Consider how you can take action and review our Prevention Tips.

We urge parents to consult with an attorney and ask what actions they should take. These actions may include getting a court order that would stop a child from leaving the United States.

Prevention measures can be very effective if you take appropriate steps quickly. These steps include contacting law enforcement and hiring a lawyer to advocate for you and get court documents that protect you and your child. The Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program (CPIAP) can also help to prevent a possible abduction. It does this by alerting a parent to a U.S. passport application for their child.

A clear court order may be the most important preventative measure. Court orders may include provisions such as: 

• prohibiting international travel of the child,
• specifying the beginning and end dates of visits,
• requiring supervised visitation,
• requiring the court’s approval to take the child out of the state or country, and/or,
• requiring a court or a neutral third party to hold a child’s U.S. and/or foreign passport(s).

If you do not have an order with specific travel restrictions for your child, law enforcement and airline personnel may not be able to prevent your child from leaving the United States.

We strongly encourage parents to consult with an attorney to help navigate the legal system in the United States. We cannot recommend any specific attorney.

Local police can work with you to enter your child’s name into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database. This will help in searching for your child. If you believe your child has already been taken out of state, you can also notify the nearest FBI field office, located by state. Some law enforcement agencies may be less responsive if there is no court order for your child. If you have difficulty getting local law enforcement to focus on the search for your child, contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) 24-hour hotline at 800-843-5678. NCMEC is a non-profit organization that provides support to parents whose children are missing, including domestic and international family abductions.

Gathering key information about your child and the taking parent may help officials in the search. For example:

• Photographs of the child and biographic information,
• Details about the person you think has taken the child and associates,
• Court orders regarding your child,
• Circumstances about when you last saw the child,
• Where you think they may travel,
• Travel itineraries, departure routes, or airlines/border crossings

Some law enforcement agencies may be less responsive if there is no court order for your child. Your attorney may also be able to assist in working with local law enforcement or the courts. If you have a court order that prohibits removing the child from the U.S. and a law enforcement contact, call 888-407-4747, or e-mail PreventAbduction1@state.gov.

The United States does not have exit controls or require two-parent consent for a minor to leave the country.  If traveling from the United States to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean, travelers are also subject to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). Under WHTI, countries have different entry and exit requirements for travelers and in some cases minors may exit the U.S. without a passport. To learn more about these requirements, including land and sea entry and exit laws for all travelers, review Customs and Border Protection’s information about WHTI.

International parental child abduction is a crime in every state and the District of Columbia under specified circumstances, and is also a federal crime under the International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act. Read more about laws and regulations. 

We strongly encourage parents to consult with an attorney regarding their particular circumstances, and you can contact the Department of Defense.

Contact the Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues at 888-407-4747 or PreventAbduction1@state.gov.

Work with law enforcement as soon as possible. Keep a written record of the people and agencies you have contacted, as well as their telephone numbers and relevant contact information.

You can call the police. If you think your child has already been taken out of state, you can notify the nearest FBI field office, located by state. Some law enforcement agencies may be less responsive if there is no court order for your child. If you have difficulty getting local law enforcement to focus on the search for your child, contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) 24-hour hotline at 800-843-5678. NCMEC is a non-profit organization that provides support to parents whose children are missing, including domestic and international family abductions.

Generally, both parents or legal guardians are required to sign a passport application for a minor child under age 16. Please refer to our Passports for Minors Under Age 16 page for further information.

Passport information is protected by the Privacy Act of 1974. However, information regarding the application for and issuance of a passport to a minor is generally available to either parent. Please contact Passport Services for more information on the issuance or denial of United States passports to minors involved in custody disputes.

All U.S. Passport applications for minor children under age 16 require that both parents/legal guardians consent or documentation showing that the other parent’s consent is not required (22 U.S.C. 213n and 22 C.F.R. 51.28). Passport applications for children under age 16 must be submitted in person at a passport agency or authorized passport application acceptance facility. For more information, review passport requirements for minors under age 16.

The two-parent consent rule does not apply to children who are 16 or 17. But a child’s passport may be denied if a parent with authority to object notifies the Department in writing of their objection. For more information, review passport requirements for 16 and 17 year olds.

Please follow the instructions listed on the Department’s website to order copies of a passport record. 

The Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program (CPIAP) allows the Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues to contact parent(s) or legal guardian(s). They do this to check if parental consent for a minor's passport has been met. They can do this when a passport application is submitted for a child enrolled in the CPIAP. Also, when a child is in the CPIAP, we can alert the enrolling parent(s) or legal guardian(s) to tell them about a pending passport application or an issued passport for the child.

Only U.S. citizens or children who qualify for U.S. citizenship can be enrolled in the CPIAP. They must be under the age of 18.  

• A parent or legal guardian,
• Law enforcement,
• A court,
• Child Protective Services, or
• Someone acting legally on behalf of a parent, such as an attorney or family member

Privacy laws and regulations may limit who we can notify. This is true if we receive a child’s passport application.  

To enroll a child in the CPIAP, please follow the CPIAP instructions.

To update us with your most recent contact information, email us at PreventAbduction1@state.gov, or call 888-407-4747.

Please immediately inform the Office of Children’s Issues of any changes to your contact information. Please submit any additional documents relevant to the application or issuance of a passport to your child. These documents may include, but are not limited to, divorce decrees, custody orders, protective orders, warrants, and police reports. Not doing so may result in your child getting a U.S. passport without your notice and/or consent. It is your responsibility to immediately provide our office with all relevant and up-to-date information.

No. Enrolling a child in the CPIAP does not guarantee that child will not be issued a passport. The child's parent or legal guardian can request entry for the child. They may consent to issuance of the passport under the normal parental consent procedures.

Also, a passport may be issued without consent of both parents or legal guardians if the applicant for the passport can establish that consent of both parents is not required under federal law. For example, a court order providing the applying parent or guardian with sole legal custody of the child or a court order specifically authorizing the child to travel internationally with the applying parent or guardian may permit issuance of a passport without the consent of the other parent or guardian. This is true even if the child has been enrolled into the CPIAP. See 22 C.F.R. 51.28.

A child is automatically removed from the CPIAP when the child reaches the age of 18. 

If your child is under 18 and you no longer want to be told about their passport applications, send a copy of your photo ID and a notarized written request. The request must include the child’s name and date of birth. Email it to PreventAbduction1@state.gov.

You may enroll your child into the CPIAP even if your child already has a passport. Enrolling your child will allow us to attempt to notify you if we get a renewal application.

There is no way to track the use of a U.S. passport. The CPIAP is not a way to track the use of a U.S. passport. See Prevention’s Take Action page if you have concerns about your child traveling outside of the United States. 

This program does not apply to foreign passports. The CPIAP does not prevent a dual national from obtaining and traveling on a foreign passport. 

Other countries have their own passport rules. They decide the rules for issuing their passports to U.S. citizen minors who hold dual nationality. If your child may have another nationality, you may contact the country’s embassy or consulate. Ask about their rules for parental consent for passports. See Prevention’s Take Action page if you have concerns about your child traveling outside of the United States.

Be aware that your child may acquire the citizenship or nationality of another country pursuant to that country’s laws, which may include acquisition through:

• Birth outside of the U.S.,
• A parent’s citizenship, or
• Naturalization

It’s important to know if your child is a citizen of another country. If they are, it could enable your child to

• Obtain a foreign passport,
• Travel on a foreign passport, and/or,
• Travel on a parent’s foreign passport

Some countries require children to travel on a parent’s passport and do not issue passports to children.

• Consider contacting the foreign embassy or consulate. You can ask them to confirm whether they may document your child as a citizen. A child may get citizenship documents from some foreign countries. They may do so without both parents' consent. You should check the foreign country’s rules with the foreign embassy or consulate.
• Please note that not all countries require both parents to consent to a passport. Consider contacting the foreign embassy or consulate to ask about that country’s rules on passport issuance for minors. You can also learn if they have a passport notification program.
• Be aware that foreign governments may not recognize U.S. court orders. Foreign embassies and consulates in the U.S. may issue passports to children. They may do this even if there is a U.S. court order.

U.S. citizen children at risk for or involved in international abductions may have more than one nationality. The Department of State cannot stop another country from issuing passports to children that are citizens of that other country. However, it may be helpful for you to contact the foreign embassy or consulate in the United States. You can ask them to not issue a passport to your child. Or, you can ask them to tell you about a passport application.

See Prevention’s Take Action page if you have concerns about your child traveling outside of the United States.