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Original poster

Do I need to renew my child's passport?

21 replies

Sherry245 · 14/04/2015 23:26

I'm going away for holiday soon, but my child's passport's photo was taken when he's only a month old. he doesn't looks like the photo at all now as he's 3 years old. Do I need to renew his passport or am I ok with it?

OP posts:
RescueRangers · 14/04/2015 23:27

No, it's fine for 5 years despite it being a baby photo (just doing DD's now, she is 5 and we have lived abroad with no-one batting an eyelid about her tiny baby photo!

UnsolvedMystery · 14/04/2015 23:27

It's still in date so it is fine to use.

SeraOfeliaFalfurrias · 14/04/2015 23:29

You're fine until the passport needs renewing when he turns 5. We've travelled all over the place with both the DDs from when they were babies, and having baby photos isn't a problem at all.

MrsRhettButler · 14/04/2015 23:29

It's definitely fine for 5 years

TheLastThneed · 14/04/2015 23:30

You don't have to renew a baby passport until they're 5. We're just doing DS's. He looks nothing like the photo and we've never had a problem...

tribpot · 14/04/2015 23:34

Just another one confirming it's fine.

Original poster
Sherry245 · 14/04/2015 23:37

thank you guys so much, now I feel relieved, was so worried about to get stopped at the boarder.

OP posts:
tribpot · 15/04/2015 10:53

It is particularly ludicrous that babies have to have their own passports (not to mention a fantastic money spinner for HM Passport Office) - is anyone honestly going to be able to say that this baby aged 3 weeks (as mine was when his passport photo was taken) is this child aged 5? Not so bad now - mine is on his third passport and does actually look like his picture Grin Of course, I still have the issue of getting questioned at the border about having a different surname from him, but that's a different thread!

By the way, on a passport-related note, I got ds' passport back ten days after I sent the application off - and that included a failed delivery the day before as I wasn't in. Shock I was panicking because I'd 'only' left four months before we are travelling :)

Rosa · 15/04/2015 11:12

tribpot - when you redo your passport in the notes section put in married to Mr X ( if you are ),. I did that on last passport ( and it saved time - but in the Uk they load the childrens details anyway and we all appear on the screen !) but on the latest one I put both surnames in as it was just easier !!!

SavoyCabbage · 15/04/2015 12:17

We emigrated when dd was five and she was a tiny baldy baby on her passport. After a 26 hour flight her Afro hair was almost bigger than she was but all was well at passport control.

SooticaTheWitchesCat · 15/04/2015 18:55

My Dd had her first passport photo taken at 10 days and she used her passport until she was 5 with no problems.

fusspot66 · 15/04/2015 19:00

I'm just renewing DSs first passport for Spain in May. It expires in Sept but Spain want at least 6 months on a passport so check your dates!

revealall · 16/04/2015 21:01

www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain/entry-requirements

Not according to this fusspot

tribpot · 16/04/2015 21:04

Yes, that can't be right for Spain surely? Tis an EU thing. Ds' had two months left on it after our Italy trip so I renewed it early in a fit of efficiency but not because I thought I needed to.

revealall · 16/04/2015 21:07

Actually you can travel anywhere in the EU right up to to the day your passport runs out. And Si just had a Google and apparently the USA too as long as you have the ETSA visa.

fusspot66 · 17/04/2015 23:54

It was the case previously. But thanks. Hope that didn't scare anybody.

noramum · 18/04/2015 10:36

DD's German passport is valid for 10! years and it shows a photo of her being 5 weeks old.

We found that border control now ask DD (nearly 8) small questions like "What's your name? or "When is your birthday?" I think it is a way to check if the child answers with confidence.

We have been asked at the Eurostar terminal in Paris last year when going back to the UK if we have any other identification for DD with us. I had her EHIC card and that was fine with DH now has a digital copy of her birth certificate saved and we take a print with us.

Hoppinggreen · 21/04/2015 14:31

You don't need 6 months on your passport for Spain. I have flown with only a few weeks on mine and we have just got back with Dd who's passport expires in June.

doradoo · 21/04/2015 15:00

I was stopped and questioned at German immigration about my daughter's baby photo in the passport - she was 4 and her passport one was less than a week old.

The official said I needed to get an updated photo put in - complete bollocks of course - but I didn't want to be arguing with him about it..... so was contrite even though I explained it was still a valid doc. I tried to complain to the consulate about it - I live in Germany and so was trying to get home - but all they said was "we don't deal with passport queries" and referred me to the passport office in the UK. What worried me was that other than her passport - short of blood tests - I have no way of proving she's my DD.

Anyway - we were let through but I was a bit peturbed by the whole experience.

doradoo · 21/04/2015 15:01

Sorry to clarify she was less than a week old in her passport one.

OldBeanbagz · 23/04/2015 12:26

I had the same problem as doradoo.

Several years ago we were stopped in Amsterdam flying back on Christmas Eve with a 5 year old DD and 11month old DS. My DD clearly didn't look like her 6 month old photo. We had A LOT of hassle and it was very upsetting but they finally let us through.

Since then I've taken to travelling with copies of their birth certificates and our marriage certificate We're a mixed race family so get stopped and questioned quite often Sad

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