# Re-entering USA with a minor/child on expired passport



## ashsmoen

G'day fellow expats,
My question is whether we will be able to board the plane in Australia and enter the USA with our 12 year old son in late July if his US passport has expired, and what are the possible risks/consequences? Alternatively, could he travel on his Australian passport (I know it is against the law, but ???)
For context: My husband, 12 year old son and I are US expats and now dual Australian-US citizens with passports for both countries. We are headed to the USA in just 7 weeks, but coming out of 2+ years of no international travel, it looks like our son's US passport has expired (his Australian passport is fine, as are all of my and my husband's passports). The Canberra embassy does not deal with passports, and the Sydney consulate is closed for relocation, so to attempt an expedited passport renewal, we would have to all fly to Melbourne since minors require in-person appointments. The extension on US expired passports ends in June and we are travelling in July. 
Any advice on the loopholes, the possible fines or delays, etc would be very much appreciated!
Cheers,
Ashley


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## ashsmoen

Bonus, no possible appointment dates!
We are based in Canberra. The Embassy here does not provide consular services. The consulate in Sydney is closed for relocation. The consulate in Melbourne has no open appointment times available across June (see screenshot).


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## Moulard

Technically US border officials cannot refuse admittance to someone who they believe is a US citizen. All they can do is issue a waiver to the requirement to present a valid passport. 

The bigger issue will be convincing the carrier to allow him on the plane in the first place with neither a valid US passport nor an ESTA in an Australian one - you can sometimes get away with an ESTA when a child has never held a US passport and was born without the US. But that isn't the case here..

There is a process by which the US Consulates can issue an emergency passport if you are travelling within the next 15 business days.






Emergency U.S. Passports


Current processing time of a U.S. passport is 10-15 business days. Generally, passport applications are processed in less time; however, we require up to




au.usembassy.gov





Book an appointment even if it is after your travel date
Attache evidence of your imminent travel (eg. confirmed flight itinerary)
Keep an eye on vacancies every day or two - cancellations do regularly occur.
Worth discussing timing with the US Consulate in Melbourne (assuming you aren't planning to go to Perth)

Telephone: (03) 9526-5900

Do make sure you are familar with the following too..






Two-Parent Consent


Both parents/legal guardians must provide consent authorizing passport issuance for a minor under age 16. See the scenarios below, and follow the




au.usembassy.gov


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