California Entertainment Work Permit
Entertainment Work Permit Office, Van Nuys, California
If you are pursuing a showbiz career for your child and are in Los Angeles or planning to take a trip to Los Angeles, one thing you’ll need is a California Entertainment Work Permit. And before you can get that entertainment work permit, you’ll first need to submit an entertainment work permit application with the appropriate paperwork to the California Entertainment Work Permit Office.
For more on California entertainment work permits, including a link to the work permit application, check out my previous posts concerning the California Entertainment Work Permit.
I just got my daughter’s entertainment work permit renewed. It was about to expire, and since she is working this Saturday I had to go ahead and take care of it this week.
I left for the work permit office after dropping my son off for classes at the community college nearby. It was around 9:30 am, and the traffic was a little heavier than I expected, especially as I neared the State Office Bldg. That is not unusual on a Monday, especially on a Monday following a holiday. But I still managed to get there in a little less than 30 minutes.
Sometimes I am lucky and find parking right away on one of the side streets, but the office building was bustling with activity. I ended up circling around on Delano and Calvert and a couple of other side streets before I finally found a metered parking place.
What I failed to think about before this trip (one of so many I’ve made over the last 8 years), was whether I had any quarters. And guess what? I didn’t. I gave the last few I had to the Salvation Army representative in front of Vons a couple of days ago.
I pulled out my wallet, and dug out a dollar in dimes and nickels and was hopeful that would be enough, though dimes and nickels don’t buy as many minutes as quarters do in the parking meters here. As I started to put the money in, I noticed the meter stated that only quarters or dollar coins could be inserted. Yikes!
I dug through every pocket in my purse and came up empty — not a single quarter. As I was about to return to my car to search every pocket and compartment in the car, the Visa and Mastercard logos caught my eye. I was relieved that I could now use a credit card to pay for my parking in the recently-installed parking meters.
I proceeded inside the entertainment work permit office to get my daughter’s work permit renewed. And I noticed there were a couple of important changes to report.
So, “What’s New in the California Entertainment Work Permit Office?”
The California Entertainment Work Permit Office is still in exactly the same building and exactly the same location as it was last time I went. You can find it in Room 100 in the state office building at 6250 Van Nuys Blvd. in Van Nuys, CA.
You still need to get and fill out a California entertainment work permit application form and submit it with the appropriate documentation if your child is a minor (under the age of 18 and not an emancipated minor) and will be trying to obtain work in the entertainment industry in California.
For first time filers, this means you need a birth certificate or other accepted proof of birth. For school-age children, you need information on current grades and status with the school your child attends. For homeschoolers, a California homeschool affadavit and grade report are required.
Check out “Do You Need an Entertainment Work Permit for Your Child Actor?” for more details on the process of getting an entertainment work permit for your child.
So, what has changed? The hours of operation have changed, and this can result in a longer wait for you down in Van Nuys or a return trip if you don’t plan your trip accordingly.
The following two changes should be noted:
- The hours are now from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm rather than 4:45. This means you’d better get there by at least 3:30 pm if you want to get your work permit back the same day while you wait.
- The work permit office is no longer open during lunch. They are now closed from 12:00 to 1:00 for lunch. I asked the person in the office about this, and she stated that they will leave for lunch promptly at 12:00, so if you don’t arrive in time for your application to be taken and processed by 12:00, you’ll have to come back after lunch to pick it up.
The process for getting a work permit is still much improved compared to how it was just a couple of years ago. You should be able to get in and out of the office in less than 30 minutes provided you don’t go during pilot season in L.A. If you are planning to be in L.A. for pilot season, get the work permit in December if you can.
For more information on this and many topics related to children and show business, be sure to fill out the form to the right to sign up to receive important tips and information from Your Young Actor.
To your success,
Debbie Sikkema
19 comments
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Amanda
December 2, 2011 at 10:13 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Hi, Debbie. Tomorrow iPop is having auditions in my city and I have already booked an audition. I haved mixed feelings about it. A lot of people say it’s a scam but a lot of other people say that’s it’s just crazy expensive. I really want to act but I don’t want to spend all of my acting budget on a scam. On the other hand, it could be a great opportunity to meet talent managers. What do you think I should do? Thanks!
kat
December 3, 2011 at 10:52 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
once you actually go into Van Nuys to get the permit, how long does it take for over the counter service?Does it take more than an hour?
