NAPVS | National Association of Passport and Visa Services

As of April 1, 2011, the U.S. Department of State requires the full names of the applicant’s parent(s) to be listed on all certified birth certificates to be considered as primary evidence of U.S. citizenship for all passport applicants, regardless of age. Certified birth certificates missing this information are no longer acceptable as evidence of citizenship.

So what if both parents are not known such as a single mom who did not name the father on a birth certificate or an adopted child whose birth parents wish to remain anonymous?

A USA Today Travel Article posted April 6th provides an official answer from a State Department spokeswoman who e-mailed:

“The Department recognizes that some passport applicants will not have two parents registered on their birth certificates due to circumstances such as an unknown father or a single-parent adoption case. In these cases, a passport applicant may submit a certified copy of a birth certificate listing the complete name of the registering parent. Regarding two parents adopting a child, the parents may amend the birth certificate of their child to reflect both of their complete names. Though requirements differ slightly across the country, states generally make it easy to amend a birth certificate to list adoptive parents. In adoption cases, the Department will also accept the certified copy of the child’s original birth certificate as long as it is submitted with the certified copy of the adoption decree indicating the name of the child and his or her adoptive parents.”

A birth certificate is required for a first time passport applicant, for anyone who has lost their passport and anyone under 16 years old. Full application procedures can be found on the U.S. State Department web site.

NAPVS member companies provide the latest information on U.S. passport and foreign visa rules. As a result, vacation travelers and employees of Fortune 1000 companies, federal and state government agencies, and international nonprofit organizations use NAPVS members’ services to obtain their passports and visas as quickly as 24 hours or within a few days.

The National Association of Passport and Visa Services (NAPVS) commends the U.S. Passport Service for opening to the public all 24 regional passport offices and participating passport acceptance facilities on Saturday, April 9th. “Passport Day in the USA” provides any U.S. citizen in need of a passport book or card with the Saturday convenience of walking into any of these 24 offices without an appointment. A list of these office locations and hours can be found at the State Department web site http://travel.state.gov/passportday.

With summer only a few months away, now is a good time for American citizens planning to travel abroad to make sure they have a valid passport by taking advantage of this once a year opportunity to submit a passport application on a Saturday.

Only NAPVS members abide by a Code of Conduct that lays out strict procedures for protecting a customer’s personal identifiable information. The Code requires member companies to conduct annual background checks on all employees. For more on the NAPVS Code go to http://napvs.org/code.