If... | Then... |
You have sole legal authority | You must submit evidence of this with the application. Examples include: - Complete court order granting you sole legal custody of the child, such as a divorce decree or other custody order
- Complete court order specifically permitting you to apply for your child’s passport (photocopy is acceptable)
- Certified copy of the child’s birth certificate listing you as the only parent
- Certified copy of an adoption decree listing you as the only parent
- Certified copy of the judicial declaration of incompetence of the parent that cannot appear in person
- Certified copy of the death certificate of the parent that cannot appear in person
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One parent 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: - Sign and date Form DS-3053 in the presence of a certified notary public, and
- Submit a photocopy of the front and back side of the ID that they present to the notary public with Form DS-3053.
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 | You must submit Form DS-5525 “Statement of Exigent/Special Family Circumstances." - Please complete the form with as much detail as possible.
- We will ask for additional evidence. Examples include: a custody order, an incarceration order, or a restraining order to protect against international parental child abduction.
- If the non-applying parent is deployed by the military, he or she should be able to provide a notarized Form DS-3053 in most cases. In the rare case that the non-applying parent cannot be contacted, you must provide either military orders with a Form DS-5525 showing the non-applying parent can’t be contacted because they are on a special assignment for more than 30 days outside of their duty station OR a signed statement from the non-applying parent’s commanding officer that they can’t be reached.
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Neither parent able to appear | A third party may apply for the child’s passport with a notarized statement from both parents/guardians giving that third party permission to apply for the child. - The statement must include a photocopy of the parents/guardians’ identification.
- When the statement is from only one parent/guardian, the third party must present evidence of sole custody of the consenting parent/guardian.
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