The Carbon County Prothonotary's office has announced that changes to the passport application process have been made by the United States Department of State.

The first change, which goes into effect today, April 1, states that all United States birth certificates submitted for a minor and adult passport must now contain the name of the parent(s), in addition to the previous requirements that are in place.This means that a birth certificate must now meet all following criteria, listed by the Department of State, before a passport can be issued:• Show the full name of the parent(s).• Be issued by the office of vital statistics of the state, county, or city where the birth occurred.• Show the full name of the child at birth.• Indicate the date and place of birth.• Bear the embossed, impressed, multicolored, or raised seal and signature of the issuing authority.• Indicate a registration or file date that is within one year of the birth.• Be an original and certified document (notarized copies and photocopies are not acceptable.)If the certificate does not contain all this information, the applicant will have to acquire a new birth certificate before they can apply for a passport. The Department of State adds that applications that have already been submitted will not be affected by this change.In addition to this birth certificate change, an additional requirement has been put into affect for minor passports.The parent who cannot accompany the child for apply for the passport must now, in addition to filling out a consent form, provide a photocopy of the front and back sides of his or her driver's license or other acceptable form of identification with the child's passport application.For more information on passports, check the status of a passport application, or for a complete listing of requirements, visit the Department of State's website at

www.travel.state.gov.