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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