Children under age 16 cannot apply for a passport by themselves. Both parents/guardians must authorize the issuance of the child’s passport. The best way to do this is for both parents/guardians to go with the child in person to apply for the passport.
What if both parents/guardians cannot appear in person?
If… | Then… |
You have sole legal authority | You must submit evidence of this with the application. Examples include:
Foreign documents must be accompanied by English translations. |
One parent is unable to appear | If one parent/guardian cannot go with the child to apply for the passport, they can give permission by completing Form DS-3053 “Statement of Consent.” You must submit the completed form with the child’s passport application. The parent that cannot go with the child must:
Photocopies or scanned copies are not acceptable. The form must be less than three months old. Please note: In certain countries, a DS-3053 must be notarized at a U.S. embassy or consulate and cannot be notarized by a local notary public. |
You cannot locate the other parent, or other exigent circumstances apply | You must submit Form DS-5525 “Statement of Exigent/Special Family Circumstances.”
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Neither parent able to appear | A third party may apply for the child’s passport with a notarized DS-3053 from both parents/guardians giving that third party permission to apply for the child.
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