Minor's Registration
If you have a child who is 15 years old or younger and would like them to be considered for extras work, your child MUST HAVE a valid Illinois Department of Labor Employment Certificate, also known as a Work Permit. Your child can not work in the state of Illinois without the Work Permit.
If your child is 16 or 17 years old they will instead upload their State ID, School ID, Birth Certificate or Passport in the place designated for the work permit.
In compliance with Illinois Child Labor laws, all children ages 15 and younger are required by law to obtain a Work Permit prior to working on the set of film, television, commercials, or any other film or video related production activity. This Work Permit is valid for one year from the date of issue and only through the prospective employer, i.e. 4 Star Casting.
Obtaining a Work Permit can take as little as a day or as long as a week, so if you are interested in your child working on the film/television/commercials, etc, please download the Registration For Minors Packet at the link below and start collecting the necessary documents and start the process ASAP!
Note about Schooling on Set: We know that their time on set also interferes with the attendance of our background actors at school and we can provide a letter upon request to your child's school to ask that the school staff will 1) Excuse the child from class on those dates, 2) Send any classwork and/or homework home with the child the day before so that they will not miss their assignments and 3) Allow any child to make up any missed exams the following attendance date. Illinois law requires us to provide each child with 3 hours of school/class time with a reputable set instructor while on set, so the child will not be missing out on education. Once on set, your child should bring their schoolwork, writing utensils, learning materials, or a book to read for the schooling segment of the day of filming.
Note: The Packet is contained in a compressed Zip file. It can not be downloaded to a mobile device, you must use a computer. The packet includes: Minor Work Permit Checklist, Where to Obtain A Work Permit Guide, Certificate of Physical Fitness form, Illinois Dept of Labor Child Labor Laws, Letter of Intent To Employ a Minor, Minor Affidavit, Parent/Guardian Form, and Principal Statement.
Once you have signed the minor affidavit (for all minors under 18) and the work permit (for minors 15 and under) please upload the documents below and you will be taken to the background application page via our POP website.
If your child is 16 or 17 years old they will instead upload their State ID, School ID, Birth Certificate or Passport in the place designated for the work permit.
In compliance with Illinois Child Labor laws, all children ages 15 and younger are required by law to obtain a Work Permit prior to working on the set of film, television, commercials, or any other film or video related production activity. This Work Permit is valid for one year from the date of issue and only through the prospective employer, i.e. 4 Star Casting.
Obtaining a Work Permit can take as little as a day or as long as a week, so if you are interested in your child working on the film/television/commercials, etc, please download the Registration For Minors Packet at the link below and start collecting the necessary documents and start the process ASAP!
- Aside from the Illinois Department of Labor office, which is currently backed up a whole month for getting an appointment, we recommend asking your child's school counselor to see if the school issues child work permits. If their own school does not, the local high school may, so please call and ask if they issue permits for local minors.
- All Chicago Public Schools issue permits for their students. Just ask the school counselor.
- Schools outside of CPS that have been confirmed to issue permits include but are no means limited to:
- Walt Disney Magnet School
- Prospect High School
- Morton West High School
- Niles West High School
- Curie High School
- Homewood Flossmor High School
- Hinsdale South High School
- Wilmette School District 39 Office
- Ridgewood High School
- Please note all schools on list are likely only issuing to students and students in the district. Please always call ahead to see if your school of interest issues child work permits
Note about Schooling on Set: We know that their time on set also interferes with the attendance of our background actors at school and we can provide a letter upon request to your child's school to ask that the school staff will 1) Excuse the child from class on those dates, 2) Send any classwork and/or homework home with the child the day before so that they will not miss their assignments and 3) Allow any child to make up any missed exams the following attendance date. Illinois law requires us to provide each child with 3 hours of school/class time with a reputable set instructor while on set, so the child will not be missing out on education. Once on set, your child should bring their schoolwork, writing utensils, learning materials, or a book to read for the schooling segment of the day of filming.
Note: The Packet is contained in a compressed Zip file. It can not be downloaded to a mobile device, you must use a computer. The packet includes: Minor Work Permit Checklist, Where to Obtain A Work Permit Guide, Certificate of Physical Fitness form, Illinois Dept of Labor Child Labor Laws, Letter of Intent To Employ a Minor, Minor Affidavit, Parent/Guardian Form, and Principal Statement.
Once you have signed the minor affidavit (for all minors under 18) and the work permit (for minors 15 and under) please upload the documents below and you will be taken to the background application page via our POP website.
| Registration For Minors Packet |
UPDATED LETTER OF INTENT:
| 4_star_letter_of_intent_2025.pdf |
Note: The letter from your child's principal and doctor should be on their own letterhead. The ones included in the packet are examples.
Please note that the Illinois Department of Labor has issued a new version of the work permit since the Pandemic. Any agency that issues work permits should be able to issue this new version. See the example below for what the work permit should look like when you obtain it.
Once you have a Work Permit
Note: It may take up to 2 minutes to upload your file depending on the size. Please do not click submit again or leave the page. You will be taken to the minor's application page on our POP website once the upload is complete.