As of February 1, 2008, the two-parent consent requirement for all minors' passport services was extended to include all children under age 16.
You have two choices:
- Either both parents must be present with the child to provide signatures at the time of passport application,
- Or in the event one parent cannot attend, she or he must send a notarized statement of consent. The consent must be submitted within three months of notarization. Click here to download Form DS-3053, Statement of Consent for Passport Issuance to Minors.
Alternately, the applying parent may present an original death certificate or court order showing sole custody of the child.
A Japanese divorce certificate issued following a divorce by mutual consent (kyogi rikon) is not sufficient to prove sole legal custody of a child. In many cases we may ask for a notarized consent form from the non-custodial parent where only a divorce certificate by mutual consent exists, or we could request further evidence of sole legal custody.
* | All foreign documents must be accompanied by an English translation (formal or informal). Click here for translation templates for Japanese documents. |
Statement of Consent for Passport issuance to Minors: DS-3053