The U.S. Department of State reminded parents and legal guardians of the importance of enrolling children in the Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program CPIAP, a free program designed to prevent the international abduction of children by one of their parents.
CPIAP allows the State Department to notify the registered parent or guardian when an application is filed to issue a U.S. passport in the child’s name. This early warning can be crucial in detecting an attempted international removal before the child leaves the country.
Who Can Enroll?
The program is available for U.S. citizen children under the age of 18. Registration may be requested by:
- One of the parents.
- A legal guardian.
- A court.
- Child welfare agencies.
- Law enforcement agencies.
- An attorney or another person acting legally on behalf of the parent.
What protection does it offer?
Once the child is enrolled in the program, the Department of State:
- Monitors applications for U.S. passports.
- Notifies the registered parent if someone applies for a passport for the child.
- Verifies whether the requirement for consent from both parents has been met, when applicable.
- Reports whether a valid U.S. passport is already issued in the child’s name.
Important Limitations
Although it is a very useful preventive tool, the CPIAP alone does not prevent international abduction. Among its main limitations are:
- It cannot block the issuance of foreign passports.
- It does not prevent a child from traveling if the child already has a valid passport.
- It does not guarantee that the issuance of a U.S. passport will ultimately be denied.
- It does not control citizenship applications or documentation issued by other countries.
A preventive tool within a broader strategy
In cases involving a high risk of international abduction, registration with the CPIAP must be supplemented by timely judicial measures, such as orders restricting departure from the country, surrender of the passport to the court, precautionary measures, and other actions provided for by applicable law and the 1980 Hague Convention.
For families involved in international custody disputes, taking preventive action is often much more effective than attempting to secure the child’s return once the wrongful removal has taken place.
For more information: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/International-Parental-Child-Abduction/prevention/passport-issua
