you would think getting a passport for a baby wouldn't be so difficult...
well, after figuring out what forms and documents I needed, I was all ready to go to the post office with Chloë in tow to get her American passport (the Brazilian passport will no doubt get its own extensive blog entry...)
I had all the things I needed:
* Passport Application Form
* Statement of Consent or Special Circumstances: For Minors Under 16
* An original copy of Chloë's birth certificate
* Two passport sized pictures
* A check for $134 for US Dept of State
* A check for $52 for US Post Office
After arriving at the post office and barely starting the process, we were immediately met with several obstacles, perhaps the most important being that the person in charge of processing passport applications didn't know how to process passport applications.
She didn't know which forms we needed, or whether the picture we had brought was going to be accepted by the State Dept (she informed me that in the picture Chloë's head was too big.) After a surprisingly patient explanation from me detailing the requirements and forms needed to issue Chloë her passport, the post office lady seemed happy enough to proceed but decided we needed to take a new picture. Despite the fact that Chloë was asleep, I understood that a passport is an important document, and we don't want to mess around...so I woke her up, got her out of her car seat and held her for her picture. It came out great--I though, sweet, we're in business.
Hmm, not so fast. The post office lady deleted the picture when trying to print it. People make mistakes, right? Well, she deleted it twice. On the third attempt, I started to lose my cool a little, and demanded that someone else take the picture so I wouldn't have to keep coercing a 7 week baby to keep her eyes open for the picture....
So in the end, after an hour and half, we were done. According to the very (in)competent post office employee, I should have Chloë's passport in 1-3 weeks.
The waiting begins...
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