Vol. 502 No. 3
159 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the procedure for a single lone parent to get a passport for a school trip for her 13 year old daughter (details supplied); if an affidavit sworn by the mother in this case will suffice; if it can be witnessed by a peace commissioner; if he will clarify the situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8444/99]
The consent of the father of a child whose parents were never married to each other is not required for passport purposes unless he has acquired joint guardianship rights through a court order or by virtue of a statutory declaration sworn by him and the child's mother.
The Passport Office is not automatically aware when a father is appointed a joint guardian by a court or becomes one by virtue of a statutory declaration. Accordingly, if a mother seeking passport facilities for a child claims to be a single parent, the normal practice of the Passport Office is to ask her to sign an affidavit to the effect that she is the child's sole legal guardian and that no other person has been appointed a guardian by a court or by operation of law. The affidavit must be sworn before a commissioner for oaths; a peace commissioner would not suffice unless he or she were also a commissioner for oaths.
