The Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program
The Children’s Passport
Issuance Alert Program is a service for the parents and legal guardians of minor
children. It enables the Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues to
notify a parent or court ordered legal guardian, when requested, before issuing
a U.S. passport for his or her child. The parent, legal guardian, legal
representatives, or the court of competent jurisdiction must submit a written
request for entry of a child’s name into the program to the Office of Children’s
Issues.
Passport Issuance to Children under Age 18
On July 2, 2001,
the Department of State began implementation of a new law regarding the passport
applications of minor U.S. citizens under the age of 14. A person now applying
for a passport for a child under 14 must show that both parents consent to the
issuance or that the applying parent has sole authority to obtain the passport.
Passport applications made in the U.S. and at consular offices abroad will both
be covered by the new law. Exceptions to this requirement may be made in special
family circumstances or exigent circumstances necessitating the immediate travel
of the child.
Once a passport is issued, its use is not tracked or controlled
by the Department of State. There are no exit controls for American citizens
leaving the United States. If you believe that your child may be abducted
internationally, immediately contact the Office of Children’s Issues and inform
appropriate law enforcement officials.
Information regarding the issuance
of a passport to a minor is available to either parent, regardless of custody
rights, as long as the requesting parents’ rights have not been terminated. The
Department of State’s Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program is a program to
alert us when an application for a United States passport is made. This is not a
program for tracking the use of a passport. This program can be used to inform a
parent or a court when an application for a United States passport is executed
on behalf of a child. The alert program generally remains in effect until each
child turns 18. It is very important that parents keep us informed in writing of
any changes to contact information and legal representation. Failure to notify
CA/OCS/CI of a current address may result in a passport issuance for your child
without your consent.
Passports - General Information
A passport is a
travel document issued by competent authority showing the bearer’s origin,
identity, and nationality, which is valid for the entry of the bearer into a
foreign country (8 United States C 1101(3)).
Under United States law, U.S.
citizens must enter and depart the U.S. with valid U. S. passports (8 United
States C 1185(b)). This requirement is waived, however, for travel from
countries within the Western Hemisphere, with the exception of Cuba (22 CFR
53.2). However, each foreign country has its own entry requirements concerning
citizenship, passports and visas.
Information regarding those requirements may
be obtained from the appropriate foreign embassy or consulate. The addresses and
telephone numbers for the foreign embassy or consulate near you are found in our
Foreign Entry
Requirements.
The Privacy Act and
Passports
Passport information is protected by the provisions of
the Privacy Act (PL 93-579) passed by Congress in 1974. Information regarding a
minor’s passport is available to either parent. Information regarding adults may
be available to law enforcement officials or pursuant to a court order issued by
the court of competent jurisdiction in accordance with (22 CFR 51.27). If you
want us to forward to the Foreign Embassy the information contained in your
request to the Office of Children’s Issues, please complete and sign the Foreign
Embassy Contact Form. That form contains a waiver of your Privacy Act Rights and
the rights of your minor children. For further information regarding the
issuance or denial of United States passports to minors involved in custody
disputes, or about international child abduction, please contact us at
202-736-7000 (this is a recorded message which provides access to country
officers).
General passport
information is available on our home page. While we make every effort to
be of assistance, the Office of Children's Issues can assume no legal
responsibility for the services provided.
Dual Nationality for
Children
Many children, whether born in the United States or
born abroad to a United States citizen parent, are citizens of both the United
States and another country. This may occur through the child’s birth abroad,
through a parent who was born outside the United States, or a parent who has
acquired a second nationality through naturalization in another country. There
is no requirement that a United States citizen parent consent to the acquisition
of another nationality.
The inability to obtain a United States passport
through the Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program does not automatically
prevent a dual national child from obtaining and traveling on a foreign
passport. There is no requirement that foreign embassies adhere to United States
regulations regarding issuance and denial of their passports to United States
citizen minors who have dual nationality. If there is a possibility that the
child has another nationality, you may contact the country’s embassy or
consulate directly to inquire about denial of that country’s passport. The
addresses and telephone numbers for the foreign embassy or consulate near you
are found in our Foreign Entry
Requirements.
More information about the child-related services
available to parents through the Bureau of Consular Affairs is available by
calling the Office of Children’s Issues at 202-736-7000 and speaking to an
officer who deals with a specific country. There is more information about the prevention of International Parental Child
Abduction.
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