Should I renew my son's passport?

by Kathy
(Egin, Il. 60120)

Question: In the spring of 07 I got passports for myself, my then 13 yr old son and my 17 yr old daughter for vacation that summer. My daughter's and my passport said they were good for 10 years, till 2017, and my son's until 2012, only 5 years.

My 2 questions are first, why was his only good for 5 years? And second, my ex-husband is taking them both to Canada this summer. At that time they will both have had b-days and will be 17 and 21.

My ex thinks (someone told him) that even though my son's passport says it's good until April 12, 2012 he needs to have it renewed because since we first got it he's now over 16 yrs old. Is this true?? Wouldn't they just have put down the date that he turned 16 last year as the expiration date then?

I would greatly appreciate your help with this.

Answer: Passports issued to minors age 15 or younger are valid for 5 years while those issued to U.S. citizens age 16 and older are valid for 10 years.

Your son's passport is valid until the date of expiration independent of how old he is. If your son's passport is valid until April 12, 2012 then he does not need to renew it in order to travel to Canada this summer.