified. Your browser may not display the graphic above as the right size.
 
Fee

The fee for a renewal passport is US$85 (RMB 603.5) for children.

We accept US or RMB, or VISA, Mastercard, Discover, Diners Club or American Express card.

    
How Long Does it Take?
Once we have everything we need, processing time is normally about 10 business days. However, please don't make any unchangeable travel plans until you have the new passport in hand.