My sons' passport problems

Both my sons US passports have been expired for nearly a year now. I didnt even realize till about a month ago.
I went to the US embassy site to make an appt for passport renewal and noticed they have a new rule that all children must have both parents present at the embassy for new/renewed passports. If only one parent can attend then a consent form along with a copy of a photo ID from the absent parent must be submitted with the passport applications.
Well my ex-husbeast refuses to sign a consent. He told me to send the kids old passports (Which has their indefinite leave stamp in it by the way) along with the pictures and MY consent to the USA and he will get them new passports. I cant see the logic in this at all. I contacted American citizens advice and they told me to tell him if he doesnt sign then he cant see his kids. Very professional I might add. Well this is going to go back and forth with him forever and the kids will probably never get their new passports. I dont know what Im going to do. I cant even take my kids to the USA in case of an emergency and I dont see any way I can bypass the rule. I refuse to send the kids old passports to ex-husbeast. I think he wants to apply in the USA to try to establish US residency for them. I dont know for sure but he is up to something.

oh what a swine! first and foremost HUGS! have you talked to the US Embassy here since he said that? they must surely be able to make an exception in cases where the parents are no longer together? i agree it doesn't sound at all right that he is saying he will get the passports done over there, is there a friend or relative you would trust to act as a go between here who could talk to him and try and persuade him or find out his true intentions? Meanwhile, are the kids eligible for British citzenship/passports yet?

Good luck I hope you are able to sort this out without too much hassle

The Embassy has a point, you know.  If the boys don't have valid US passports and yet are entitled to them, even once they obtain UK citizenship/passports, they can't enter the US on them.  They have to use US passports - so your ex-husbeast is really shooting himself in the foot.  He'll never stand a chance arguing his "preferred method" as it makes absolutely no sense.  He's keeping his kids away from himself - all for the sake of a signature...

I checked into getting them Brit passports but again they need the consent of both parents although there is a section allowing one to submit a statement stating why the other parent wont consent.
I know Im terrible (desperate) but I even stooped so low as to tell the US embassy that I have no idea where the kids father is. I could face prosecution probably if it acutally worked but again they said BOTH parents need to consent.
As for his intentions, nobody could know for sure. He lies about everything and is very deceitful.
Recently I paid £2700. to have mine/kids personal belongings send from his house in the USA to us here in the Uk. He send a bunch of garbage. All the kids old baby clothes were gone, half the kids toys had missing parts, there was a bunch of garbage and the things the kids specifically asked for were purposely missing. This is the kind of animal he is.
He is career military with 19 years service. Sickening isnt it? He'll never grow up.

He's probably wanting to say he'll apply for the passports so that he can be the one in control of them.  What he obviously doesn't realise is that the kids can't travel to the US without them. 

I think, however, if you have sole custody and you can show that the ex has visiting rights, etc.  that they waive the "both parents' signature" thing.  I THINK, but look into that if you have sole custody. 

So sorry to hear about what you're going through. What I don't get, is that when an ex (male/female) acts this way, don't they understand that it's the kids that are getting hurt? I hope you get a resolution soon. If I were you, I wouldn't state again that you don't know where he is...I would just keep impressing upon them that he WON'T sign the statement and that he is demanding their passports with their stamps, and with his previous angry and irrational behaviour you're afraid to send them off to him etc. Paint him out to be the "scary" guy.

I was lucky - mine is the only name on my boys' birth certificates, so I have an easier time explaining that their fathers are NOT in the picture and never have been.

But I thought when that law went into effect (July of 2001, I think) that it was completely unfair to those in positions such as yourself, or in my case where the fathers have just ducked completely out.  I don't even want to think about what I might have had to go through if their names had actually been on the birth certificates, what with getting passports and visas and changing their last names and all...

I really feel for you.  :\\\'(

Sounds very daft to me. You must have had his permission to take them out of the US in the first place so why do they need his permission to just renew passports they already had? You should just go to the US with UK passports and if they ask why you haven't got US passports tell them 'Because the US wouldn't issue them to me.'

see above, she has the same problem with getting the British passports;

maybe he just needs it hammered into them that he isn't going to be able to see them if they have no passport to travel on!

He couldn't send off the applications there anyways. You have to get the passports issued at the closest passport office.

I have his permission in our divorce decree to bring them to the UK. He agreed to let them go if I relinquished all rights to half of his military pension which I am/was entitled to. In other words I was able to buy the kids from him. This is the kind of thing he is. I think he doesnt really want to see the kids but this way it looks like its my fault he isnt seeing them.

I dont understand..why couldnt the kids enter the US on UK passports? My British son has a UK passport and it was never questioned. How does immigration know if the kids are American or British?

I dont understand..why couldnt the kids enter the US on UK passports? My British son has a UK passport and it was never questioned. How does immigration know if the kids are American or British?

It is only since March of this year that the US now requires all US citizens to enter and leave the US on a valid US passport.

It is only since March of this year that the US now requires all US citizens to enter and leave the US on a valid US passport.

Yes but how would they know if the boys were American or not? My 2 year old has a UK passport and my other sons have US passports. They never asked me at immigration for my 2  year olds US passport. How would they know if all my sons werent British?

Hmmmm....  Military?

Shall I send him a letter with a copy to his CO? 

I never thought about that. I dont know his unit information. All I know is his current billet. In the ten years we were married I never went to his commander for anything even though I know I should have. How can I find out his unit information?

I never thought about that. I dont know his unit information. All I know is his current billet. In the ten years we were married I never went to his commander for anything even though I know I should have. How can I find out his unit information?

Haven't a clue how to do find someone's specifics.  A colleague has suggested that the US Central Authority  should also be cc'd because it pertains to the cross-border transport of children...

Definitely need his unit stuff tho'...