Note: This post may contain affiliate links! Check our disclaimer<\/a> if you need more info!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n How do you get a child passport when one parent is absent?\u00a0 What if one parent refuses to sign the passport application?\u00a0 If you need one, how do you get a court order for a child passport?\u00a0 We\u2019ve got the answers to all these and more!<\/p>\n International travel with your kiddos is fun but it, without a doubt, requires more legal groundwork than domestic travel.\u00a0 In the United States, minor children [under the age of 16] are required to have both parents\u2019 consent to obtain a passport<\/a>.\u00a0 That means if there are two parties listed on the birth certificate, then both must be present with the child when you submit an application on their behalf.<\/p>\n [Please note: I cannot provide legal assistance. <\/strong>I am not<\/strong> a legal professional.\u00a0 This blog post is strictly<\/strong> informational to share our experience and our feedback on what worked for us.\u00a0 I see this question in forums all the time and I want to share how we walked through it.]<\/em><\/p>\n If you feel you need formal legal assistance, check out RocketLawyer\u2019s \u201cAsk A Lawyer\u201d<\/a> feature where you can get help from real legal professionals.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Learn how to get a passport for your child even if the other parent is absent or even uncooperative. This guide contains the ins, the outs, the terms you need to know, contact attempt logs, and even contact information for the lawyer we used!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n I had our youngest kid, Bug, as a single mother.\u00a0 Her father and I were not wed but we signed an affidavit acknowledging paternity at her birth which resulted in both of our names going on her birth certificate. [Click here to read more about our blended family<\/a>.]<\/p>\n Unlike adult passports, child passports only last for 5 years.\u00a0 They cannot be renewed and when it expires, you must submit a new application and go through the process from scratch.\u00a0 That means every 5 years both parents and the child must show at a passport application facility.<\/p>\n Bug\u2019s biological father signed for her initial passport but refused to sign the passport application for her second one.\u00a0 His reason was that he was afraid I would take her out of the country.\u00a0 Well, duh \u2013 that\u2019s exactly my intention [hello, Spring Break Trips<\/a>!].<\/p>\n If a parent refuses to sign a passport application, there aren\u2019t any forms you can fill out to get around it.\u00a0 The law is clear and is designed to protect against international parental child abduction<\/a>.\u00a0 \u00a0You will have to pursue legal action and obtain the legal right to obtain [and hold] a passport for your child.<\/p>\n\n A court order to obtain a child passport is exactly what it says: a document provided by the court of law that explicitly states that you can obtain a child passport without consent from the other parent.<\/p>\n The majority of the time, this right is wrapped into a larger case of gaining full legal authority.\u00a0 Some states call it full legal custody.\u00a0 In Texas, it is called sole managing conservatorship<\/a>.\u00a0 However, they all do the same thing.\u00a0 It means that you can make legal decisions for your child \u2013 including the decision to obtain a passport \u2013 without any other special forms [like a Travel Consent Form<\/a>] or permission granted.<\/p>\n Sounds great, right?\u00a0 Now that we\u2019ve completed this process, it is so incredibly freeing to have this right. Our court order has those magic words: \u201cIt is ordered that Monty shall have the exclusive right to apply for and maintain a passport for the child, Bug.\u201d\u00a0 Relief in one sentence.<\/p>\n If you feel you need formal legal assistance, check out RocketLawyer\u2019s \u201cAsk A Lawyer\u201d<\/a> feature where you can get help from real legal professionals.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n As a reminder, none of this is needed if you are the only parent listed on the birth certificate.\u00a0 If no one else is listed, you can submit your child\u2019s passport application as normal.<\/p>\n OK but let\u2019s say your child\u2019s non-custodial parent isn\u2019t refusing to sign the passport application.\u00a0 He [or she] is just unavailable, uncommunicative, or uninvolved.\u00a0 Fortunately, the Department of State clearly lays out how to get a child passport with one parent absent.<\/p>\n If they\u2019re willing to give consent but cannot travel to the same location as you and your kid to obtain a passport, then they will have to provide a statement of consent.\u00a0 Formally called Form DS-3053<\/a>,\u00a0 this form must be filled out by the absent parent and signed in front of a notary.<\/p>\n They will then send it to you [along with a front and back single-sided copy of their driver\u2019s license] so that you can submit it with your child\u2019s passport application.<\/p>\n If everything is in order, this works the large majority of the time.<\/p>\n![\"passport](\"https:\/\/www.thespringbreakfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/passport-without-other-parent-pinterest-2-341x512.png\"\/)
![\"passport](\"https:\/\/www.thespringbreakfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/passport-without-other-parent-pinterest-2-341x512.png\")
<\/div>\n![\"Parent](\"https:\/\/www.thespringbreakfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Parent-Refuses-to-Sign-Passport-Application-Pinterest-341x512.png\"\/)
![\"Parent](\"https:\/\/www.thespringbreakfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Parent-Refuses-to-Sign-Passport-Application-Pinterest-341x512.png\")
<\/div>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thespringbreakfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Passport-Ebook-Cover-192x300.png\"\/)
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thespringbreakfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Passport-Ebook-Cover-192x300.png\")
<\/figure>\n
\nOptions When a Parent Refuses to Sign Passport Application<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nHow To Get a Court Order for Child Passport<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
Things you need to know about how to get a court order for a child passport<\/h3>\n
\n
\nHow to Get a Child Passport With One Parent Absent <\/strong><\/h2>\n
How To Get a Child Passport With One Parent Unable to Appear<\/h3>\n
How to Get a Child Passport When You Cannot Locate The Other Parent<\/strong><\/h3>\n