Originally posted on May 3, 2017
It’s almost summer. Child Support Specialists receives questions about travel this time of year. In 2001, the U.S. government began requiring both parents signatures on kids passport applications. This applies to new passports for children under age 14. Up until that point, it was possible for a single parent to complete a child’s application without the other parent.
Application Process
- Print out the passport application.
- Complete everything on the application except the signatures.
- Make an appointment to meet your ex at your local passport office and bring your child with you.
- Bring all of the required documentation with you, including your child’s birth certificate and your ID.
- Sign the application in the presence of passport officials. (If you sign it in advance, your signature will be void and you’ll have to start over.)
If the other parent is in agreement about applying for your child’s passport but cannot accompany you to the passport office, he or she can complete a Statement of Consent and have it notarized to prove the authenticity of the signature. Once you have this documentation, bring it with you to the passport office and show it to the officials.
If the other parent is unavailable, complete the “Statement of Special Circumstances,” which can be found at the bottom of the Statement of Consent. This will allow you to explain why it is not possible for the other parent to give consent.
EXCEPTIONS
- If you have sole custody of your child, submit the court order establishing custody along with your child’s passport application.
- If only one parent is listed on the child’s birth certificate, then two signatures are not required.
