SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR CHILDREN UNDER AGE 16 (as directed by Public Law 106-119)

PLEASE NOTE THAT AS OF FEBRUARY 1, 2008, THE TWO-PARENT CONSENT AND PERSONAL APPEARANCE REQUIREMENTS WAS EXTENDED TO ALL MINORS UNDER THE AGE OF 16.

Passport applicants who are U.S. citizen minors under the age of 16 must appear personally with both parents (or legal guardian(s)) to establish identity, proof of citizenship and proof of relationship. Both parents, as well as the minor, must appear at the Embassy and present all of the following:

• Evidence of both parents’ identities: passports, driver’s license, or other photo identification.
• Proof of the parent-child relationship: the child’s birth certificate with both parents listed, or an adoption decree naming the child and the adoptive parents.
• Proof of the child’s previous U.S. passport,
• Proof of child’s Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or the naturalization certificate.

If only one parent appears you must also submit the following:

The absent parent must provide a notarized statement. Statements notarized by foreign officials will be accepted, but they must be in English. The statement must include a declaration that the absent parent has no objection to issuance of the passport. Form DS-3053 Statement of Consent: Issuing a Passport to a Minor Under Age 16

A single parent must show that he or she has sole authority over the child (and therefore does not need the other parent’s permission in order to obtain a passport for the child) by presenting the child’s birth certificate listing no other parent, the death certificate of the other parent, or a certified copy of a court document showing that the parent has sole custody of the child and the right to take the child abroad.

Parents who have concerns about passport applications for a minor who may become the victim of an international parental child abduction (including children between the ages of fourteen and eighteen not covered by this information sheet) should contact the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy (consularsanjose@state.gov or 2519-2000), or the Office of Children’s Issues in the U.S. Department of State (202-736-9090 or toll free from within the U.S. at 1-888-407-4747 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.).

See Applications and Forms Page

Please refer to the Department of State’s website at www.travel.state.gov for complete information on all new requirements.

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