Kids' Passports, Visas & Entry Prep: What to Check Before You Fly
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One thing that's easy to overlook with family travel is document prep. "Do kids need a passport?" "What about a visa?" When it's your first time, there's a lot you don't know—and entry rules differ by country and keep changing. This guide organizes the paperwork you'll want to confirm before departure, as a checklist.
What you'll learn
- The July 2026 fee revision and what a child's passport now costs
- How long processing actually takes right now
- Validity, and the remaining-validity rule destinations apply
- Visas and pre-registration (ETA/ESTA) pitfalls
- A pre-departure checklist
1. July 2026: children's passports got cheaper
Starting with the newest information: Japanese passport fees were revised for applications made from midnight on 1 July 2026, and for families it is straightforwardly good news.
The significant change is that the five-year passport now has a single rate for everyone under 18. The old split at age 12, which nearly doubled the price, is gone.
| Five-year passport (online application, per person) | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Under 12 | ¥5,900 | ¥4,400 |
| Age 12-17 | ¥10,900 | ¥4,400 |
| Ten-year passport (18 and over) | ¥15,900 | ¥8,900 |
The group that gains most is children aged 12 to 17: ¥10,900 down to ¥4,400, a saving of ¥6,500. For two siblings that is ¥13,000. If you have children in upper primary or secondary school and budgeted at the old rate, the difference is worth knowing about.
The total combines a national fee and a prefectural fee. The prefectural portion is unchanged at ¥1,900 for online applications and ¥2,300 at a counter, so applying in person costs ¥400 more — ¥4,800 for a five-year passport.
📎 Sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, "Passport fee revision information" (10 June 2026) and its before-and-after comparison table. Figures are post-revision and may change again; always confirm before applying.
2. But processing is slower right now
This is the point that matters most when you are planning travel dates.
Because the lower fees have concentrated applications, the ministry advises that applications made on or after 1 July 2026 may take three weeks to about a month from acceptance to collection — whether filed online or at a counter. The usual figure is around two weeks, so allow roughly double.
If you apply at a Japanese embassy or consulate abroad, add about a further two weeks for the passport to be shipped from Japan. Families living overseas cannot afford to overlook this.
Actual collection dates can be checked with your reference number through the ministry's passport collection date search system published by the ministry and the prefectures.
💡 Planning tip: for summer or New Year travel, aim to have applied two months before departure. Children's applications are usually handled alongside the parents', so one delay moves the whole family's plans.
3. Yes, children need their own passport
Every traveller needs one, including newborns. Adding a child to a parent's passport is no longer possible.
Under-18s can only hold a five-year passport; the ten-year option is not available to them. Given how quickly children's faces change, the shorter validity makes sense.
Applications require parental consent. Online filing via My Number Card and the Mynaportal service is available, but the procedure differs by age, so check your prefecture's passport office page for how children's applications are handled — guidance varies between local authorities.
There is one trap worth knowing. If a passport is applied for but never collected and is allowed to lapse, an additional fee is charged on the next application (¥2,500 for a five-year passport). Children's passports are easy to leave uncollected, so do go and pick it up within the deadline.
Note too that age is counted from the day before the birthday for application purposes. For a child close to turning 18, the application date decides whether they get a five-year or ten-year passport.
4. Validity and the remaining-validity rule
Holding a passport is not always enough: you can be refused entry if too little validity remains.
Many countries require a minimum period of remaining validity on arrival, and six months is a common threshold. An unexpired passport with only a few months left can still stop you at check-in.
A child's five-year passport creeps towards expiry faster than you expect. When you decide on a trip, line up every family passport and check the dates together. Requirements differ by destination, so confirm each time with the ministry's travel safety pages or the relevant embassy.
5. Visas and pre-registration (ETA/ESTA)
A passport alone may not be sufficient. Some destinations require electronic travel authorisation in advance.
- United States: ESTA (each child needs their own)
- Canada: eTA
- Other countries may also operate electronic authorisation or pre-registration schemes
Children each need their own; one family application does not cover everyone. Rules and fees change frequently, so always apply through the official site. Agency sites that appear in search results often charge more than the official fee.
6. Pre-departure checklist
- Expiry dates for every family passport, against the destination's remaining-validity rule
- Visas and pre-registration, one per person
- A copy or photo of each passport, kept separately from the originals
- Each child's romanised name, matching the flight booking exactly
- Any entry forms the destination requires
The fourth is easy to miss: if the name on the ticket does not match the passport, you will not board. Enter it from the passport itself when you book.
📌 Last updated: July 2026. Fees, processing times, visa and pre-registration rules all change. Confirm current requirements with the ministry and the destination's official sources before applying and before you travel.
FAQ
Q. What does a child's passport cost? A. For applications from 1 July 2026, under-18s pay ¥4,400 each for a five-year passport applied for online (¥4,800 at a counter) — so it multiplies by the number of children. Previously it was ¥5,900 under 12 and ¥10,900 from 12, so the 12-17 group in particular saw a large reduction.
Q. How long does it take? A. Usually about two weeks, but the ministry advises that applications from 1 July 2026 may take three weeks to a month because of congestion. Applying at a mission abroad adds roughly two more weeks.
Q. Does a baby need a passport? A. Yes. Everyone needs their own, at any age; children cannot be added to a parent's passport.
Q. Can a child get a ten-year passport? A. No. Ten-year passports are for 18 and over; under-18s hold five-year passports.
Related reading
- Choosing a school → Choosing an international school
- The visa in practice → How to get an MM2H visa
- Packing → The Complete Family Packing List for Kids
- Insurance → Travel Insurance for Family Trips
- All articles → Home
Fees, schemes and entry requirements change. Always confirm with official sources before applying and before you travel.
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