The Department of State considers international parental child abduction, as well as the welfare and protection of U.S. citizen children taken overseas, to be important, serious matters. We place the highest priority on the welfare of children who have been victimized by international abductions. For more information, please visit the links on the right side of the page.

The Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues is designated to provide assistance to the left-behind parents of international parental child abduction.

Office of Children’s Issues
Toll Free from within the U.S.: 1-888-407-4747 (8 a.m. – 8 p.m.)
Phone: (202) 736-9090
AskCI@state.gov

The Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program

The Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program (CPIAP) is a service for the parents and legal guardians of minor children. It enables the Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues to notify a parent or court-ordered legal guardian, when requested, before issuing a U.S. passport for his or her child. The parent, legal guardian, legal representatives, or the court of competent jurisdiction must submit a written request for entry of a child’s name into the program to the Office of Children’s Issues. To request that your child’s name be entered in the Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program, click here.

Kosovo Entry/Exit Requirements for Minors

According to Kosovo law, unaccompanied children under 14 years of age need written permission (notarized by a local Kosovo notary) by both parents or legal guardians in order to travel out of the country without his/her parents.  The law is applicable for all minor children regardless of nationality (article 9, Law 03/L-037). For more information, please click here.