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How do I find out if a passport was issued to my child?

Question: I have primary custody of my children. My ex-wife has recently moved to Canada with her new husband. My children go to spend summer vacations and Christmas with their mother. When my children came home this past time they indicated that they had passports.


My question is who do I contact to find out if this is true? I never authorized them to have passports. They were able to get into and out of Canada with their birth certificates.

Answer: You can submit a request for a passport record for each child. This record will show if an application was submitted and, if so, what supporting documentation was provided.

The Privacy Act allows you to obtain copies of records in your own name and the records of your minor children. To request these records, please submit a typed or clearly printed NOTARIZED request that provides:

1. Full name of your minor children;
2. Date and place of birth of your minor children;
3. Your current mailing address;
4. Your current daytime telephone number;
5. Your current e-mail address, if available;
6. Your reason for the request;
7. The dates or estimated dates the passports were issued;
8. Any other information that will help locate the records; and
9. A copy of your valid Federal or State issued photo identification (driver’s license)

There is a $150.00 fee to search for each passport record. A check or money order made payable to “Department of State" must be included with your request.

Certified copies of passport records may be requested. If you would like a certified copy of a passport record, the certification fee is $50.00. Checks or money orders should be made payable to “Department of State".

All requests for passport records issued from 1925 to present should be mailed to:

Department of State
Office of Legal Affairs
Law Enforcement Liaison Division
1111 19th Street, N.W. – Rm. 500
Washington, DC 20036

Comments for How do I find out if a passport was issued to my child?

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Unsure
by: Anonymous

Question: I am a legal adult. Family attempted to trap me in a foreign country by falsely reporting my passport as lost without consent and falsifying signatures even when it required mine as I am over 16.

I know the passport book is invalid and got an emergency one to return, but I am unsure about the passport card. How can I be sure? Do I have to search records? Can I search by number? How much would the total fee be? This forum was closest I found to my question.

Answer: The passport book and passport card are two separate documents. If only the passport book was reported lost, the passport card is likely still valid.

Lost/stolen passport card
by: Anonymous

Question: I reported by mail that my passport card was stolen. I did not lose my passport and have it in my possession. Is my passport still valid?

Answer: Your passport book and passport card are two different documents. Your passport book is still valid.

Valid Passport
by: Dee

Question: Hi- how can I find out if my passport is valid? I think I reported it lost a while ago but didn't receive any follow-up. I found it a few weeks ago.

Answer: If you called to report the passport as lost, it is no longer valid. If you completed the form online but did not print and mail it in, your passport may still be valid.

Revoke or cancel a previously issued passport to child
by: Anonymous

Question: If a parent is later added to the birth and now has parental rights, can that newly established parent revoke their minor child’s passport if already issued? Does the new parent now need to reapply and show proof that both parents agree to the passport?

Answer: Please contact the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 regarding your concern.

Notary
by: Amanda

Question: Do I need a special form for the notary or do I notarize the typed document with the information provided?

Answer: If you are referring to the consent for a child's passport application, you may use Form DS-3053. If not, please provide more information.

Childrens passport alert
by: Anonymous

You can put in for an issuance alert for children's passports as part of the Hague act for abducted children.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/International-Parental-Child-Abduction/abductions/legain-info-for-parents/forms.html

What amount do I need to pay?
by: Anonymous

Question: I believe my ex is planning to leave the country with my daughter without my consent. I need to find out if a passport was issued. Do I need to pay $150 for the record search since we share custody?

Answer: If you share legal custody, your consent is required to obtain your child's passport. You may enroll your child under the Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program so you will be notified once an application is submitted in his/her name.

Please call the NPIC at 1-877-487-2778 for more information.

Previous Passport Records
by: Anonymous

Question: You can request a regular copy of your passport records for free - A Certified Copy is $50 - Go to travel.state.gov and search for Get Copies of Passport Records. The certified $50 copy can also be used as your Evidence of Citizenship instead of your Birth Certificate, Certificate of Naturalization, or your Certificate of Citizenship when you reapply for a new passport.

Answer: Only results of a file search may be used in lieu of a documentary evidence of U.S. citizenship. A passport record (certified or not) cannot be used for this purpose.

$150?! For EACH?
by: Anonymous

Question: Soooo... Even search you pay $150 for each?!

Answer: There is a file search fee of $150 if you are applying for a passport and cannot submit evidence of U.S. citizenship. This is only possible if you submitted evidence of citizenship with a previous passport application.

There is NO fee to search a passport record UNLESS you are seeking a copy of someone else’s passport records without an authorization from that individual or you want a certified record for someone's record you are authorized to receive.

price
by: Anonymous

Question: That is not true. There is a $50 fee. Reread what it says: a $50 fee for a search is required. An additional fee of $50 is necessary for certified copies. But there is a search fee.

Answer: There is NO fee to search a passport record UNLESS you are seeking a copy of someone else’s passport records without an authorization from that individual. This is considered a third-party or FOIA request.

price
by: Anonymous

Question: A fee of $50 to see if my children were issued passports is outrages. I'm a single father who pays high child support rates and don't have extra money to find out what I need.

Answer: There are no fees to request a regular copy of your passport records, those of your minor children or an incompetent person for whom you act as a guardian, or as an authorized representative for another individual U.S. citizen. If you wish to obtain certified copies of these records, the certification fee is $50.00.

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