How to get a passport for a child?

I have explained in detail in my articles. And there she casually mentioned the peculiarities of issuing a passport for children.

But, since in the comments to these articles quite often there are questions that arise when applying for a passport for a child, and also because this topic is still relevant, I decided to consider this issue in more detail and figure out what you need to pay special attention to when issuing child's passport.

Why does a child need a passport?

The answer to this question is quite obvious: for the same reason as for an adult - to travel outside the country. Because, according to Russian law, a passport is the main document that certifies the identity of a citizen (including a child) abroad.

Is it necessary to issue a passport for a child?

If we are talking about children from 14 to 18 years old - definitely yes. From this age, children travel abroad only on their own passport.

As for children under 14, today they can freely travel outside the country not only with their own passport, but also with the passport of their parents or legal representative, if information about the child is entered in it. True, children can only be entered in the passports of the parents of the old sample. In a valid or newly issued foreign passport, you can enter the last name, first name, patronymic, place and date of birth of the child and paste his photograph on the corresponding page of the passport.

As for biometric passports, the Decree of the Government adopted in March 2010 established that the information about children entered in the parents' passport confirms only the fact of family relations and cannot fully guarantee traveling abroad with a child on such a passport.

Indeed, some new passports have pages designed to record information about children, but they cannot be used for their intended purpose. Because, in principle, it is impossible to enter information about children into a biometric passport, since the microchip contained in it can contain information about only one person.

Every year the number of new types of foreign passports issued increases. And soon, passports valid for 5 years will probably disappear altogether, which means that the procedure for entering information about children in them may itself come to naught. And all traveling children will get their own passports.

If there is an opportunity and desire, it is still possible to issue a separate international passport for children under 14 years old. This can be done from the very birth of the child, or rather from the moment you receive a birth certificate. A child, as well as an adult citizen, can get any passport, both biometric and for 5 years (the choice is most often determined by the parents).

Of course, if we are talking about a baby and even a child under 10-12 years old, it is better to issue an old-style passport. Because significant changes in appearance can lead to early replacement of the passport.

The need to have your own passport is also due to the fact that the child is likely to travel abroad without parents, for example, accompanied by relatives or any third parties. And then, without a personal passport, the child simply will not be released from the country.

Features of obtaining a passport for a child

The procedure for registration, as well as the list of required documents, depend on the age of the child (under 14 years old or from 14 to 18 years old) and on the type of passport being issued (biometric for 10 years or an old-style international passport for 5 years).

The service for issuing and issuing a passport is regulated by two Administrative Regulations, which we will constantly refer to: for old passports for 5 years - No. 320 of 10/15/2012, for new passports - No. 211 of 03/26/2014.

How to proceed in each specific case, and what documents will be required, is described in detail on the website of the Federal Migration Service of the Russian Federation and on territorial websites. This is the main source of information that should be used when applying for a foreign passport.

And, nevertheless, in practice, questions often arise, the answers to which are not always easy to find quickly. For example, for how long to issue a passport for a child?

What kind of passport to issue a child: for 5 or 10 years?

Now, as before, we ourselves can choose which international passport to issue for a child: a biometric passport for 10 years or an old-style passport for 5 years. And this choice depends on many conditions and personal preferences. And in order to make the right decision, you need to understand how these passports differ from each other, and in what situation it is more profitable to issue this or that document.

Biometric passport (for 10 years)

Its main feature is the presence of a microchip in the passport, which contains information about the passport holder, encrypted in digital electronic form. But the design of such a passport has both positive and negative sides.

Benefits of issuing a new passport:

More pages in the passport (46 instead of 36) and an extended validity period of 10 years. This is good, but in the case of issuing a passport for a child, it is not always relevant.
The presence of a microchip better protects the passport from counterfeiting and increases the degree of its reliability, and also allows you to determine the identity of the holder of a foreign passport with greater certainty.
Passports of a new type are more in demand, more often used in European countries. The information about the owner contained in the chip creates fewer problems when passing through passport control than with a passport for 5 years.

Disadvantages of applying for a new passport:

When applying for a biometric passport, a child of any age must be present when submitting documents. Since an indispensable condition for issuing such a passport is a digital photograph of the applicant. In our case, a minor child, in respect of which an application was submitted by his legal representative.
A passport with an electronic carrier cannot be made in a short time.
Registration of a biometric passport will cost more: for a child from 14 to 18 years old - 5,000 rubles, for a child under 14 years old - 2,500 rubles.
Since January 1, 2015, another condition for issuing a new type of international passport has appeared - scanning the fingers of the owner of the international passport. This procedure will also apply to children, but only from the age of 12 years. According to the rules, the index fingers of both hands should be scanned. If this is not possible, any fingers can be scanned (there will be no ink when fingerprinting). When issuing a passport to confirm the identity of the owner, the fingerprints of one of the index fingers will be taken again and compared with the fingerprints previously scanned and stored in the microchip of the passport.

International passport of the old sample (for 5 years)

In most cases, children under the age of 12 are advised by experts to issue a passport for 5 years. This is primarily due to the fact that the appearance of young children is changing very quickly.

There are some more benefits:

It is possible to issue such a passport for a child under 14 without much hassle, and the presence of the child is not required. All that is needed: photographs and documents - can be submitted by the parent on whose behalf the application is being submitted, or the legal representative of the child.
You can make such a passport much faster.
Issuing an old-style international passport is cheaper: from January 1, 2015, children under 14 years old will cost 1,000 rubles, and children from 14 to 18 years old will cost 2,000 rubles.

