Unable to locate my child's father to obtain notarized consent.

by Christine
(Lowell, MA USA)

Question: My daughter's passport just expired 3/1/10, at the time I obtained that passport I was able to locate her father in jail and he was able to provide notarized consent for me to obtain her passport.

We are traveling to Bermuda in August and I have been unable to locate her father through all my resources. Is there another way for me to go about getting her passport for this trip?

I have tried going to court to obtain sole legal custody of her and cannot do so, as he will not appear in court. The only custody I could get was temporary custody, which I was told when obtaining her first passport means nothing.

Any help or insight you could provide would be great.

Answer: There is space on the parental consent form for "Special Circumstances". You can explain the situation in this form. There is no guarantee that your request will be granted based on this.

Parental Consent Form DS-3053

Another option is to request a court order which would allow you to get a passport for your daughter and travel with her to Bermuda. This would not be a court order for sole legal custody but specifically to get the passport and travel to a specific destination. Please consult your lawyer concerning this option.

Note, if you are traveling to Bermuda on a closed-loop cruise (one that begins and ends in the same U.S. city), then you are NOT required to present a passport.