Debbie Sikkema
December 4, 2011 at 9:40 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Hi Kat,
Just last week when I was in the work permit office, I got there a little after 10:00 on a Monday, and I was in and out in about 20 minutes. There were 2 people in front of me, but the 2nd one was sent away because he did not have the homeschool grade report with him. I have had as many as 5 or 6 people in front of me and still got out in around an hour. It is hard to predict, so I always allow a couple of hours, but since the new work permit office opened, it has never taken me over an hour. However, I have worked to avoid January and February when the crowds are likely to be larger. Warm regards, Debbie
Debbie Sikkema
December 4, 2011 at 9:57 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Hi Amanda,
Did you read my posts about talent contests and AMTC? I have a few about those. I have mixed feelings about talent contests because they really are very, very expensive. My daughter went to AMTC and there were really agents and managers there, and she did quite well. That is how we ended up in L.A. I know other people who went and did not have a good experience. They were very upset to have spent so much money. I do know people who went and loved the experience of the talent convention. I don’t know much about iPop, but I have talked to a couple of people who felt that they got ripped off. Most people consider talent contests to be scams. I would recommend you try to get into acting by other methods if possible. You can submit materials locally to try to get a talent agent. I’m not sure where you are, but have you tried to get a talent agent or manager on your own? Where do you live?
Warm regards,
Debbie
Cat
December 27, 2011 at 8:45 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
I mailed in my daughters application for a work permit and was wondering how long that usually takes. I mailed it the first week of December to the Van Nuys office and haven’t received anything yet.
Debbie Sikkema
December 29, 2011 at 9:01 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Hi Cathy,
Typical turnaround from the Van Nuys office for applications mailed in for work permits is supposed to be about 2 weeks. The holidays could increase this turnaround time though. I’d give a call if you still don’t have it after 3 or 4 weeks. I’m hoping you’ve gotten it by now? That is why I like to drive my daughter’s application directly to the office and get it back over the counter right then! But I know if you don’t live very close to Van Nuys, that is a pain. When I used to mail hers in, I always got annoyed not knowing where it was when it did not arrive after a reasonable amount of time. Did you get it yet? I hope so!
Warm regards,
Debbie
Marvin@how to get on facebook at school
January 21, 2012 at 3:32 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
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January 28, 2012 at 1:37 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
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Heidi
January 29, 2012 at 12:05 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Debbie, I Wanna Become A Famous Actor So Badly! Becoming A Famous Actor Would Make My Life The Best! I Have Done Plays When I Was In Primary School. I Found Them Alot Of Fun And I wanted To Take it To The Next Level With Being An Actor And Being On Disney Channel.
I Need Tips
Please Help Me!
🙂
Lance
January 31, 2012 at 3:20 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Call USCIS and get a InfoAppointment, they give you the chance of getting another interview and you can ask the officer whats going on.Hopefully you get an answer soon after you do that.
Cat
February 6, 2012 at 1:07 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Okay so I got my daughters work permit now what?!?!? LOL… now that the work permit finally came I feel confused. I want to get my daughter into print work, she is 8 months old but don’t really know where to turn. Any helpful advise?
Debbie Sikkema
February 6, 2012 at 8:59 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Hi Cat,
Thanks for commenting. I sent you a separate email with more information to help you. I recommend looking for an agent for her. That is the best way to get auditions for her. Don’t forget that you also need to open a Coogan account for her. You can read about that in other posts here on the blog. Do that soon because the law says you should do that within 7 days of getting a California entertainment work permit for her!
Warm regards,
Debbie
Emilline
February 14, 2012 at 8:27 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
When you walk into the permit office, can you get a renewed valid permit that same day? Sorry, new to this.
Debbie Sikkema
February 14, 2012 at 10:56 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Hi Emilline,
Yes, you can get a permit renewed and take it out with you the same day. You still need to fill out the permit application. Take a look at my post on this topic. (search for work permit and it should come up — titled how to renew a california entertainment work permit I think). But it is really simple. You still need to get the form signed by the school and all that and take a copy of the previous permit with you. Good luck! –Debbie
Alejandra@Canape
February 19, 2012 at 8:27 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Excellent post. People should read this.
Ingrid
April 8, 2012 at 2:48 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Hi,
what if your living in another country and are planning to go to Los Angeles because you want to act.When you register what most likey is supposed to happen?
Because i Live in panama city and i was born in chicago illinois but im planning to go to los angeles by september.Do you have a recomendation of where i could stay and what do i do to be a young actress at 13?
Roni
April 10, 2012 at 9:01 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Hi
I mailed applications 4 weeks ago and have not received anything yet. Does anyone know the phone number to call?
Debbie Sikkema
April 30, 2012 at 4:47 pm (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Hi Roni,
Did you get the work permit? Sorry I somehow missed your question until now. I hope you got it or were able to get them on the phone. That phone number to the work permit office is: (818) 901-5315.
Sincerely,
Debbie
Robert Talley, Sr.
June 19, 2012 at 10:46 am (UTC -8) Link to this comment
Thank you for your articles on talent agents and managers. In searching out those types of companies located in the S. F. Bay Area on the internet I had found it difficult to distinguish between the two. Your articles helped in that regard.
You mentioned exclusive contracts. Are exclusive contracts standard outside LA or NY? If I sign an exclusive contract is there usually a cancellation clause if I feel I’m not getting good service or must I wait until the contract expires to make changes? Where could I find sample contracts?
Thanks again for your help.