How to Fill Out and Notarize Form DS-3053: Child Passport Consent

Form DS-3053 is the notarized consent statement one parent signs when they can’t appear in person at the passport appointment for their child under 16. The applying parent brings the original signed and notarized form to the acceptance facility along with the child’s DS-11 application. The consent expires 90 days after notarization, so the form has to be signed, notarized, and submitted inside that window or the process starts over.¹

When You Need This Form

Federal regulation requires both parents or all legal guardians to appear in person when a child under 16 applies for a passport.² Form DS-3053 is what stands in for the absent parent. It applies to first-time applications and renewals, and it covers both the passport book and the passport card by default. If the non-applying parent wants to limit consent to only one, they write “issue passport book only” or “issue passport card only” in Section 3.¹

When both parents are absent and a third party like a grandparent brings the child to the appointment, each parent submits their own separate DS-3053.

The two-parent consent rule does not apply to 16- and 17-year-olds. A child that age can apply on their own and only needs to show parental awareness, which can be demonstrated through a signed note, a parent listed as emergency contact, or a check for the fee bearing a parent’s name. The Department of State may still ask for a notarized DS-3053 if awareness isn’t otherwise clear.³

When You Don’t Need It at All

If the applying parent has sole authority over the child’s passport, no DS-3053 is required. Any one of the following documents establishes that:⁴

A court order granting sole legal custody, or specifically authorizing the applying parent to obtain a passport for the child. The order can’t contain travel restrictions that conflict with issuance.²
The child’s birth certificate or adoption decree listing only one parent.
A death certificate for the other parent.
A court order declaring the other parent incompetent or terminating their parental rights.

Bring the original or a certified copy. Ordinary photocopies of court orders are not accepted.¹

Filling Out the Form

Download the current version from eforms.state.gov. Use black ink only. If you make a mistake, throw the sheet away and start over on a fresh copy. White-out, cross-outs, and writing over errors will get the form rejected.¹

The form has five sections. The non-applying parent completes Sections 1 through 3 before the notary appointment, then stops.

Section 1: Child’s Information

Print the child’s full legal name exactly as it appears on the DS-11, plus the date of birth. Even a small spelling difference between the two forms can create a mismatch that delays the application.

Section 2: Applying Adult

Print the full name of the parent or guardian who will appear in person at the acceptance facility with the child, along with the relationship (mother, father, legal guardian).

Section 3: The Non-Applying Parent

The non-applying parent prints their full name, mailing address, phone numbers, and email. Below that, the form asks for details from the government-issued photo ID they will present to the notary: type (driver’s license, passport, military ID, or other), issuing jurisdiction, ID number, issue date, and expiration date. Any restriction limiting consent to a book or card only goes here.¹

Section 4: Signature — Do Not Sign in Advance

Signing Section 4 before arriving at the notary is one of the most common reasons the form gets rejected. Wait. The notary administers an oath, then the parent signs and dates the form in front of them. The notary completes Section 5 with their seal, commission information, and signature. The parent’s signature date and the notary’s date in Section 5 must match exactly.¹

Photocopy of the ID

After notarization, attach a photocopy of the front and back of the same government-issued photo ID the parent showed the notary. The photocopy has to be on standard 8.5-by-11-inch white paper, printed on one side only. You may enlarge the image but not shrink it.⁵ If the ID on the photocopy doesn’t match what’s written in Section 3, the form is invalid.

Getting It Notarized

The non-applying parent must appear in person before a notary public, or where authorized, a passport specialist at a Department of State agency, and sign under oath.² Two rules trip people up: the notary cannot be related to the parent signing the form, and the notary’s seal must be legible with a current commission. An expired commission or an unreadable seal voids the form.

Notary fees vary by state. Banks, UPS stores, and shipping centers commonly offer the service for a small fee. Mobile notaries who come to you charge more. Expect anywhere from a few dollars to about $25 for the notarization, with mobile visits running higher.

