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05 February 2004

New U.S. Passport Requirement: All Minors Must Appear in Person

New requirement to enhance the accurate identification of all applicants

The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs has begun requiring the personal appearance of all minors when applying for U.S. passports. This new requirement "will help to verify the identity of minor applicants and aid in the prevention of international child abduction and trafficking," the State Department said.

Additional information is available at the Bureau of Consular Affairs' website: http://travel.state.gov

Following is the text of the announcement:

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U.S. Department of State
Office of the Spokesman
February 5, 2004

MEDIA NOTE
ALL MINORS APPLYING FOR A PASSPORT MUST NOW APPEAR IN PERSON

To enhance the accurate identification of passport applicants and aid in the prevention of international child abduction and trafficking, the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs has begun requiring the personal appearance of all minors applying for U.S. passports.

This applies to all regular, official and diplomatic passports for children under the age of 14, even if the child has previously been issued a passport. Prior to the introduction of this requirement, parents were not routinely required to bring a child under the age of 14 with them when they applied on the child s behalf. Now, when applying for a passport on behalf of a minor under the age of 14, parents are required to have their child present and submit documentation of parental relationship and consent, as well as comply with all other documentation requirements for the issuance of a passport.

The personal appearance requirement for all minors is a further step towards ensuring the integrity of the passport application process. This change will help to verify the identity of minor applicants and aid in the prevention of international child abduction and trafficking.

For additional passport information, please visit the Bureau of Consular Affairs website at http://travel.state.gov.

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(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)