Change in Regulations for Issuance of U.S. Passports to Minors and U.S. Passport fees, and Consular Section Abuja ACS hours

February 4, 2008

The United States Government has made a global revision in U.S. passport regulations for the issuance of a U.S. passport and U.S. passport fees.

1. Effective February 1, 2008, all persons under the age of 16 require two-parent consent for the issuance of a U.S. passport. Both the mother and father listed on the minor s U.S. birth certificate will be required to appear in person at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja or the U.S. Consulate in Lagos to sign the passport application. If both parents listed on the birth certificate are not present or resident in Nigeria, the absent parent must provide a notarized letter of consent, and the notary must be commissioned in the United States or at any overseas U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate. In an effort to further protect children, raising the age requirement from 14 to 16 years of age is intended to address the troubling issue of abducted and runaway children. The change is also consistent with the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. All pending applications initiated before February 1, 2008, will be considered under the two-parent consent rule for minors age 14 years and under.
2. Effective February 1, 2008, the U.S. Government increased its fees for certain U.S. citizen passport services. For adult applicants renewing a passport, the total fee will increase to $75. For first-time applicants age 16 and over, the total fee will increase to $100. The fee for minors under 16 years of age will be $85.

Please refer to the Department of State s website at http://www.travel.state.gov/ for complete information on all new requirements by the U.S. Government, including downloadable revised forms that must be used as of February 1, and the U.S. Embassy website at http://nigeria.usembassy.gov/ , for complete U.S. passport application instructions.

    3.  Effective Monday, February 4, 2008, U.S. Embassy Abuja has new hours of operation for the American Citizen Services Unit. The new hours are Monday through Thursday from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (except for the last Friday of each month when the Consular Section is closed). We hope these hours will offer greater convenience to all, particularly those who must travel from outside Abuja.