Traveling abroad with your baby? Getting a new passport for a newborn is super easy!

In May this year, I’m planning to take Xiao Weige and my mom-friends group on a graduation trip to Singapore. Time really flies—and when I checked his passport, it had already expired. If you’re planning an overseas trip, be sure to check and apply for a passport well in advance.

If you only realize at the airport that your passport is close to expiry and get denied entry by customs, your entire holiday could be ruined. Our family has always had our passports applied for in person by Huang Ba, so in this post, Mommy Wei wants to share with you how to “apply for your child’s first passport yourself—easy, cost-saving, and safe.”

Address: No. 2-2, Section 1, Jinan Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City
Passport Inquiry Hotline: 02-2343-2807
Application locations are also available in eastern and central-southern Taiwan. For details, please visit the official website >> http://www.boca.gov.tw/mp.asp
You can take the Taipei MRT to Shandao Temple Station, then walk about 10 minutes toward National Taiwan University Hospital to reach Jinan Road.

Why don’t we prefer to entrust travel agencies or others to apply for us? Aside from other reasons, the more important one is that passport applications require the physical presence of the original ID card, and for children under 14, the household registration booklet as well.

Additionally, going through an agency isn’t necessarily faster. So if time and distance allow, we highly recommend going to the Consular Affairs Bureau to submit the application yourself.

If you urgently need a photo but haven’t prepared one, the Consular Affairs Bureau has an automatic photo booth available on the first-floor lobby.
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When the two boys in our family were babies, their passport photos were all DIY selfies taken at home. All you need is a white backdrop and a bit of time to edit and cut out the background. Although the photo-taking process was chaotic—my baby would fall as soon as I let go, and I had to pick the best one that met the requirements—it’s still more convenient and neater to pay a bit and go to a professional photo studio.

Take the elevator at the Consular Affairs Bureau, and you’ll find the unit for passport-related applications and document collection.

The four steps to renewing a passport are really simple, and there are staff members available at every step to answer questions and assist you.

The first step is to print the application form and fill it out.

Nowadays, filling out the form is very convenient—you no longer need to photocopy and cut out your ID card in advance, as the machine can print it directly onto the form. For those under 18, one parent or guardian’s original ID card must be attached. (If the parents are divorced, the parent submitting the application must provide the original document proving custody.)

(If you are 14 years or older, you must first obtain an ID card from the household registration office before applying.)

The other forms just require attaching the photo as specified and filling in the details carefully.

Also, if you are an active-duty serviceman, you must bring a copy of your military ID, or if you have just been discharged. (If your military status is not marked as reserve on your ID, you must attach a copy of your discharge order.)

Special reminder:

Photo formatting is especially prone to mistakes. When visiting the photo studio, remember: no smiling, no thick-framed glasses, ears must be visible, and the length from the top of the head to the chin must be no less than 3.2 cm and no more than 3.6 cm.

If you’ve applied for a passport before, usually the English spelling of the name on the old passport should be retained. Also, if your old passport hasn’t completely expired, you’ll need to submit it for cancellation.

After filling out and preparing all the necessary forms, there will be preliminary review staff on-site to help you draw a number. Once called, proceed to the submission and review counter. Once verified, you can take back the original ID card and household registration booklet—they don’t need to be kept. Normal processing takes four working days, but there is also an express service (for a fee) where you can collect your passport as early as the next working day.

After the review counter confirms everything is correct, you’ll take the payment slip to pay the fee.

Fees can currently be paid by card, but there may be additional bank charges posted on-site.

Basically, as long as you’re not told to submit additional documents, you can go home and wait for your pick-up date after completing payment. Based on past experience, the whole process usually takes about 30 minutes.

Other issues such as lost passports or amendments are not covered in this article—you can directly check the Consular Affairs Bureau’s official website or call for information.

If you want to save time and can’t pick up the passport yourself, there’s a postal service available on the first floor where you can authorize home delivery with your completed payment slip.

The postal service for authorized passport pickup and home delivery is a domestic insured express service, with postage rates as shown in the table below.

Mom Wei is doing one final check of the basic documents needed to apply for a child's first passport—be sure to go over everything carefully before heading out, so you don’t make a wasted trip, Up!

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