Passports

Passports for Minors under Age 16

Passport applications for children under the age of 16 are submitted in the American Citizen Services unit of the Consular Section in the U.S. Embassy. Passport service hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Monday through Friday (excluding U.S. and Peruvian holidays).

Parental consent rules required by the Nance/Donovan Foreign Relations Authorization Act became effective on July 2, 2001. Under the law, a person applying for a U.S. passport for a child under age 16 must demonstrate that both parents consent to the issuance of a passport or that the applying parent has sole authority to obtain the passport. The purpose of the two-parent consent requirement is to lessen the possibility that a U.S. passport might be used in the course of an international parental child abduction.

Additionally, effective February 2004, 22 CFR 51 requires that each child applying for a passport must appear in person.

Parents of minors under age 16 must:

• Submit a completed passport application (Form DS-11) (note: please do not sign the application form until the Consular Officer instructs you to do so).

• Bring the child to the Embassy at the time of application.  A consular officer must personally see the child in order to adjudicate the application.

• Present proof of the child's U.S. Citizenship

You will need to submit at least one of the following for your child:

• Certified U.S. birth certificate*; or
• Previously fully valid U.S. Passport; or
• Report of Birth Abroad (Form DS-240); or
• Certification of Birth Abroad (Form DS-1350); or
• Certificate of Citizenship or Naturalization from INS.
  *Note: A certified birth certificate has a registrar's raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored seal, registrar's signature, and the date the certificate was filed with the registrar's office, which must be within 1 year of the child's birth.

• Present Evidence of child's relationship to Parents/Guardians

You will need to submit at least one of the following:

• Certified U.S. birth certificate (with parents' names); or
• Certified Foreign birth certificate (with parents' names and translation, if necessary); or
• Report of Birth Abroad (Form DS-240) (with parents' names); or
• Certification of Birth Abroad (Form DS-1350); or
• Court order establishing custody; or
• Court order establishing guardianship.

• Provide Parental Identification

Each parent must submit at least one of the following:

• Valid Driver's License
• Valid Official U.S. Military or U.S. Government ID
• Valid U.S. or Foreign Passport with recognizable photo
• Naturalization/Citizenship Certificate from INS with recognizable photo
• Alien Resident Card from INS.
  

• Present Parental Application Permission Documentation

Both parents must appear together and sign the completed passport application

-OR-

one parent must appear, sign the completed application AND submit the second parent's written, notarized Statement of Consent (Form DS-3053) authorizing passport issuance for the child along with a photocopy of a photo identification of the second parent with a clearly visible signature. If the parent applying does not have access to Form DS-3053, they may substitute a written, notarized statement with the following text (n.b. photocopy of ID w/ visible signature is still required):

I, [ insert name], hereby grant my consent to the issuance of a United States passport to my child:

[ name of child]
[ child's date of birth]

I make this statement under penalty of perjury, subject to applicable federal law.

[ signature of parent]

[ date]

- OR -

One parent must appear, sign the completed application, and submit primary evidence of sole authority to apply (such as one of the following):

• Child's certified U.S. or foreign birth certificate (with translation, if necessary) listing only the applying parent; or
• Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-240) or Certification of Birth Abroad (Form DS-1350) listing only the applying parent; or
• Court order granting sole custody to the applying parent (unless child's travel is restricted by that order); or
  Adoption decree (if the applying parent is sole adopting parent); or
• Court order specifically permitting the applying parent's or guardian's travel with the child; or
• Death certificate of the non-applying parent.

If none of the above documentation is available, the applying parent/guardian should submit a signed, sworn statement explaining why the non-applying parent/guardian's consent cannot be obtained.

*Note: A third party in loco parentis applying on behalf of a minor under the age of 16 must submit a notarized written statement of affidavit from both parents or guardians authorizing a third-party to apply for a passport. When the statement of affidavit is from only one parent/guardian, the third party must present evidence of sole custody of the authorizing parent/guardian.

• Provide Two Passport Photos Which Must:

• Measure 2 x 2 inches (5 x 5 cm) (vending machine photos are generally not acceptable)
• Be identical
• Have been taken within the past 6 months, showing current appearance
• Be color or black and white
• Be full face, front view with a plain white or off-white background
• Have an image measuring between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head
• Be taken in normal street attire (uniforms should not be worn in photos except religious attire that is worn daily)
• Be taken without a hat or headgear that obscures the hair or hairline
  *Note: If you normally wear prescription glasses, a hearing device, wig or similar articles, they should be worn for your picture; dark glasses or non-prescription glasses with tinted lenses are not acceptable unless you need them for medical reasons. (A medical certificate may be required.)

• Pay the Application Fee

Passport issuance fees are $85 for applicants under the age of 16. Fees must be paid in cash or with a credit card. Both U.S. dollars and Peruvian soles are accepted. Checks and money orders are not accepted by the Consular Section.

• Sign the 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 parentheses by the parent's name, write the word (mother) or (father) to indicate who signed for the child.