DS-3053: Statement of Consent for a Child's Passport

When you need one

For a child under 16, the State Department's rule is that both legal parents or guardians appear in person with the child to apply. The DS-3053 exists for when that is not possible: the parent who cannot attend completes it so the other can apply alone. It is also used when both parents want to authorise a third party to apply on the child's behalf.

For children aged 16 and 17 the position is different. Parental awareness is required from one legal parent or guardian, and in many cases the passport authorizing officer can establish that without a form — but the officer keeps the discretion to ask for written consent, so bring one if you have any doubt.

The form is not the only acceptable vehicle. The instructions allow a separate notarized written statement containing all the same details to be submitted in its place.

The 90-day clock is the thing people get wrong

The form states plainly that the consent is valid for 90 days from the date the passport authorizing officer or notary signs it, and that if it expires before the passport application is submitted, new consent is required.

That window runs from notarization, not from when you post it. A DS-3053 signed well in advance of a trip, or one that sits waiting while other paperwork is gathered, can quietly lapse before the application reaches a counter. Get it notarized close to the date you will actually apply.

What has to go with it

Two requirements catch people out, and both sit in the notarial block of the form itself.

• • The notary certifies that the parent personally appeared and that the notary verified identity by personally viewing the identification document and the matching photocopy
• • A clear photocopy of the front and back of that government-issued photo ID must be attached to the form
• • The ID photocopied must be the same one presented to the officer or notary — not a different document produced later
• • The form carries a seal field, so the notarial certificate must be completed in full

Can the DS-3053 be notarized online?

This is the question worth being careful about, and the honest answer is that we cannot promise it for you. The DS-3053 itself says nothing about remote online notarization: the words electronic, remote and online do not appear on the form at all. It is silent, which is not the same as permitting it.

What the form does require is that the notary certify the parent personally appeared, that the notary personally viewed the identification document and the matching photocopy, and that a photocopy of the ID presented to the notary is attached. Those requirements were written around an in-person appointment, and whether a remotely notarized DS-3053 satisfies them is the Department of State's decision, not the notary's and not ours.

If you are considering an online session for this specific form, confirm acceptance with the passport acceptance facility or agency you will apply through before you book. Where you cannot get a clear answer, an in-person notarization is the lower-risk route — a rejected consent means starting the 90 days again, with a child's travel date attached to it.

If the other parent cannot consent

Consent may not be required at all where the applying parent can show sole authority. The form gives examples: the other parent's death certificate where that parent has died, a court order granting sole legal custody, or a birth certificate listing only one parent.

Where none of those apply and the second parent genuinely cannot be reached, the form points to Form DS-5525, or a written statement made under penalty of perjury explaining in detail why the second parent cannot be reached. That route is assessed case by case rather than being a guaranteed substitute.

An institution or entity granted guardianship follows a separate path: a certified court order granting guardianship — photocopies are explicitly not acceptable — a signed statement on the institution's letterhead naming the individual authorised to apply, and that individual's photocopied employee photo identification.

Notarizing it from outside the United States

The form carries a specific warning for parents abroad: in certain countries the DS-3053 or the equivalent statement must be notarized at a U.S. embassy or consulate and cannot be notarized by a local notary public. Which countries those are is not listed on the form.

If the consenting parent is overseas, check the relevant embassy or consulate page before making an appointment with a local notary. This is the one scenario where getting it wrong is both likely and expensive.

Terms worth knowing

Affiant

— The person who signs an affidavit and swears or affirms that its contents are true.

Jurat

— A notarial act where you sign the document in the notary's presence and swear or affirm that its contents are true. The certificate reads "sworn to (or affirmed) and subscribed before me". Affidavits and sworn applications use a jurat.

Notarial certificate

— The wording the notary completes and signs on the document: the venue (state and county), the date, the type of act (jurat or acknowledgment), the signer's name, and the notary's signature and seal. If a form has no certificate, the notary attaches a loose one.