Help with Passports & Parental Release Forms...URGENT!

DH & I are having problems having the ex wife sign the forms for his kids (13 & 16) for their passports & minor release forms for the cruise we are to go on in August. I can get a attorney to write & notarize a letter stating that it will be ok for the father who has joint custody of the kids & myself to take them on this trip. Will this be good enough for the cruise line to let us on board & suffice for getting thei passports without the mothers signature?

Help!!

Dyanna

On the back of my passport application it states...

If only one parent appears you must also submit one of the following:

Second parents notarized written statement consenting to passport issuance for the child.

Primary evidence of sold authority to apply OR

A written statement (made under penalty or perjuryP explaining the second parents unavailability.

Above this it also states that this is for a child under the age of 14 so I am not sure if this applies to your 16 year old.

As long as the trip is this August and isn't one of the European cruises, they won't need a passport. If they have the same last name as you and your husband, would Royal Caribbean even question their cruising with the family? I legally have no idea, but RCI should be able to answer the question. Wouldn't the mother sign the statement they can cruise if she won't sign the passport application? If she won't sign that and RCI says you need it, I'd cancel before you hit the penalty phase.

I know when I took my kids on a cruise, RCCL did check to see that I had a notarized letter from my ex. I would definitly call and speak with someone before I paid in full.

It is true you don't need to worry about a passport this year. It is interesting that some people get questioned when they cruise and some don't. I have cruised with my kids 3 times and have never been asked for any documentation, and our last names are different. Even though your last names are the same, they might notice their mother's name on the birth certificate. Talk with your attorney and verify what you need directly with the cruiseline. It is a shame if the ex is just being a patootie head about this.:mad:

It's a shame that she puts her kids in the middle of this. They know we are going on this trip. The ex wife just like to see us squirm a bit. She takes great pleasure in it. We have taken them an many many trips before without any problems. Not like we are taking them to Cuba to start a new life:rolleyes: just on a vacation with us & their Aunt, Uncle & cousins. Such is life!

Maybe the kids can intervene and lay a guilt trip on her, if they have a relationship.

Maybe the kids can intervene and lay a guilt trip on her, if they have a relationship.

Not sure what you will need sorry can't be of help but will be in a similiar situation next year we are planning of cruising with our children from previous marriages, although I don't anticipate any problems with the kids parents signing for passport, I would love to know what you are going to be able to do about this if thier mother refuses to sign. Please keep us updated on this situation!:eek:

In my opinion, I think that a 13 and 16 year old already know their mother is like this and they, themselves, should tell her that she's hurting them and to act like an adult and sign the papers.

Dyanna,

As posted above, the cruise destination is critical here. Is it a country where passports are required? If not, all you will need are birth certificates. Here is the information from RCI website:

"Family Legal Documents:

Adults who are not the parent or Legal Guardian of any minor child traveling with them are required to present the child's valid passport and visa (if required) or the child's birth certificate (original, a notarized copy or a certified copy) and an original notarized letter signed by at least one of the child's parents. The notarized letter from the child's parent must authorize the traveling adult to take the child on the specific cruise and must authorize the traveling adult to supervise the child and permit any medical treatment that must be administered to the child. If a non-parent adult is a Legal Guardian, the adult must present a certified certificate of Guardianship with respect to the child."

Other cruise lines require the permission of BOTH parents, but RCI says only one parent's permission is needed.

Her mother had only joint custody, but her father had stopped paying child support and had disappeared so we could not find him for his signature. I paid an attorney to go to court to get me temporary guardianship just for a week. By the way, the attorney was told that it was the port authority, not the cruise line, that required this.

In my opinion, I think that a 13 and 16 year old already know their mother is like this and they, themselves, should tell her that she's hurting them and to act like an adult and sign the papers.

I might agree except that I don't think it's right to put to teens in the middle of this. Yes, they are probably quite aware of the issues, but should not be used by either side to settle the problem. It could hurt their relationship with her if they lay a guilt trip on her or take on the adult responsibility of getting her to sign the darn papers. I doubt that she would appreciate her teens telling her to "act like an adult," and it might just cause her to further dig her heels in and say "forget it." (In fact, I don't think that's an appropriate thing for a teen say to any parent.)

Unfortunately, it may be a matter of getting the courts involved, especially for the passports since both parents must give approval. I don't believe that getting a notarized letter from a lawyer saying your DH has joint custody and it's okay for him to take the kids out of the country would be sufficient. Many parents with joint custody have taken the kids out of the country and never come back. (I know that's obviously not the issue here, but the port authority and immigration don't know that.) The permission must come from their mother; a lawyer has no authority to allow their father to take them out of the country unless the divorce decree specifically says so. In that case, a notarized copy of the divorce decree (which both parties must sign) should be sufficient at the ports. Unfortunately, you will still need her cooperation for the passports.

