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There is a tool designed to protect against this! The US State Department has a program called the Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program. If you have a genuine concern that your child could be abducted, the best decision is to turn in their passport so that one is not readily available to obtain/or request a replacement for traveling. The Children’s passport issuance alert program (CPIAP) allows the Department of State’s office of Children’s Issues to contact the custodial parent or enrolling parent to confirm that they have actually provided consent if an application for a minor passport is transmitted. Simply put, if you have a sincere concern about a possible international abduction, simply do not consent to the issuance of a passport for your child. While this may limit your travel plans, better to limit your personal travel plans and wait until your child is 18 to get a passport issued and travel out of the country than to be dealing with a sincere concern of international child abduction. Only US Citizens with children under 18 may qualify for enrollment in the Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program.
If you want to enroll in the Children’s passport protection program, you will need to fill out the Department of State form 3077 (DS-3077). Along with this form, you will send in your proof of identity with photo identification, as well as proof of your relationship to the child through a birth certificate, custody order, or other confirmation of parent relationship.
Finally, if you have an imminent concern for the possibility of a passport being issued, you can email the above-referenced items to the Department of State which will allow for quicker processing. The email to use is PreventAbduction1@state.gov. If there is a time-sensitive issue or concern, you can also speak with a child abduction prevention officer through the department of state at 1-888-407-4747.
Alternatively, in the absence of a time-sensitive emergency, you can mail the documents to the Department of State as follows:
U.S. Department of State
Overseas Citizen Services Office of Children’s Issues
Attention: CPIAP
SA-17, 9th Floor
2201 C Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20522
Finally, if you have concerns about the safety of your child and the possibility that she or she may be abducted, please secure knowledgeable legal counsel with expertise in international abduction issues to assist you in making sure that all possible protections are put in place for the safety of your child. Contact us at Pingel Family Law today to consult and determine whether we can further help or assist you at (816) 208-8130