TransUnion Minor Credit Freeze: Documents, Mailing, and Lifting

To place a TransUnion minor credit freeze, mail a signed cover letter requesting a Protected Consumer Freeze, together with documents proving your identity, your child’s identity, and your authority to act for them, to TransUnion at P.O. Box 380, Woodlyn, PA 19094. The freeze is free under federal law for any child under 16, and TransUnion must process a mailed request within three business days of receiving it.¹ If your child has no credit file yet, TransUnion will create a restricted record for the sole purpose of freezing it, and that record cannot be used to evaluate creditworthiness.²

Documents to Gather Before You Mail

TransUnion only accepts Protected Consumer Freeze requests by mail because of the documentation involved. You cannot submit this type of freeze online or by phone.³ Assemble copies of everything before you write the letter, because an incomplete package will slow you down.

For your child, include a copy of their Social Security card and a certified or official copy of their birth certificate. For yourself, include a copy of a government-issued photo ID (driver’s license, state ID, or passport) and your Social Security number or a copy of your Social Security card. You also need proof of your current address, such as a recent utility bill, bank statement, or insurance statement showing your name and residential address.

Then you need proof that you have authority to act for the child. A birth certificate naming you as the parent works. So does a court order establishing guardianship or a valid power of attorney. If the child is in foster care, include a written certification from the county welfare or probation department confirming the child is in their care.¹

Writing the Cover Letter

Your cover letter should explicitly ask for a “Protected Consumer Freeze.” Include the full name, address, and Social Security number for both you and your child. Sign and date it.³ Keep the request short and direct. The documents do the heavy lifting; the letter tells TransUnion what to do with them.

Where to Send It

Mail the letter and copies of your documents to:

TransUnion
P.O. Box 380
Woodlyn, PA 19094

Use certified mail with a return receipt. That gives you a dated record of when TransUnion received the package, which matters because the three-business-day processing clock starts on receipt.¹ TransUnion will send a written confirmation once the freeze is in place. Keep it with your child’s other important documents; you’ll need the reference information to lift or remove the freeze later.

Check for an Existing File First

Before you mail, spend a few minutes with TransUnion’s Child Identity Theft Inquiry Form. It checks whether a credit file already exists under your child’s Social Security number.⁴ If TransUnion finds one, they’ll guide you through next steps, which may include reviewing the report for fraudulent accounts. If no file is found, you can mail your freeze request knowing you’re locking down a clean record.

TransUnion Alone Isn’t Enough

A TransUnion freeze only blocks access to TransUnion’s file. A creditor who pulls your child’s report from Equifax or Experian will still get through, so you need to place a separate freeze at each of the three nationwide bureaus.⁵

Experian also requires a mail-in request. Download and print their minor freeze request form, attach the same types of identity documents, and send everything to Experian, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013. Equifax uses a similar mail-based process. Each bureau maintains its own file, so freezing one does nothing at the others.

Managing and Lifting the Freeze Later

The Protected Consumer Freeze stays in place indefinitely. It does not expire when your child turns 16 or 18, and it remains until someone with authority requests its removal.⁶

You can request a temporary lift or a permanent removal at any time. Once your child turns 16, they can request removal on their own. The removal request needs documentation similar to the original submission, and the bureau must process a mailed removal within three business days, or within one hour for a phone or online request.⁷

The most common reason to lift a freeze is a first student loan, credit card, or apartment application. Plan for the mail lag. If your teenager is heading to college and needs a lender to pull their credit, submit the lift request at least a week before the application. A temporary lift is usually the smarter move, because it reopens the file only for a set period and then refreezes automatically.

If the Check Turns Up an Existing File With Accounts

If TransUnion’s inquiry form or the freeze process reveals a credit file with accounts you don’t recognize, placing the freeze is only part of the job. Contact each credit bureau and ask them to remove the fraudulent accounts, explaining that your child is a minor who cannot legally enter into contracts.

Then contact the fraud department at every company where an account was opened. Ask them to close the account and send written confirmation that your child is not liable for the debt. If a company pushes back, send a letter with a copy of the birth certificate proving your child was a minor when the account was opened. Report the identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov, the FTC’s reporting portal, which will generate a recovery plan and an official Identity Theft Report you can use to dispute accounts.⁸ Start the disputes first, then place the freeze; the freeze prevents new damage, but it does not clean up accounts that already exist.

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts and Active Duty Alerts
2
TransUnion. Child Identity Theft
3
TransUnion. Freeze Your Credit Report by Mail or Phone
4
TransUnion. Child Identity Theft Inquiry Form
5
Federal Trade Commission. Free Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts
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TransUnion. Credit Freeze
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USAGov. How To Place or Lift a Security Freeze on Your Credit Report
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Federal Trade Commission. How To Protect Your Child From Identity Theft