Who can apply for a passport for a child?

In order to issue a passport for a child, it is necessary to prepare the relevant documents and fill out an application.

According to Russian law, this can be done by one of the child's parents or his legal representative (guardian, adoptive parent, trustee), whose right to represent the interests of the child must be documented.

Grandparents and other relatives cannot apply for a passport for a child, since its execution by proxy is not provided.

A person who submits an application for a passport on behalf of a minor child along with the necessary documents must also be present when receiving the finished passport.

For applications, special forms are provided:

Application for a new generation passport for a minor citizen under 18 years old.
An application for issuing a passport with a 5-year validity period for a minor citizen under 18 years of age.

The requirements for filling out the application are no different from the rules for filling out the questionnaire for an adult applicant:

The text must be typed on a computer (although it is also possible to fill it out by hand, but only in block letters and in black or blue ink).
Corrections and smearing with a corrective agent are prohibited.
You cannot submit an application on two sheets (it will simply not be accepted). It must be printed on one sheet with text on both sides.

The application provides all the necessary information about the legal representative of the child and about the child himself, which is provided for in the points of the questionnaire.

The peculiarity of this questionnaire is that information relating to the minor is entered in paragraphs 1-9, and the reverse side of the application (paragraphs 10-18) is filled in with information about the representative of the child. Item number 9 on the presence of a passport must be filled out only when the child has a valid passport.

Sometimes it is difficult to fill in item No. 6 “address of residence” in the questionnaire for a minor, in which it is required to indicate the date of registration of the child at the place of residence. It is not always and not entirely clear where this information can be obtained from. Obviously, the most correct option is to order a certificate of family composition from the passport office, which indicates the date of registration of each person living at this address. Sometimes this information can be found on the stamp on the back of the birth certificate.

On the front side of the application, in the prescribed place, the child from 14 to 18 years old signs himself (in the application for a child under 14 years old, no one signs on the front side), and on the reverse side of the questionnaire, the parent or his legal representative signs on behalf of whom the questionnaire is submitted.

Moreover, the signature should be located strictly inside the field intended for it, and it should not touch or go beyond its edges. This is important because this signature is subsequently scanned from the application and printed on the blank passport. And in some cases, if this requirement is violated, they may even refuse to accept documents.

Naturally, all the information provided in the questionnaire must be true (that is, be reliable). If some information does not fit, in particular, information about the change of surname, Appendix No. 2, provided for by the Administrative Regulations, is attached to the application.

What documents are needed to apply for a passport for a child?

According to the regulations, in addition to the application, it is required to provide the documents specified in it to the FMS. The list of documents for issuing a passport for a child of a new and old sample, as well as depending on age, is slightly different from each other.

Documents for issuing a new generation passport for a child under 14 years old

Statement
Child's birth certificate

In some cases, with a supporting document stating that the minor is a citizen of the Russian Federation, citizenship was not indicated in the old-style certificates. Therefore, children born before June 2002 must have either an insert or a nationality stamp on their birth certificate.

If one of the child's parents is not a citizen of the Russian Federation or the child was born abroad, it is also necessary to confirm citizenship (in the latter case, a duly certified translation of the birth certificate will be required).

The list of documents that can be used to confirm citizenship can be found on the FMS website.

If the child has a new birth certificate, then additional documents are not needed to confirm citizenship, because it is already written there that he is a citizen of the Russian Federation and his parents are also citizens of the Russian Federation.

Passport of one of the parents (legal representative)
Documents confirming the rights of a legal representative (documents of guardianship and guardianship authorities, birth certificate of the child)
Child's passport (if it exists and is still valid)
Photo of a child (if the application is submitted on the public services portal, a photo is attached to the application in electronic form)
Receipt for payment of state duty

Documents for issuing a new generation passport for a child from 14 to 18 years old

You need to provide the same documents as when applying for a passport for a child under 14 years old, but at the same time, the child’s passport is added to the list (documents confirming the child’s citizenship are not required in this case).

Documents for issuing a passport for 5 years for a child under 18 years old

The list of required documents in this case is the same as for a biometric passport. The only difference is the need to provide photographs of the child (3 pieces 35x45 mm in size).
All of the above documents must be submitted in person to the Federal Migration Service for photographing and scanning fingers (if necessary) when applying for a new generation passport or when applying for a 5-year passport.

If any documents in a foreign language or documents issued abroad are submitted, they must be prepared accordingly (translated into Russian and legalized in the prescribed manner).

Copies of the main documents may be attached to the application. But this is not necessary, and for this reason you cannot be denied this service. A receipt for payment of the state duty is also provided upon request.

How to pay the state duty when applying for a passport for a child?

The state duty must be paid using bank details that can be found on the websites of the territorial FMS and at the place of application for a passport.

When filling out a form for paying the state duty for issuing a passport for a child, the question often arises: who should be indicated as a payer on the receipt?

Although in practice this issue is interpreted differently, nevertheless, in accordance with the explanations given on the website of the FMS, a parent who submits a questionnaire on his own behalf for issuing a passport for a minor child also indicates himself as a fee payer.

I hope this article will help answer some of the questions that arise in the process of obtaining a passport for a child. For now, for now...

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