How Do You Renew Your Child’s Entertainment Work Permit?

Office for Entertainment Work Permits, Van Nuys

I just drove to Van Nuys today to renew my daughter’s California entertainment work permit. Her work permit was going to expire on September 27th.

I like to always keep my daughter’s entertainment work permit up to date so if an opportunity to work comes up, we don’t have to worry about it. Since things can pop up suddenly in the entertainment industry, not having a current work permit can result in a missed opportunity.

If you are not sure if you need a work permit for your child actor or model, refer to “Do You Need an Entertainment Work Permit for Your Child Actor?”

Fortunately, the process of getting a work permit is much better now than it used to be. It used to be a nightmare! (See “How Do You Get a Child Entertainment Work Permit in Southern California?” for additional details on the work permit process.)

Allow Extra Time for Work Permit Renewals

I had to take the work permit application to her new school (she moved from elementary school to middle school this year) to have it filled out and stamped. I did run into a snag there as the registrar informed me that they only fill out work permits after progress reports are issued (and that is still a couple of weeks away!). My heart sank.

When I explained that my daughter’s work permit would expire in a few days, she said they might be able to approve it prior to the progress report if a child was an exceptional student. I assured her that my daughter is an excellent student.

Thank goodness my daughter is very serious about her schoolwork. The school registrar then told me she’d look back at her school records, and if it was true, she would go ahead and complete the work permit application by the next day.

I am just warning you to keep this sort of thing in mind when dealing with public schools and work permits. They can make getting a work permit a little more difficult than we’d all like it to be.  Your child needs to keep his/her grades up.  And you need to avoid procrastination when it comes to getting work permit applications filled out, so you have time to deal with all the little issues that can slow the process down.

Things Are Good in the Van Nuys Entertainment Work Permit Office

Fortunately, the work permit process in the L.A. area still seems to be running smoothly, just as it was 6 months ago.

I had a good drive down to Van Nuys, and managed to be in and out of the work permit office in only 25 minutes.  I did have to sit in traffic moving at a snail’s pace for an extra 20 minutes on the way home, but that is par for the course here in the Los Angeles Area.

I completed the whole trip to the work permit office and back in just under two hours. And in my hands I now have her new work permit that is good from today until March 24, 2010. I am so glad that is done and out of the way for another 6 months!

So, “How Do You Renew Your Child’s Entertainment Work Permit?”

Fortunately, the process of renewing your child’s entertainment work permit in California is basically the same as getting the original work permit, except  a little easier.

A work permit in the state of California is good for 6 months, so about 5 1/2 months after your child’s previous work permit was issued, you need to start preparing for the renewal.

If you are in another state other than California, be sure to check with your state’s labor board for details on whether you need a work permit. You can get  entertainment work permit information and details on regulations for employment of minors in the entertainment industry for your state on the U.S. Department of Labor site.

To renew your child’s California entertainment work permit, you need to:

1. Print out a copy of the entertainment work permit application form.
2. Fill out your portion of the application carefully and completely and sign it.
3. Take the work permit application to your child’s school and have them fill out the school portion or fill it out with appropriate paper work if your child is home-schooled (note that the state of California requires an affidavit for home-schoolers). If school is not in session, take your child’s previous report card or grade report (for info on what happens with work permits when they are issued while school is not in session, see “How Do You Get a Child Entertainment Work Permit in Southern California?“)
4. Take the filled out work permit application, a copy of your child’s last work permit (and grade report and/or homeschool affadavit if those are required) to the nearest California work permit office.
5. Wait for the permit to be issued to you over the counter (if you are in the Van Nuys office or another office where that is an option) or leave a stamped, self-addressed envelope for it to be mailed to you.

Alternately, your completed work permit application can be mailed into the work permit office with a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Note that in the Van Nuys work permit office they state that with this method, it can take as long as two to four weeks to get the work permit.

Where is the Los Angeles area entertainment work permit office? It is at 6150 Van Nuys Blvd. in Van Nuys, California, Room 100.

Be sure to subscribe to Your Young Actor’s Newsletter for information on this and many other topics of interest related to getting started in show business.

In success,

Debbie Sikkema