U.S. Passports - Minors

Required Documents for Minors (Under Age 16)​

   All minors applying for a passport will need to provide:

  • Application for a U.S. passport (Form DS-11) – This form is also available at the City Clerk’s Office. While the application may be filled out in advance, it must be signed in the presence of a Passport Acceptance Agent. Do not sign the application before submitting it to the City Clerk’s Office.

  • Proof of minor's U.S. citizenship – This can be a certified birth certificate, a previously issued passport or Naturalization Certificate. If using a previously issued passport or Naturalization Certificate, please note the requirements for evidence of parental relationship. The original document will be sent in with your application and returned to you when your passport is issued. Most people will submit a certified birth certificate, which must include the following items:

    • A file date, or the date the certificate was filed in the registrar’s office, within one year of the birth;
    • Child’s full name;
    • Parents’ names;
    • Date and place of birth;
    • Registrar’s signature; and
    • A raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored seal of the registrar’s office.

We cannot accept a photocopy, a notarized copy, hospital certificate or baptismal certificate as proof of U.S. citizenship. There are several ways to obtain a certified copy of your birth certificate. You may contact the county or state in which you were born or use an internet service such as www.VitalChek.com. If you were born in Colorado, you can go to:

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Vital Records Section
4300 Cherry Creek Drive South
Denver, CO 80246-1530
Birth, Death & Other Records

  • Proof of both parents' identity – A valid driver’s license (not temporary or learner’s permit), naturalization certificate, previous passport, government-issued I.D. with photo and signature, or military I.D. with photo and signature.

  • Evidence of parental relationship – This can be the child's birth certificate with parents' names, certified copy of adoption decree with adopting  parents' names, or certified court order establishing custody or guardianship.

  • Evidence of parental consent – Both parents must provide consent authorizing passport issuance for a minor under age 16. See the table below, and follow the instruction that best applies to your circumstance.



Both Parents MUST:

  • Appear in person with the minor
  • Form DS-11 in front of an Acceptance Agent

One Parent MUST:

  • Appear in person with the minor
  • Sign Form DS-11 in front of an Acceptance Agent
  • Submit the second parents' notarized Statement of Consent (Form DS-3053) and a front and back copy of the second parents' identification

One Parent
(with sole legal custody)
MUST:

 

  • Appear in person with the minor
  • Sign Form DS-11 in front of an Acceptance Agent
  • Submit primary evidence of sole authority to apply for the child with one of the following:
    • Minor's certified U.S. or foreign birth certificate listing only the applying parent.
    • Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-240) or Certification of Birth Abroad (Form DS-1350) listing only the applying parent.
    • Court order granting sole custody to the applying parent(unless child's travel is restricted by that order)
    • Adoption decree (if applying parents is sole adopting parent)
    • Court order specifically permitting applying parent's or guardian's travel with the child
    • Judicial declaration of incompetence of non-applying
    • Death certificate of non-applying parent

NOTE: If none of the above documentation is available, the applying parent must submit Form DS-3053 stating why the non-applying parent/guardian's consent cannot be obtained.

 

A Third Party
(in Loco Parentis applying on behalf of a minor under the age of 16)
MUST:

  • Submit a notarized written statement or affidavit from both parents or guardians authorizing a third-party to apply for a passport.
  • When the statement of affidavit is from only one parent/guardian, the third-party must present evidence of sole custody of the authorizing parent/guardian.

 


 
  • One passport photo – The city is not currently providing photo services. Applicants must provide their own photo. Photographs that do not comply with Department of State specifications will be rejected. Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Costco, FedEx Office and other photo processing centers often provide passport photo services. Listed below are the specific requirements for passport photos:

    • Submit one (1) identical color photos.
    • Photo must be recent – within the last six months.
    • Photo must measure 2x2 inches, with an image size from bottom of chin to top of head (including hair) of between 1 and 1 3/8 inches.
    • Photo must be clear, front view, full face, taken in normal street attire without a hat or glasses of any kinds (including prescription glasses), and printed on photographic paper with a white background.

No uniforms or camouflage fabric is to be worn in passport photos.

  • Payment – Payments to the U.S. Department of State must be paid with a check or money order. Payments to the City can be made with cash, check, or money order.