What if nobody consents to a child passport?

If nobody at all who has parental responsibility for the child consents to a passport, including because their whereabouts are unknown, you can only lodge an application if you bring us documents that show you have caring responsibilities.

Examples of documents we accept as evidence of caring responsibilities include a benefit statement from Centrelink (Services Australia) for a payment to the carer to assist in raising the child, a Medicare card with the name of the child and the carer, or a last will and testament of a parent that nominates the carer.

Unless there’s an Australian court order that permits the child to have an Australian passport, travel internationally or live or spend time with a person outside Australia, we’ll consider the application under special circumstances. The requirements and timeframes are the same as for any other special circumstances application. There’s no guarantee that we’ll issue a passport.

See also:

• What does parental responsibility mean?
• What if one or more parents have died?
• What if not everyone consents to a child passport?