Child Passport FAQs
My child's other parent has not been in my child's life for a long time. Do I still need to provide his/her signature of consent?
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For the purposes of child safety, BOTH parents listed on the child's birth certificate MUST provide a signature of consent and a copy of state ID.
If the second parent has been absent and cannot be found, the primary parent must attain proof of sole custody of the child through a legal court order. If the parent cannot be found and a court order is unattainable, the DS-5525 form can be completed and notarized. Each form is reviewed individually by the Department of State, but would be considered a special request and is not guaranteed to suffice.
My child's other parent is unable to visit the Acceptance Agent with our child and myself. How can they provide their consent?
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For the purposes of child safety, BOTH parents listed on the child's birth certificate MUST provide a signature of consent and a copy of state ID.
If the second parent must be been absent, the absent parent must complete the DS-3053 form. The witnessed and notarized DS-3053 application is then submitted to the AA as the second parent's consent.
I have my baby's hospital-issued birth certificate, but I haven't received the certified one yet. Can he or she still get a passport?
- You will need the certified copy of the baby's birth certificate in order to obtain a passport for him or her. Contact the Vital Statistics Office of the state of the baby's birth to order the certified copy that you will need.
To expedite your birth certificate processing, visit https://www.vitalchek.com/ or another vital document expediting service.
My child is too young to sign his/her own passport. How do I sign my child's passport?
- In the space provided for the signature, the mother or father must print the child's name and sign their own name. Then, in parenthesis by the parent's name, write the word (mother) or (father) so we know who signed for the child.
My child does not have a social security number. What do I write on the application form?
- For child passport applications only, you can write "zeros" in the spaces provided for the social security number. Please include a typed letter for U.S. Department of State explaining that no social security number has been issued.
What is the Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program (CPIAP)?
- Parents may enroll their U.S. citizen children under the age of 18 in the Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program (CPIAP), one of the Department of State's most important tools for preventing international parental child abduction. If a passport application is submitted for a child who is enrolled in CPIAP, the Department attempts to alert the parent or parents to verify whether the parents approve passport issuance.