2013-14667. 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Statement of Consent: Issuance of a U.S. Passport to a Minor Under Age 16

ACTION:

Notice of request for public comment and submission to OMB of proposed collection of information.

SUMMARY:

The Department of State has submitted the information collection described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 we are requesting comments on this collection from all interested individuals and organizations. The purpose of this Notice is to allow 30 days for public comment.

DATES:

Submit comments directly to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) up to July 19, 2013.

ADDRESSES:

Direct comments to the Department of State Desk Officer in the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). You may submit comments by the following methods:

• Email: [e-mail]. You must include the DS form number, information collection title, and the OMB control number in the subject line of your message.
• Fax: [phone]. Attention: Desk Officer for Department of State.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Direct requests for additional information regarding the collection listed in this notice, including requests for copies of the proposed collection instrument and supporting documents, to PPT Forms Officer, U.S. Department of State, 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue., NW., Room 3030, Washington, DC 20037, who may be reached on [phone] or at [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

• Title of Information Collection: Statement of Consent: Issuance of a U.S. Passport to a Minor under Age 16.
• OMB Control Number: 1405-0129.
• Type of Request: Revision of a Currently Approved Collection.
• Originating Office: Bureau of Consular Affairs, Passport Services, Office of Program Management and Operational Support, Program Coordination Division (CA/PPT/S/PMO/PC).
• Form Number: DS-3053.
• Respondents: Individuals or Households.
• Estimated Number of Respondents: 556,075 respondents per year.
• Estimated Number of Responses: 556,075 responses per year.
• Average Time per Response: 5 minutes or 0.0833 hour.
• Total Estimated Burden Time: 46,321 hours per year.
• Frequency: On occasion.
• Obligation to Respond: Required to Obtain or Retain a Benefit.

We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department to:

• Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is necessary for the proper functions of the Department.
• Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used.
• Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected.
• Minimize the reporting burden on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Please note that comments submitted in response to this Notice are public record. Before including any detailed personal information, you should be aware that your comments as submitted, including your personal information, will be available for public review.

Abstract of proposed collection:

The information collected on the DS-3053, “Statement of Consent: Issuance of a U.S. Passport to a Minor under Age 16”, is used in conjunction with the DS-11, “Application for a U.S. Passport”. When a minor under the age 16 applies for a passport and one of the minor's parents or legal guardians is unavailable at the time the passport application is executed, a completed and notarized DS-3053 can be used as the statement of consent. If the required statement is not submitted, the minor may not receive a U.S. passport, unless certain exceptions apply. The required statement may be submitted in other formats provided they meet statutory and regulatory requirements.

The legal authority permitting this information collection assists the Department of State to administer the regulations in 22 CFR 51.28 requiring that both parents and/or any guardian consent to the issuance of a passport to a minor under age 16, except where one parent has sole custody or other exceptions apply. This regulation was mandated by Section 236 of the Admiral James W. Nance and Meg Donovan Foreign Relations authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2000 and 2001 (enacted by Pub, L, 106-113, Div. B, Section 1000 (a)(7)), and helps to prevent international parental child abduction, as well as child trafficking and other forms of passport fraud.

Methodology:

Passport Services collects information from U.S. citizens and non-citizen nationals when they complete and submit the DS-3053, “Statement of Consent: Issuance of a U.S. Passport to a Minor under Age 16”. Passport applicants can either download the DS-3053 from the internet or obtain the form from an Acceptance Facility/Passport Agency. The form must be completed, signed, and submitted along with the applicant's DS-11, “Application for a U.S. Passport”.

Additional Information:

Under the currently approved OMB collection 1405-0129, the DS-3053 collects both the Statement of Consent and the Statement of Exigent/Special Family Circumstances. However, the proposed collection will request this information using two separate forms to ensure that we more clearly communicate to the public what is and what is not a special family circumstance. Separating out the forms also allows the passport specialist to more clearly control and adjudicate those cases that do not qualify as a special family circumstance:

• DS-3053, “Statement of Consent: Issuance of a Passport to a Minor under Age 16,” and
• DS-5525, “Statement of Exigent/Special Family Circumstances for Issuance of a Passport to a Minor under Age 16.”

Dated: June 7, 2013.

Brenda S. Sprague,

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Passport Services, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Department of State.