Our NCF competition this year is in Canada so all students and advisors on the winning team will need passports! This process can take some time, so avoid the stress, and if you have a team you think could win this year, go ahead and get those passports (and it opens up so many cool travel opportunities!).
How to get a passport
- Apply in person if
- you are under 16
- this is your first passport
- you haven’t had a passport issued in the past 15 years
- your previous passport was lost, damaged, or stolen
- To apply in person go to an acceptance facility often at a post office
- Bring
- a filled out DS-11 form
- proof of citizenship (ex an original birth certificate or certified copy)
- current ID (ex. drivers license, previous passport, military ID)
- a photocopy of your proof of citizenship and current ID (in black and white, single sided on 8.5″x11″paper)
- photo (2″x2″ color head-shot taken in last 6 months- no glasses or head coverings- most pharmacy photo departments can take these with exact specifications)
- Payment ($165 for 16 and older, $135 for 15 and younger- checks made to the U.S. State Department
- If you are under 16, then you do not need to show your current ID, but your parents need to be there for the application
- show parental relation (birth certificate, adoption papers, custody decree)
- parents ID (ex. drivers license, passport, military ID)
- photo copy of parents ID
- if both parents can’t show up in person, then one who isn’t present will need to sign the DS3053 (needs a notary) or show that parent present as sole authority
- If 16 or 17 must have proof of parental awareness meaning either a parent must come to the passport application meeting, they need a signed note with a copy of the parent’s ID, or they need a notarized statement such as form DS-3053
Timeframe
- Regular passport- 5 to 9 weeks
- Expedited- 3 to 5 weeks (additional $60)
Minor Travel Consent Form
- For any students under 18 traveling to Canada, both of their parents must fill out a Minor Travel Consent Form which is encouraged to be notarized