After submitting the usual application for a passport, the parents of a minor younger than 16 must provide documentation of the minor's relationship to them. This must be done in person, by appointment at your nearest "acceptance facility or a passport agency." This can include a birth certificate with both parents' names or an adoption certificate with both parents' names; other documents are acceptable as well. The parents must also provide personal identification, such as their own passports, driver's license or other government-issued identification. Photocopies of these must be included with each minor's application being submitted.
Both parents of a minor must provide consent for the underage applicant. Both parents should be present at the appointment and sign the DS-11 form in the presence of an application official. In the absence of one parent, the same form can be signed by one parent, but a notarized Statement of Consent must be presented in lieu of the other parent's presence.
In the case of a single parent with sole custody, the parent must submit the same DS-11 form as in other circumstances. However, the parent must also furnish documentation that presents the person as the sole guardian of the applicant. These may come in many forms. Birth certificates with only one parent's name, court orders, adoption decrees and death certificates of the spouse are acceptable documents.
There are other special circumstances for minors who are 16 and 17 years old at the time of application. Minors in this age group must appear before a passport official and provide identification or have identification provided by their parents. A photocopy of this same form of identification is also required. The final requirement is parental consent; this is implied if the parents are present at the appointment. In the parents' stead, they may submit documentation of written parental consent to be presented by the minor.
