Form 10 Signature Guidelines

From AFSWiki

This article describes the sometimes tricky requirements for parental signatures on Form 10 of the sending application.

Parents:	Family Situation:	Signatures Required:	Additional Documents Required:
Married	Birth Mother and Birth Father are married and live together with the Candidate	Both legal guardians	None
Divorced	Birth Mother and Birth Father have joint custody	Both legal guardians	None (Note: Step-parents cannot sign in the place of birth parents unless they have legally adopted the student).
	One parent has primary custody and the other parent has only visitation rights	Both legal guardians	None
	One parent has sole custody and the other parent has NO visitation rights.	Custodial parent's signature	Copy of court decree of sole custody awarding.
Never Married	Birth Parents were never married but both parents are listed on birth certificate	Both legal guardians	None, unless on parent is estranged/has abdicated responsibility (see below).
	Birth Parents were never married and ONLY MOTHER listed on birth certificate	Mother's signature	Copy of student's birth Certificate
Adoptive	Student is adopted and lives with adoptive parents	Both legal guardians	None, unless on parent is estranged/has abdicated responsibility (see below).
	Student is adopted and adoptive parents are divorced	Refer to 'Divorced' Section	Refer to required documents for Divorced Families
Deceased	One Parent is deceased	Custodial parent's signature	Copy of Death Certificate of deceased Parent
Estranged*	Both parents on birth Certificate, one Parent is Estranged or missing, and no custody documents exist to prove custodial guardianship	Custodial parent's signature	Notarized statement from custodial parent answering the following questions: How many years have the parents been separated? Where does estranged aprent live? When was the last time the estranged parent saw the child? When did the estranged parent last pay child support? Helpful to include any court documents showing missing child support, or estranged parent's absence in court.	Note: Natfam should try to get statement notarized, but if not possible or very difficult, just get a signed statement from natparent.

Note: For situations not listed here, consult with your Application Advisor

• If dealing with estranged parent, keep in mind that many VISA processes require both parent signatures, and students may need to provide additional docs later to apply for visa. In some cases, it is preferrable to choose a country that does not require Parental Consent Form.