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Getting a passport for a minor can be a bit of an ordeal. Once you finally have your child's passport in hand, another question arises: Who signs it? Do you, or does the child? What if your child is too young to write? You're not alone in wondering - this is a common question for parents to ask. The answer depends on the age and writing ability of your child. You have to make a judgement call: can your child…
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If you've found yourself staring at the expiration date on your passport in shock, wondering how a decade could pass in a blink of an eye, you should know that you're not alone. The same thing happens even to people who travel for a living. For example, travel writer Crai S. Bower recently planned to jet off to Mexico with his family. Unfortunately, as he explained on the Huffington Post: Like the cobbler who fails to provide his kids with…
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Passport applications forms are getting a makeover in March. What's changing? So far, the major change that's been announced is changing the "mother" and "father" fields to ensure that same-sex couples and people in other non-traditional family structures can more easily apply for a child passport for their children. The current application just says "Mother" and "Father." But not every family has a mother and a father. Same-sex couples often struggled with how to fill out the forms, having to…
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*The passport fees have recently changed. As of April 2nd, 2018, the passport acceptance fee has gone up from $25 to $35. Getting a child passport is a bit more complicated of a process than getting a passport for an adult. This is primarily due to regulations enacted to prevent child abduction. To help you through the process, here is a step-by-step breakdown of what is required: Step 1- Apply in Person All minors must apply in person to get…
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Adopting a child is a beautiful thing. Unfortunately, it can be a rather bureaucratic process even under the best of circumstances. Compared to biological parents, adoptive parents often have to deal with an extra layer of red tape, especially if they adopted their child from overseas. If you need an expedited passport for your internationally adopted child, here's what you need to know before you apply. Make Sure Your Child is a Citizen In order to get a US passport,…
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Are you trying to decide what to do when the kids get out of school for summer vacation? Here's a surprisingly cheap idea: take the family on a cruise! CBS News has a post up that describes the deep discounts the cruise industry is offering to keep itself afloat. According to the post, some cruises are even cheaper than staying in a nice hotel! Of course, if you have little ones, you'll want to make sure they have fun, too. …
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The holidays are here and you can often find last-minute travel deals that make traveling more affordable. If you have kids, don't miss out. Get them a child passport to take advantage of the daily specials. Why not take them to visit Santa? Every child knows that Santa lives at the North Pole. However, geographically speaking, the North Pole is at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. In reality, Santa maintains a number of different residences and workshops. Since 1953,…
