The Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program (CPIAP) is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC). CPIAP was created to help prevent international parental child abduction and support the return of abducted children to the United States.
Under CPIAP, when NCMEC receives a report that a child may be at risk of being abducted by a parent or other family member, NCMEC notifies the State Department’s Office of Children’s Issues. OCI then contacts the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the country where the child is located and provides them with information about the potential abduction. The Embassy or Consulate will then place an alert in the child’s passport file, which will flag the passport if an application is made to issue or renew the passport. In addition, if a parent with custodial rights attempts to apply for a passport for their child, they will be required to appear in person at a passport agency or consulate, where they will be interviewed about their relationship with the child and their travel plans.