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New Delhi : The United States is moving toward tighter passport requirements for children, with the State Department proposing that parents or legal guardians provide documented proof of their own U.S. citizenship or lawful immigration status when applying for passports for minor children.
The proposed changes are part of the Trump administration’s efforts to implement Executive Order 14418, signed on August 6, 2026, which seeks to address specific exceptions to birthright citizenship and curb so-called “birth tourism.”
Under existing passport procedures, parents must establish their relationship with the child and provide valid identification, while the child’s U.S. citizenship is documented through records such as a birth certificate or passport. The proposed framework would place greater emphasis on verifying the parents’ own citizenship or immigration status during the passport adjudication process.
For U.S. citizen parents, documents such as a U.S. passport or birth certificate could be used as evidence. Foreign-national parents could be asked to provide official immigration documentation, potentially including a Permanent Resident Card or other records establishing lawful status.
The administration says the policy is intended to ensure that passport decisions align with the citizenship categories outlined in the executive order. The order identifies certain exceptions involving children whose parents are foreign government employees, individuals covered by specified “alien enemy” provisions, or parents alleged to have engaged in commercial transactions or fraudulent activity aimed at obtaining birthright citizenship.
The move comes amid continuing legal and constitutional disputes over the administration’s efforts to change how birthright citizenship is applied. The White House says the measures are aimed at protecting the “meaning and value” of U.S. citizenship, while opponents have challenged the administration’s interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment.
The State Department already requires applicants to provide evidence of a child’s U.S. citizenship and proof of the parent-child relationship when applying for a passport. The proposed changes would expand the scrutiny of parental citizenship or immigration status as part of that process.