Remote Online Notarization

The Department of State accepts electronically notarized statements under state law, and many states now authorize remote online notarization. Confirm that the notary is commissioned in a state that permits it and that the process complies with that state’s requirements. Bring a printed copy of the electronically notarized form to the passport appointment.³

Overseas or Deployed

In most countries a local foreign notary can notarize the DS-3053, but in dozens of countries only a U.S. embassy or consulate notarization is accepted. The restricted list includes, among others, Bangladesh, Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, and Vietnam.⁶ Check the U.S. embassy or consulate website for the specific country before visiting a local notary. Notarial services for DS-3053 at U.S. embassies and consulates are free.

Deployed service members can typically use a military legal assistance office, which has officers authorized to administer oaths and notarize documents.

The 90-Day Window and Other Common Rejections

The notarized form must be submitted within 90 days of the notarization date. Miss that window and the parent has to redo everything. Other frequent rejection reasons, taken from the form’s own instructions:¹

Signing Section 4 before the notary appointment.
The signature date in Section 4 not matching the notary’s date in Section 5.
Any correction on the form: white-out, cross-outs, writing over errors.
A missing ID photocopy, only one side copied, or an ID that doesn’t match what’s listed in Section 3.
A notary who is related to the signing parent.
A local notary in a country where only U.S. embassy or consulate notarization is accepted.
Submitting a photocopy or scan of the notarized form. The acceptance facility needs the original paper document.

Bringing the Form to the Appointment

The applying parent brings the original notarized DS-3053 with the ID photocopy attached to the passport acceptance facility at the same time as the child’s DS-11. You can’t mail the DS-3053 separately to a passport processing center. It has to be presented in person alongside the rest of the application.

Along with the DS-3053, plan to bring:

Form DS-11, filled out but not signed (you sign at the facility).
Evidence of the child’s U.S. citizenship, typically a certified birth certificate or prior passport.
Evidence of parental relationship, usually covered by the birth certificate listing the parents.
One passport photo meeting Department of State specifications.
The applying parent’s valid government-issued photo ID, plus a photocopy.

To find an acceptance facility near you, use the locator at iafdb.travel.state.gov. Post offices, county clerks, and some public libraries serve as acceptance facilities. Many require an appointment, so check before you go.

If the Other Parent Can’t Be Found or Won’t Cooperate

The DS-3053 assumes both parents agree. If the other parent is missing, unreachable, or refuses to sign, and you don’t have a court order showing sole custody, the DS-3053 is not the right form. Instead, submit Form DS-5525, Statement of Exigent/Special Family Circumstances, with the DS-11 application. The Department of State reviews these case by case to decide whether to waive the two-parent consent rule.⁷

The form distinguishes between exigent circumstances (time-sensitive emergencies affecting the child’s health or welfare) and special family circumstances (situations where the other parent can’t be located or consent is exceptionally difficult to obtain). For a missing parent, document every effort you made to find them: contacts with friends, relatives, former employers, phone directory and online searches, and what each turned up. A general statement that you “tried” is not enough.

False Statements Are a Federal Crime

Lying on the DS-3053, including forging the other parent’s signature or fabricating consent that wasn’t given, is a federal offense under 18 U.S.C. § 1001. The statute covers any knowingly false statement in a matter within federal jurisdiction and carries penalties of up to five years in prison, a fine, or both.⁸ The form itself warns signers of this. The two-parent consent requirement exists to prevent international parental child abduction, and forged consent can implicate those laws as well.

1
U.S. Department of State. DS-3053 U.S. Passport Statement of Consent Form
2
eCFR. 22 CFR 51.28 – Minors
3
U.S. Department of State. Apply for Your Passport as a 16-17 Year Old
4
U.S. Department of State. Apply for a Child’s Passport Under 16
5
U.S. Department of State. Photo ID Requirements
6
U.S. Embassy & Consulates in India. DS-3053
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U.S. Department of State. DS-5525 Statement of Exigent/Special Family Circumstances
8
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 1001 – Statements or Entries Generally