Passport for our infant daughter

We used the passport office @ the Cal rec center - and while the wait was long they were efficient and it worked well for us!

I highly recommend the Cal rec center's passport office. You make an appointment, so the wait shouldn't be long. Details here: https://recsports.berkeley.edu/u-s-passports/

Current wait times for new passports are LONG.  The State Department just announced that expedited service is looking at 7-9 weeks for processing (not including shipping to/from the passport processing centers which are different from the locations where you apply).  So definitely send in soon so you do not have to worry as the trip approaches.  Many city halls have locations that take appointments.  Otherwise, the good ole post office usually works.    

I have gotten my son’s passport at our local passport office. Make an appointment online, and be prepared to wait even with an appointment. I’ve also been to the one at Cal but it’s been a few years so I don’t know if they do appointments, I just know they are very well run and efficient, but you still have to wait. Get your photos taken correctly and have all the paperwork ready. Also if your trip is coming up I recommend paying for expedited service and also priority mail for mailing. It takes a long time to process a passport. 

It's difficult to get a passport appointment these days. Many post offices offer this service but you have to book on the usps website and it's just not that easy. I got an appointment yesterday for early May at the UC Berkeley Rec Center on their website. I found that site easier to navigate than the USPS. I believe you can ask for expedited service.

The UPS store in El Cerrito on San Pablo near Safeway has a nice photo station for infants, for what it's worth. I was just there yesterday.

We got our infant daughter's passport photo taken at A1 Photo and Video Lab on University and they were helpful at getting the correct photo angle with a baby (which can be challenging!). And then we just made an appointment at the post office that had the soonest appointment--we ended up going to one in Orinda because the Berkeley post offices didn't have appointments for a while. It was pretty easy and they took us right at our appointment time!

I just filled out and printed the department of state's form (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/unde…), took a picture of the baby myself (put the baby on a white sheet and snapped a few until I got her head and shoulders in the frame) and sent it in to CVS to be printed, and made an appointment with USPS (https://www.usps.com/international/passports.htm) to give in all my materials.

The part that took the longest was getting the USPS appointment- it was a 2 week wait, I think, but the appointment itself takes 5 minutes. Just note that both parents (if listed on the birth certificate) have to be present at the post office appointment, AND you need to bring in originals and copies of documents (like your ID, partner's ID, birth certificate, etc.). It took a little coordination to find a time that worked and to get all the materials together, but it's fairly straight forward. good luck!

We also used the cal Rec center. No wait

for us, super easy, pick a good day and time for low traffic. https://recsports.berkeley.edu/u-s-passports/

Definitely recommend the passport office at UC Berkeley. Anyone can use, don't need to be affiliated with the school in any way. The appoints open up 30 days in advance, so check each day at 9-9:30AM to book (both parents need to be available for the appt). 

You can also check out different municipal websites, as some of the East Bay cities offer passport assistance. 

USPS is a hot mess right now for applying for passports. 

I did it for my 3 month old at the post office downtown (they do not do photos there). There’s a fed ex down the block that does photos. Or go to the post office in west Oakland - they did both the photo and the application all at once. You can book appointments and fill out the form on the USPS website. 

My tip is to schedule your appointment with the USPS ASAP. You need to look exactly 30-31 days in advance. Slots with the USPS in the area fill up fast but I believe they open up a month in advance. Both parents need to be present so it can be a challenge to schedule when working around parent’s schedule. We took photo at a CVS and took lots of toys to try to get baby to look at camera. With our other daughter we took the picture at home on a white background. If you DIY you might consider taking a video and then screenshot the best picture. The passport agency is pretty strict on what the picture should look like (look online). Have all forms and documents ready day of your appointment. Make sure picture will be accepted (if you print at CVS they will tell you if your DIY pic will work). You do not want to wait a month for an appointment only to be turned away because of a missing document, signature, fee or an unacceptable picture.  It took about 8 weeks for our daughter’s passport without the expedite fee. Good luck!

We got an appointment with the passport office at the cal rec center, and came with photos that we took on a white background ourselves and used one of the online sizing tools to make them the right size and to sent prints to us. It is pretty smooth as long as you have all your paperwork together before your appointment. We got our daughter's passport about a month after our appointment. But be advised I think there are a lot of delays at the moment so getting the process going soon is important. I found that the rec center has mid-week appointments and saturday appointments, but they are really booked up when kids are out of school (like spring break).