Travel Hacks: Get Your Passport at the Downtown Orlando Library!
Traveling with kids is tricky enough without slacking on getting or renewing your passports. Most large cities used to have emergency passport offices where you could get one within 2-3 weeks if you have tickets booked, but those appointments seem few and far between lately.
When we got our kids their passports in 2017 in anticipation of relocating to China, we made an appointment at the local passport office and had a perfectly reasonable experience. I remember a long wait, made harder by the kids being just three years and 11 months old. It was also their first experience of this kind (our first time getting passports with kids), so they had no context for why we were doing it.
Fast forward five years and multiple visa photographs later, and our kids are pros at it. They are older and so understand that their passports are important, allowing them to travel and see the world. So when I said they had to leave their beloved summer camp early one day to get their passports renewed, it was an easy sell.
But the next question is where? We talked in March about getting their passports renewed by August, and one day I made it my task to set the appointments.
What you need to renew a child’s passport
Both parents and guardians must be present with a government issued ID
The child’s old passport if available
Form DS-11 but don’t sign it yet
Proof of child’s citizenship (we used original copies of birth certificates). They’ll need to send the originals off with the application, so make your own copies.
Properly sized passport photos (you can get it done at CVS or Walgreens with varying degrees of success, or just get it done at the library!
Personal check or money order for the exact amount
Why you should use your local library
We discovered a lot of great board books at the downtown library branch.
While researching how to renew our kids’ passports, I saw that our local library also performed this service! It made sense; the Orange County Public Library system hosts a ton of great events for all ages and even has a social worker at their big downtown branch every Wednesday.
We’ve had many great times at this downtown branch specifically; pre-COVID, our entire Friday schedule was built around their Storytimes and informal playdates at Lake Eola. So once I saw that they also do passports, I decided it was worth the three month wait. Booking was simple and efficient. I put it in our calendar and forgot about it for a while.
Leading up to our appointment, we got many reminders, including on the documentation to bring. I created a folder that held everything we needed so on the day of the appointment, I could just grab it and know that we were prepared. I also put a checklist on the cover of the folder to ensure I remembered what to bring.
Because my kids grew up at this branch, they already had a great vibe walking into the lobby and were happy. I asked where to get passports and everyone at the desk pointed to our library representative waiting for us at the end of the hall. This welcome was a far cry from a government worker squeezing us into their day between parking ticket payments.
Our rep was lovely at all times, the photos took no time at all, and at the end, she even told us that they can mail the renewal as well! It was so relieving to know that the photos would be exactly what we needed. We’ve had a lot of trouble getting the right size in the past. I’ve even convinced a Walgreens employee to let me scroll through their options to show her how to find the right size for the Chinese visas.
While we waited, our kids played a cloning game with the collection of visa and passport photos I had with me. The library rep just continued her work without any issue no matter how loud they were, and it was done within 45 minutes!
What a passport renewal costs
$10 for photo
$35 processing fee paid directly to the library
$100 paid by check to the US Dept of State
How to do it
Register for an appointment at the library (2-3 months in advance)
Save up the $135 for the appointment, photos, and Dept of State fees.
Download anc complete the Form DS-11 but don’t sign it yet.
Create an online and physical folder in your family important documents to keep all the information.
Do you have your kid(s)’ original birth certificates?
Prepare your kids for all the ways that a passport opens up their world!
Photo credits: Canva, Cindy Marie Jenkins