At what age can a child get a passport?

Legal aspects of the trip

Many people include information about the child in their own travel document, but today this may not be enough. Although from a legal point of view, the document will be valid within the Russian Federation.

Regardless of age, minor citizens of the Russian Federation must have valid documents proving their identity outside the territory of Russia.

In addition, if the form of the document allows (you need an old-style international passport), you need to include the children in it. The presence of a biometric passport in the hands of persons accompanying a young citizen makes it impossible to enter information about the child with whom a joint trip abroad is planned.

At the same time, if you have your own document, you can send a child or teenager on an independent trip, and not just organize a trip accompanied by a parent, guardians, trustees, or adoptive parents.

The legislative framework

The basis for issuing foreign passports to citizens of the Russian Federation, including minors, are Administrative Regulations approved by Orders of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia No. 846 and 996.

Children need a passport to travel abroad

When to submit documents

You can start applying for a foreign passport immediately after the birth of the child, if you have a birth certificate in your hands.

The time for issuing a passport for a child must be determined in advance: without delaying too much from the planned date of the trip, but taking into account the fact that a passport produced a year ago with a photograph that currently does not correspond to the child’s current appearance may raise questions when the child crosses the border.

The production time varies from 1 month (for a newborn - 10 days) when submitting an application to the services at the place of registration to 4 months.

When applying for an old-style passport in emergency cases, all work can be completed in 2 days. It is also possible to urgently issue a biometric document within 10-15 days, for which you need to undergo a fingerprinting procedure (for children over 12 years old).

Who draws up the document

One of the parents, as well as a trustee or guardian, has the right to legally obtain a foreign passport for a child. At the same time, grandparents and other relatives cannot do this even if they have a notarized power of attorney.

Registration does not matter for the child, but Russian citizenship, indicating belonging to the country, is mandatory.

After receiving an internal identification document, teenagers must take all steps to obtain a travel document independently, on their own behalf.

One of the parents must prepare the document

The procedure for obtaining a foreign passport through the MFC

There are several ways to obtain a child’s international passport, for example through a multifunctional center. In case of urgent execution of a document, you must provide the relevant papers, for example, a notice.

To obtain a travel document, you must follow the following rules:

• one of the parents or an official representative is involved in submitting the application;
• you need to provide all the child’s personal data;
• collect all necessary documentation;
• fill out the appropriate forms without errors and reflect only reliable data;

The representative or parent must collect all the necessary documents, fill out the appropriate form and wait for the official response. If the child is under 14 years old, then his personal presence is not necessary, just his photo is enough.

Read: How to apply for a foreign passport through the MFC

Required documents, deadlines and costs

If a child needs to obtain a foreign passport to cross the border, it becomes mandatory to provide the following list of papers:

• a correctly completed application form for a foreign passport;
• original and copy of the passport of the official representative;
• child's birth certificate;
• It is obligatory to submit a photograph of the child, and upon reaching the age of 12, his fingerprints are required;
• a receipt confirming payment of the state duty.

More detailed information and current application forms are available on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.

The time it takes to obtain a passport depends on the place where the application is submitted. If this is done at the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the place of registration, then most often you need to wait no more than 1 month. If registration takes place in another institution, the time frame may take up to 4 months.

The cost of obtaining a travel document depends on the type of foreign passport of the parents and the age of the child. If there is an old model, for citizens under 14 years old this service will cost 1 thousand rubles, from 14 to 18 years old - 2 thousand rubles.

Obtaining a biometric passport will cost more - 1.5 thousand rubles in the first age group and 3.5 thousand rubles for the second.

What to do if extradition is refused?

There are situations in which authorized bodies may refuse to issue this document. There are several reasons for an application to be rejected:

• regular non-payment of taxes;
• the applicant is in possession of an important state secret;
• the presence of an outstanding criminal record or legal proceedings;
• military service.

As one might guess, these reasons cannot in any way concern the child himself, but if his legal representatives fall under the above criteria, the application will be rejected.

In this situation, the legal representative can appeal this decision in court if he does not agree with the notification issued. Also, timely resolution of the set conditions will have a positive effect on the consideration of a repeated application for a foreign passport.

Do I need to change my child’s passport if it has changed?

A travel document is issued for 5 or 10 years. But the question arises, how often does a child need to change their passport? The appearance of an adult changes much more slowly than that of a child.

