At What Age Can Children Have A Passport?
Unlike the DNI, which is not mandatory until the age of 14, the passport is an essential document for children, in some situations. For example, to travel abroad, outside the European Union, even if the child is very young or just a few days old, this document will be required.
In the case of the newborn, the minor can appear in the passport of the father or the mother, but it is best if he has his own. Children must be present at the time of issuance of the passport.
Next, we will see some elements to know what documents are needed and where to do the procedure to obtain the children’s passport.
Where is the passport for children processed?
Minors’ passports are processed at police stations that have a DNI issuing office. This information is available on the website of the National Police. It is necessary to make an appointment in advance online or by phone.
In the application, the payment of a fee must be made, the same that is done electronically. Once the appointment and payment are made, it will be necessary to gather some documents.
What happens if the minor does not have an ID?
The National Identity Document or DNI is not mandatory in Spain until the age of 14. For this reason, it may happen that a minor who needs a passport does not have that document. In this case, a literal birth certificate must be presented, issued by the Civil Registry.
This birth certificate must have been issued a maximum of six months before and must expressly state that it was requested to obtain a passport.
To obtain this birth certificate, you must go to the Civil Registry office where the birth is registered and complete the corresponding form. This form is available on the website of the Ministry of Justice. It is also possible to do this process by mail.
In order to request the passport of a minor who does not have an ID, it is also necessary for the minor’s parents or guardians to carry their ID and demonstrate their family relationship with the minor. They can do it through the family book by a court resolution. A recent color photo of the child, 32 x 26 mm, with a white background must also be submitted.
When the minor already has ID or a previous passport
When a minor already has a DNI, the documentation necessary to obtain a passport is the same as for those over 14 years of age. In this case, the DNI and a recent color photograph, 32 x 26 mm and with a white background, must be presented. If the DNI is less than two years old and there are no significant physical changes in the child, the photo will not be necessary.
If the child already has a previously issued passport, they must present it to cancel it. In that case, even if you do not have a DNI, it will not be necessary to present the literal birth certificate again, since you already did it the first time.
The validity period of passports for children from 0 to 5 years old is 2 years. In the case of children over 5 years old, but under 14 years old, the passport will be valid until the child turns 14 years old. For no reason will the document be valid for more than five years.
To have a passport, children must have the authorization of their parents
Until 2014, children’s passports were delivered with the authorization of one of the parents. However, as of that date, after a royal decree that reformed the regime for issuing passports for minors, things changed.
As we can see, at present, the presence and authorization of both parents is necessary, unless only one of them has parental authority.
In the event that the person exercising parental authority is a foreigner, the foreigner identification number will be required. If the parents are separated or divorced, the consent must be presented equally by both and not by the one who has custody and custody. These measures make it possible to prevent possible situations of child abduction.
