For American Citizens under 16 Years of Age

Important change: personal appearance required for passport applicants under age 16.
Two-Parent Passport Consent Requirement for Minors under Age 16.

Please note notarization requirement:

As of February 1, 2008, two-parent consent is required for all minor U.S. citizen passport applicants under the age of 16. Under current law, both parents/legal guardian(s) must execute the minor's passport application and provide evidence that they are the minor's parents/legal guardian(s), except under certain limited exigent or special family circumstances.  If one parent cannot be present, the applying parent can bring a notarized statement of consent signed by the absent parent, DS-3053 form, provide a document showing sole custody, or make a statement under penalty of perjury explaining why exigent or special family circumstances apply.  When notarized by a Bulgarian notary public (who by law may notarize only documents in the Bulgarian language), the statement must be translated into English by a licensed translator. This requirement applies to first-time passport applicants and passport renewals for regular, official and diplomatic passports for children under 16. The purpose of this requirement is to lessen the possibility that an American passport might be used to facilitate international parental child abduction.

Please note: the age at which a minor may execute a passport application on his/her own behalf, without parental consent, is 16.

Parents who have concerns about passport applications for any minor child who may become the victim of an international parental child abduction (including children between the ages of 14 and 18), should contact the Office of Children's Issues in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, at (202) 663-2641.

Documents to be submitted:

• Minor's birth certificate or Consular Report of Birth Abroad;
• Minor’s U.S. passport (if reapplication)
• Parents’ photo IDs or document showing sole custody, or statement about special circumstances;
• A completed but not signed DS-11 form;
• Two recent identical photographs (not older than six months);
• Fees: 85 U.S. dollars (payable in dollars or Bulgarian leva, cash only).