If a minor received a document at age 1, and travels abroad at age 5, then some questions may arise at border control. Most often, a birth certificate is sufficient, but to avoid problems, it is necessary to change the child’s international passport every 2-3 years.

This procedure is optional, but based on legislative norms, due to changes in the child’s appearance, they may be prohibited from crossing the border. Therefore, it is necessary to promptly change the photograph of the minor, and, accordingly, the document itself. The validity of a foreign passport is 5 or 10 years, depending on the type.

Briefly about the procedure for obtaining a passport under 14 years of age

To enter a child into an old-style international passport you need:

• birth certificate,
• general passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation with a note about children;
• 2 standard size color photographs;
• application from a legal representative for the issuance of a foreign passport;
• receipt of payment of the state duty (1000 and 2500 rubles for old and new passports, respectively);
• other documents as required by the migration service.

All documents must be submitted to the MFC or to the department of the Main Department of Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the place of permanent registration. On a pre-arranged day, the parent or legal representative must make a return visit to the service to pick up the completed document.

Parents or guardians can apply for a foreign passport, but only until the child reaches 14 years of age.

The payment must be made using the details provided to the applicant at one of the bank branches. This data can be found on the official website of the Main Directorate for Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as taken from the passport office at the place where documents are submitted.

The tax payment receipt form must indicate the full name of the parent who fills out the application form for a minor child.

At what age does a child need an international passport: legal basis

The situation has become quite common today when parents take their children abroad from a very young age, and therefore they are interested in at what age a foreign passport must be issued for a minor child.

A foreign passport is required for all citizens crossing the border, regardless of their age. However, you need to know that at different ages there are special rules for receiving it.

International passport for a newborn

A document allowing you to cross state borders is necessary even for those who have just recently been born. The registration rules in this case are simple and include the provision of the following documentation:

• child's birth certificate and its copy;
• originals and copies of passports of the newborn’s legal representatives;
• 2 biometric photographs of the child measuring 3.5x4.5 cm;
• application from legal representatives to provide the newborn with a foreign passport;
• document confirming payment of the state duty.

The time frame for issuing a foreign passport for newborn children is often shorter than for adult citizens. Problems can only arise if the child does not live at the place of initial registration.

How to make a document for a child from 1 to 7 years old?

Most parents ask themselves the difficult question of the need to obtain a foreign passport for their child at an early age.

The procedure is simple and does not require a lot of money and time. But this is only possible in cases where official representatives have an old-style international passport. In this case, you must contact the Ministry of Internal Affairs at your place of registration and write a corresponding application.

In a situation where the father and mother have biometric passports, this procedure becomes impossible, and the preparation of the relevant document may take a longer time.

International passport for a child from 7 to 14 years old

In this age group, minor citizens can already leave their country in organized groups, but obtaining a document allowing them to do this legally is mandatory.

If the legal representatives have an old-style document, then one of the parents can enter the child in their passport. Only the presence of this official representative becomes mandatory for the child to cross the border.

If a minor citizen leaves the country with another accompanying person, then a power of attorney for this person, drawn up in a notary office, will be required.

If parents have biometric passports, then it becomes mandatory for their child to obtain only a passport of this type to travel abroad.

How to make a document for a teenager from 14 to 18 years old?

The preparation of this document at this age has its own characteristics:

1. The state fee for obtaining a passport is paid in full.
2. In addition to the documents required for younger age groups, a general passport is required, which is issued at the age of 14.

Another distinctive feature is that there is no need to include the child in the parents’ passport to travel abroad, and now obtaining a separate travel document becomes mandatory.

This happens due to the fact that at this age children can travel outside their country to camps and tourist trips without their parents.

Which children's passport is better: old or new?

When choosing a document form for a child, it is better to choose a foreign passport without electronic media.

This should be done for the following reasons:

1. Registration will cost less (the fee is only 1000 rubles).
2. Children change quickly and replacing an old-style passport is easier than replacing a biometric one.

Video: how to apply for a passport for a child

Find out from the video:

• who and when can issue a passport for a minor;
• Is parental consent required when a child travels abroad?
• what documents do you need to have when crossing the border?

Features of obtaining a passport for a child over 14 years of age

Children planning to travel abroad with their parents or legal guardians need a separate passport.

