Why this one-page form blocks so many trips
A U.S. passport for a child under 16 requires both parents or guardians to consent. When one parent can't appear in person at the passport acceptance appointment, that parent completes Form DS-3053, Statement of Consent — and the State Department requires the form to be notarized.
It's a single page, but it fails on details: an outdated form version, a missing ID photocopy, or a notarization more than 90 days old at submission will send the application back — usually days before a trip.
Get the details right before the session
Four details decide whether the form is accepted:
Download the current form from travel.state.gov
The State Department revises its forms, and acceptance facilities can reject outdated versions. Start from the current DS-3053, not a saved copy from years ago.
Complete it — but don't sign
Fill in the child's information and yours. The signature must happen in the notary's presence, which for an online session means on camera.
Photocopy the exact ID you'll show the notary
The DS-3053 must be submitted with a photocopy of the front and back of the same ID presented at the notarization. Same document, both sides, legible.
Mind the 90-day clock
The notarized consent is valid for 90 days from the notarization date. Time it against the passport appointment, not the departure date.
Notarizing it online
The DS-3053 is one of the most common online notarizations, because the typical signer is a parent who is deployed, traveling for work, or living in another state or country. You verify your identity (about two minutes), meet a commissioned notary on a recorded video call, sign on camera, and download the sealed PDF immediately.
Because the DS-3053 is a federal form, the state-by-state document exclusions that complicate wills or deeds generally don't apply. The notarization is performed under the notary's commissioning state's law — and you can check how online notarization works from your own state on the state availability grid.
Submitting it with the passport application
The applying parent brings the notarized DS-3053 and the ID photocopy to the acceptance appointment along with the DS-11 application. For an online notarization, print the sealed PDF — the seal, the notary's details, and the certificate print with the document.
Passport acceptance practice is set by the State Department and can change, and a small number of acceptance agents are unfamiliar with electronic seals. Check the current instructions on travel.state.gov before the appointment, and bring the Certificate of Completion pages with the printed form — they answer most questions an acceptance agent might have. If you'd rather hand over paper that was shipped to you, we can print and mail the sealed document with tracking.