U.S. Embassy & Consulates
in Australia

Both parents/legal guardians must provide consent authorizing passport issuance for a minor under age 16. See the scenarios below, and follow the instruction that best applies to your circumstance.

If both parents are attending the passport interview, they MUST:

• Appear in person with the minor.
• Sign Form DS-11 in front of a Consular Officer.

If only one parent is attending the passport interview, they MUST:

• Appear in person with the minor.
• Sign Form DS-11 in front of a Consular Officer.
• The second parent can express their consent to the issuance of a passport by completing Form DS-3053: Consent (PDF 42 KB), and having it notarized. In Australia, the DS-3053 can be notarized by either a Public Notary or a Justice of the Peace (JP). The completed DS-3053, and copy of the ID presented at the time the consent form was notarized must be submitted at the interview.

There are a few points to note about completing the Consent form:

1. Be sure to use the U.S. date format (mm/dd/yyyy), or spell out the month (eg: 1-Jan-2019).
2. The consenting parent must name the applying parent in Section 4.
3. The JP/notary must record the details of the ID that the parent presents when signing the form in section 5. Please ensure that the JP/notary records the details of the ID, and not the JP/notary’s registration number.
4. We will also require a copy of the ID that the parent submits when they sign the form. Please have the JP/notary certify a copy of the parent’s ID.
5. The notarized form must be less than three months old to be accepted.

If only parent is attending the passport interview but that parent has sole legal custody of the minor child, they MUST:

• Appear in person with the minor.
• Sign Form DS-11 in front of a Consular Officer.
• Submit primary evidence of sole authority to apply for the child with one of the following:
  • minor’s original U.S. or foreign birth certificate, or Consular Report of Birth Abroad listing only the applying parent;
  • court order granting sole custody to the applying parent (unless child’s travel is restricted by that order);
  • adoption decree (if applying parent is sole adopting parent);
  • judicial declaration of incompetence of non-applying parent; or,
  • death certificate of non-applying parent

If only one parent is attending the passport interview, and cannot obtain the consent of the second parent for a reason other than what is already addressed above, they MUST:

• Appear in person with the minor.
• Sign Form DS-11 in front of a Consular Officer.
• Submit Form DS-5525 (PDF 42 KB): Statement of Exigent/Special Family Circumstances stating why the non-applying parent/guardian’s consent cannot be obtained. The statement must explain in detail the non-applying parent’s or guardian’s unavailability and recent efforts made to contact the non-applying parent. The applying parent should also provide evidence (e.g., custody order, incarceration order, restraining order) to document his/her claim of exigent or special circumstances.

A Third Party (in Loco Parent is applying on behalf of a minor under the age of 16) MUST:

• Submit a notarized statement or affidavit from both parents/guardians:
  • authorizing a third-party to apply for a passport for their child; and,
  • consenting to the issuance of a passport to their child.
• Sign Form DS-11 in front of a Consular Officer.
• Appear in person with the minor.
• 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.