List of documents for obtaining a foreign passport after 14 years of age

Registration of a foreign passport involves the preparation of a number of necessary documents:

• A standard application, drawn up in two copies. The document is filled out by one of the parents and must be certified at the child’s place of study or residence.
• Additional information about the child (standard document).
• Four standard children's passport photos. Photos of a certain size can be either color or black and white. The paper is matte. Hats and sunglasses are not allowed in the photo.
• Civil parental passport and a photocopy of the completed sheets of this document.
• A photocopy of your student or student ID card.
• A copy of the child’s birth certificate or copies of all completed pages of his civil passport.

You can download an application for issuing a foreign passport to a minor citizen on our website.

See the link for a sample form.

Video: filling out an application form for a child over 14 years old for a new international passport

Find out from the video:

• what information needs to be included in each item of the questionnaire.

When obtaining a passport for a child may be denied

One way or another, there are certain rules for obtaining a foreign passport, both for children and adults. In addition, there are situations when the execution of a document may be refused.

It will not be possible to issue a foreign passport for a child over 14 years old if he is not a citizen of Russia, and also if his birth certificate does not have a citizenship stamp.

All information about the recipient in the application must be accurate. Otherwise, the document may be refused. It will be necessary to document that parents or guardians have all the rights to represent the interests of the child.

You cannot distort the data when filling out the form: all information is checked by a GUVM employee and must be verified with documents. If errors were made accidentally, the questionnaire and application will need to be rewritten. In case of suspicion of intentional distortion of data, the issuance of a foreign passport may be refused.

A foreign passport cannot be issued in cases where a minor citizen does not fulfill court obligations, a criminal case has been opened against him, he is suspected of committing a crime, is involved in it, has been convicted or is serving a sentence.

A foreign document is not issued to a child on legal grounds even in cases where the parents have expressed disagreement and stated it in writing.

After submitting documents, GUVM employees conduct a check as to whether there are reasons for refusing the applicant to obtain a foreign passport for a minor child after 14 years of age.

If the grounds exist, then the parent or guardian acting as the applicant receives a written notification indicating them. In this case, it would be useful to find out what measures can be taken to resubmit documents for consideration.

Do children need a passport?

More recently, namely until the beginning of 2010, parents could apply for an “old” international passport and enter their children there. The adopted Government Resolution No. 13 dated January 19, 2010 provided clarifications regarding the preparation of migration documents.

From 1 to 7 years

The cost of producing a foreign passport is considerable, which means that not all parents benefit. Often they have a question: is it necessary to get a foreign passport for a 2-year-old child? It all depends on the wishes of the spouses, because they are the ones who decide the fate of minor children. It is not difficult to obtain both an “old” and a new passport for your child. But you can do it differently - enter information about the child into the already valid passport of the mother or father.

How to include a child in the parents’ international passport will be consulted in detail in the department for organizing the registration of foreign passports of the UVM. The procedure is absolutely free, but you will need to take a photo and fill out a form for the baby. In turn, a foreign passport for a newborn child without a parent’s entry in the document is an independent certificate for crossing the country’s borders.

For children 7-14 years old

No less interesting are cases where the issuance of a foreign passport for a child under 14 years of age is affected. One of the spouses (for example, the mother) can enter the minor in his/her passport. In the future, the child will be able to travel abroad accompanied by his parents.

On the other hand, is it necessary to issue a passport for a child under 14 years of age as a separate document? It's not necessary, but it's possible. True, with this option, a minor will also be able to cross the Russian border only with his parents. If nannies, distant relatives or friends are traveling instead, then you will need to issue a notarized power of attorney for the accompanying persons.

power of attorney for a child to travel abroad without parents (.DOC)

Teenagers 14-18 years old

To answer the question, at what age do children get a foreign passport, you need to evaluate the category of recipients of the OPP. Thus, when a teenager reaches the age of 14, he automatically transfers him to the adult category of recipients of international passports, since at this age a child is supposed to receive a passport of a Russian citizen. Consequently, yesterday’s baby becomes a full citizen of the Russian Federation on the basis of a passport, and not just a birth certificate.

The amount of state duty for a foreign passport for persons from 14 to 18 years of age is increasing. However, the parents of a teenager can still enter it into their “old” sample international passport. But, as practice shows, at this age the choice is often made in favor of drawing up a separate document.

We also read: How long does it take to obtain a foreign passport through State Services How to pay online the state fee for a foreign passport through State Services