consent of parent for passport at 16 years of age

by Julie
(North Wales, PA)

Question: Does my daughter need her father's consent to renew her passport? Does she need to apply in person and does he have to be with her? She is 16 years old. Her parents have never been married. She lives with her mother(me).

We are traveling to Costa Rica on June 23rd. She has her old passport which expired last May. We completed DS-11 and have passport pictures. I would like to apply for the expedited service. I would like to set up an appointment ASAP.

Since she is 16, I don't think she needs the statement of consent. Her parents do not live in the same area. Please advise. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Answer: Yes, your daughter needs to apply in person. Besides the completed Form DS-11 and passport photo, your daughter needs to present evidence of citizenship (most recent passport) and photo id (driver's license). She also needs to submit a photocopy of the identification document.

Concerning consent, the U.S. Department of State states that minors age 16 and 17 must "establish parental consent." They go on to state that written consent may be requested if it is not implied on the application.

There are two ways to expedite the passport. One, you can make an appointment at the Regional Passport Agency that serves the state where she resides. Note, the agency only attends to American citizens whose departure date is within two weeks. For more information, click the link below.

Passport Agency List

Another way to get an expedited passport is to authorize a professional expediter to submit the application for your daughter. If you choose to use an expediting service, your daughter will still have to appear at a nearby passport application acceptance facility so that an authorized agent can take her oath and witness the signing of the application.

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