Does Your Child Need an Entertainment Work Permit in States Other Than California?

Previously, I’ve discussed entertainment work permits for children working in the state of California. But there are many of you in states other than California who are wondering if you need an entertainment work permit for your child.

If you are looking for employment within the state of California, refer to my posts concerning entertainment work permits in California (see “Where Is the California Entertainment Work Permit Office in Van Nuys?“, “How Do You Renew Your Child’s Entertainment Work Permit?“, “Do You Need an Entertainment Work Permit for Your Child Actor?“).

Currently, about half of the 50 states in the United States require work permits for minors working in the entertainment industry. So you are wise to look into the laws that are specific to a particular state before your child obtains employment in that state.

If your child lives in one state and gets employment in another, you can certainly get assistance and advice on how to get that work permit quickly when it is needed. Often, the production company can advise you on what to do when the time comes.

So, “Does Your Child Need an Entertainment Work Permit in States Other Than California?”

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Where is the California Entertainment Work Permit Office in Van Nuys?

The very first time I went to the California entertainment work permit office in Van Nuys, I remember wishing I had more information. I wished I knew what the building hosting the entertainment work permit office looked like and exactly where it was.

I also wished I knew where to park. And I wished I knew where to find the entertainment work permit office once I got to the building.

Entertainment Work Permit Office in Van Nuys

I take a journey to the entertainment work permit office about every 6 months to get my daughter’s work permit renewed. The last time I went, I decided to take a few pictures to share with visitors to my site.

Now, when you go to get your child a California work permit you’ll know exactly what the building looks like and where to go when you get there.

You can read all about who needs to get an entertainment work permit and how to get one in my previous posts on this topic (see “How Do You Get a Child Entertainment Work Permit in Southern California?,”  “How Do You Renew Your Child’s Entertainment Work Permit?, and “Do You Need an Entertainment Work Permit for Your Child Actor?” )

So, are you wondering exactly “Where Is the California Entertainment Work Permit Office in Van Nuys?”

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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?”

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How Do You Get a Child Entertainment Work Permit in Southern California?

I just drove down to Van Nuys on Friday to get my daughter’s entertainment work permit renewed.  It was going to expire today, so I was running a little late.

Since I’d mailed her child work permit application to the office in Bakersfield for the last two renewals, it had been a while since I’d driven down to Van Nuys to get a work permit.

And it was the first time I’d driven down to the California work permit office since I’d learned about the recent changes to the child entertainment work permit process.

I was actually looking forward to the trip because I wanted to see for myself how the process for getting an entertainment work permit for minors had changed.

By the time I made a copy of the old work permit, got an envelope and stamp (in case I had to leave a self-addressed, stamped envelope), and stopped by my daughter’s school to pick up the completed work permit application form, it was already late morning.

I was annoyed with myself for procrastinating, especially since it was Friday which meant the traffic coming home might be heavy, especially if things did not go smoothly in the work permit office.

I had a great trip down to Van Nuys, arriving at the state government office building in record time. I was even lucky enough to find street parking near the entrance to the building.

I walked into the building, turned left, and right in front of me was the entertainment work permit office.

I walked right in and up to the counter. I presented the child work permit application and my daughter’s old permit and asked if I could get her new entertainment work permit over the counter.

The young woman behind the counter said, “Yes, if you don’t mind waiting about 15 minutes.“  She politely answered several other questions for me as well.

A parade of moms and dads came filing in right behind me, one with three young children in tow. Many had questions and issues to discuss, and many had multiple work permit applications.

One mom turned away, looking confused, and I asked her if she had a problem. She said she was from Texas, home-schooling her child, but the lady told her she needed an affadavit. But she had no idea what that was or how to get one.

I showed her the sign I noticed with information related to the affadavit form for homeschoolers. (See  “Do You Need an Entertainment Work Permit for Your Child Actor?” for more details related to the  California entertainment work permit policy, including information related to homeschoolers.)  The mom thanked me and wrote it down.

About 35 minutes after my arrival, my name was called, and the lady handed me a new California entertainment work permit.  I was back at my car with 14 minutes left of the 54 I’d put on the parking meter.

Not bad!

So, “How Do You Get an Entertainment Work Permit in Southern California?”

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Do You Need an Entertainment Work Permit for Your Child Actor?

Entertainment Work Permit Office, Van Nuys, CA

One of the many tasks that I had to take care of shortly after we came to Los Angeles was getting an entertainment work permit (a.k.a. a work permit)  for my daughter.

I knew very little about this until my daughter booked her first student film. The director and producer told me she had to have a work permit before starting work.

I asked her talent manager about it, and he gave me a number to call in Van Nuys. I know I called over 50 times before someone finally answered (it is a very busy office).

The Entertainment Work Permit Application

They mailed me a work permit application with  instructions, and I got it two days later.

As soon as the work permit application arrived, I quickly filled it out, had it completed and approved at my daughter’s school, and gathered the documents required. I then drove to the work permit office in Van Nuys.

It sounds simple enough, but for me, driving to a new location in the L.A. area was always a challenge. I got directions and eventually managed to find the building, find parking, and find the work permit office.

Getting the Entertainment Work Permit

The person at the counter typed the work permit while I waited and handed it over the counter to me. I had three days to spare before filming started, so I was relieved.

Unfortunately, the process seemed to get worse each time we needed her work permit renewed. The lines got longer, and they started requiring a self-addressed, stamped envelope so it could be mailed to you.

Sometimes we were told it would be 2 or 3 weeks before we’d get it in the mail, especially in late January to mid-March (pilot season, when all the masses converge on the L.A. area).

Since the start date on the new permit is the date the renewal is actually completed in the work permit office and not the expiration date of the old permit, the dates gradually shifted, so we ended up renewing her work permit in February (long lines) and August (summer break).

In August, since school was not in session, we had to take a copy of her report card to get the work permit renewed (how easy was that!).  When the renewal arrived four days later, I noticed the expiration date of the permit was in three weeks.

I was so sure it was a mistake that I drove back down to Van Nuys to have it fixed, but I found out it was done that way intentionally.

So we had to get her work permit renewal again one week after school started, with the approval stamp from the school, even though school had been in session for only one week.

Since no one really knows how a child is doing after just one week in school, this process never made sense to me. Perhaps it is a way for them to verify that the child is indeed enrolled in school at the start of the school year.

I got so frustrated with the whole work permit process, that at some point I just started  mailing my daughter’s work permit applications to the office in Bakersfield to avoid the drive to Van Nuys and the delays.

So, problem solved. Or is it?

If you and your child are just starting a show business career, you may be wondering “Do  you need to get an entertainment work permit for your child?” And you are probably wondering how you go about getting that work permit.

Continue reading to find out more about the current process for getting an entertainment work permit.

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