DS-3053 Consent Form: Getting It Notarised or Witnessed in Australia

For a child's US passport application lodged at the US Embassy or a US consulate in Australia, the absent parent's DS-3053 can be witnessed by an Australian notary or a Justice of the Peace, on the embassy's current guidance, with no apostille. A notary is needed mainly when the application will be lodged in the United States or another country.

Key takeaways

• The DS-3053 is the Statement of Consent an American parent signs when they cannot attend their child's passport appointment.
• For applications at a US post in Australia, the embassy says a public notary or a JP may notarise it. A JP witnesses free.
• The form is valid for 90 days from the witness's signature; the embassy's page says less than three months. Work to the stricter figure.
• Write dates with the month as a word, record the ID details, attach a copy of both sides of the ID, and use an unrelated witness.
• If the application will be lodged in the United States, use a notary: the embassy says Australian JPs are not recognised there.

What the form is

The current edition of the form (DS-3053, 10-2024) is titled Statement of Consent: U.S. Passport Issuance to a Child. The United States normally wants both parents to consent to a passport for a child under 16, and the DS-3053 is how the absent parent gives that consent in writing. It goes with the child's DS-11 application when one or both parents cannot appear in person. For a child under 16, the consent must be signed and sworn before a passport authorising officer or a notary. The form can also be requested for 16- and 17-year-olds.

The form says a separate notarised written statement containing all the same details may be submitted instead of the form itself. In practice, using the form is simpler: it prompts for everything the passport officer looks for.

Who can witness it in Australia

Two official sources say slightly different things, and the difference matters.

• The form says that in certain countries it must be notarised at a US embassy or consulate rather than by a local notary, and tells you to check the embassy's own webpage.
• The US Embassy in Australia's page on children's passports says the non-applying parent should complete the DS-3053 and have it notarised by either a public notary or a Justice of the Peace.

So for an application lodged at a US post in Australia, an Australian JP, who witnesses free, or an Australian notary are both acceptable on the embassy's current guidance. No apostille is mentioned. This is one of the few overseas-bound forms where a JP is enough, and saying so saves many parents a notary's fee. See notary or JP.

Two situations change that:

• The application will be lodged in the United States, or at a US post in another country. The embassy's general notarial page says Australian JPs are not recognised in the United States. Use an Australian notary, and ask the office receiving the application whether it wants an apostille on the notary's signature. The United States is an apostille country; if one is wanted, DFAT issues it. See apostille for the USA.
• The embassy's page has changed by the time you read this. Check it the week you sign.

Situation	Who can witness	Apostille?
Application at a US post in Australia; absent parent in Australia	Australian JP or notary	Not mentioned by the embassy
Application lodged in the United States; parent in Australia	Australian notary	Ask the receiving office
Absent parent living in the United States	A US notary there	Not usually relevant
Absent parent in a third country	As the US embassy there directs; sometimes only the embassy	Check that post's page

The details that get a DS-3053 rejected

The form is short. The rejections come from small things.

1. It is more than 90 days old. The form says consent is valid for 90 days from the date the notary or authorising officer signs it. The embassy's page says "less than three months". Work to the stricter figure: sign it no more than 90 days before the appointment, and if the appointment moves, check the date again.
2. The dates do not match. The parent's date and the witness's date must match. Sign in front of the witness, not before. See what to do if you already signed.
3. The dates are ambiguous. The embassy asks for dates in US format (month/day/year) or with the month written as a word. In Australia, 04/05 means 4 May; to a US officer it means 5 April. Write "4 May 2026" and the problem disappears. Tell your JP or notary before they date their part too.
4. The ID details are missing. The embassy says the JP or notary must record the details of the identification the parent shows when signing, not the JP's own registration number. Make sure the witness writes the ID type and number where the form asks for it.
5. No copy of that ID is attached. The form requires a clear photocopy of the front and back of the government-issued photo ID the parent showed to the witness. The embassy asks for a copy of the ID presented at the time the form was notarised, so use the same document.
6. The witness is a relative. The form says the notary must not be related to the person signing. Choose an independent witness.

At the appointment

The absent parent, not the applying parent, attends. Bring:

• the DS-3053, filled in but unsigned;
• the photo ID they will show, such as an Australian passport, US passport or driver licence;
• a photocopy of both sides of that ID;
• the child's details as they appear on the DS-11.

The parent swears or affirms and signs in front of the witness, who completes the witness section, records the ID details, signs, dates and stamps it. The applying parent then brings the signed original, and the ID copy, to the child's passport appointment, where the DS-11 itself is signed before a consular officer. See ID a notary will accept.

Timing the signature

Because the consent runs from the witness's signature, the order of events matters. Book the child's passport appointment first, then have the absent parent sign within the window before it. If the appointment is rescheduled, count again from the witness's date, not from the date you first filled in the form.

What the witness does not do

A JP or notary witnessing a DS-3053 confirms who signed, records the identification, and administers the oath or affirmation. They do not decide whether the child is eligible for a US passport, whether the parents' custody arrangements allow it, or whether the consulate will accept the application. They do not lodge the form either; the applying parent takes it to the appointment. If the family's situation is unusual, for example a parent with sole custody or a disputed arrangement, the witness is the wrong person to ask. Read the embassy's guidance and, where needed, see a family lawyer.

When the absent parent is not in Australia

If the other parent lives in the United States, they sign before a US notary there. If they are in a third country, the form's own instruction applies: some countries require the DS-3053 to be notarised at the US embassy or consulate rather than by a local notary. They should check the US embassy page for the country they are in.

When a DS-3053 is not the right document

The DS-3053 is for a parent who agrees but cannot attend. If a parent has sole legal custody, cannot be located, or does not agree, the State Department describes other routes, for example evidence of sole custody, or a separate statement explaining special family circumstances. Read the US Embassy's guidance for your case. Where there is a dispute about the child's passport or travel, speak to a family lawyer before applying; an Australian parenting order may also be relevant.

The DS-3053 consents to the passport being issued. It is not a travel consent letter. For international travel with one parent, see child travel consent.

Here is an illustration, not a real case

A family in Melbourne books their daughter's US passport appointment at the consulate. The father, a US citizen, cannot attend because of work. Five weeks before the appointment he takes the unsigned DS-3053 and his Australian driver licence to a JP, with a photocopy of both sides of the licence. He mentions the date format; the JP writes the month as a word and records the licence number in the witness section. His wife takes the signed form and the copy to the appointment. It cost nothing, and it was accepted, because every detail on the embassy's list was in place.

In short

For a child's US passport application at a US post in Australia, the absent parent can sign the DS-3053 before a JP or an Australian notary, on the embassy's current guidance. Sign within 90 days of the appointment, write the month as a word, have the witness record the ID and attach a copy of both sides, and use an unrelated witness. If the application is going to the United States, use a notary instead.

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