Good luck--I hate it when I hear about this kind of petty behavior.

beachchick

My husband & I took his 3 teenage(14,16 & 17) children on a 5 day cruise (did not require a passport). No special documentation was needed because he was the bilogical father. In fact, the kids had their own room next to ours.

When we contacted the cruiseline prior to the trip, they informed us we only needed a parental authorization if NEITHER of the parents were going, ie grandparents taking the children on a cruise. If you all have the same name, I don't think it should be a problem

Not sure this will help, and I see you live in a different state, but I found this article on singleparenttravel.net. This will give you some insight should you decide to take the issue to court. I/ve had some similar situations. Good Luck.

http://www.thecarsonlawfirm.com/mom_couldn%27t_withhold_consent_to_passport.htm

You don't need an attorney to write a letter. You can get one here and just get the signatures (and have it notarized)

http://landfalltravel.com/formsx.html

For a passport, anyone 14 and over needs only 1 parent to sign for them. The 16 year old will not need permission from his mother to get a passport. When does the 13 year old turn 14? When they do, they will not need permission from the mother to get a passport.

Good Luck

My sister is cruising with her two children this summer 15 and 8. They have passports but their last name is different from their mother's. Their father is not cruising with them. Is RCCL going to give her a problem?

Do the kids have a different last name?? I know we have travelled with our older 2 boys and they have a different last name than mine and we have never been asked to show a thing. I have full custody but their dad has regular visitation but our situation seems harder because of the name thing. Since you all share the same last name, I wouldnt even worry about it and just go. Obviously if the mom is going to prohibit them from going all together, thats a whole other issue. But again, the past several times we travelled with them, nothing other than their birth certificates were needed.

I am traveling with my two sons (18 and 16) and a friend (18). I was told by my TA when I booked the cruise that I will need a notarized letter from my husband because I am taking the boys out of the country. They have the same last name and we are still married, not even separated, he just can't make it. I thought this was odd and told the TA and she said that RCI requires it. I also have to have a notarized letter from my son's friend's parents. I don't get it.

Does this seem odd to anyone else? :confused:

Madelyn

It isn't odd at all. Read the newspaper, children are stolen from their parents every day, and not by strangers, but by their spouses, ex-spouses, grandparents, friends.

Certainly this is more of an issue with young children, but even older children can be told a lie and convinced to go away with a parent, never to return.

We've all heard stories of Middle Eastern men taking their children back to their countries of origin leaving their American wife without any chance to see them again. We have all heard the stories of parents fighting over custody and one parent disappearing with the children, forever. Remember that girl they found recently in Austrailia living with her father having been told her mother had died.

What can countries do to stop this? Not much. But they can ask that there be some record that a particular child does have the permission of BOTH parents to leave the country. It's a small thing, but even if it prevents one child from disappearing forever from a parents life, it's worth it.

I understand that it's a hassle to get a dead-beat ex-spouse to sign anything, and I know it's just one more thing to do when you have a 100 other things to arrange for a big vacation, but if you were the one on the losing end of never seeing your child again, you would be grateful for whatever could be done to prevent that from happening to another family.

I am a single parent and travel frequently out of the country with my kids for vacation. I always check with the country that I am travelling to and ask them to email me the guidelines and print them off to take with me. Or check with the local consulate office and print off the guidelines from their website. Advice from others while helpful will not be enough if it is incorrect.

Once when I was travelling to Mexico with Air Transat they tried to deny me boarding as I did not have a notorized letter from my sons father. My sons father disappeared years ago. When I told them that it was not required as my name is the only one on the birth certificate they simply did not care. After finding a supervisor that would listen I showed her the entry requirements as printed on the Mexican Consulate website and provided her with a 24 hour phone number that she could call and check for herself. ONLY then was I allowed to board. Therefore I suggest that you go to the source and have all your bases covered to avoid disappointment.

I had questions regarding our upcoming cruise in November and called RCCL for their current guidelines and I also went to the official St.Martin website and emailed my questions. They sent my info to the closest consulate office in Canada and they called me within 24 hours of my email and gave me all the required info and emailed it to me in writing also. I also did this for all of our port stops. The added research now will ensure no disappointments later!

Sorry to be so long winded but this is the best advice I can offer!

Sandie

I have taken my grandsons on 3 cruises and each time I have gone to the local AAA office and filled out the forms. My daughter has signed them of course,but as yet no cruise personnel have ever looked at them. We have different names of course,and each has his own passport.

I was told they were required 'just in case' as the cruiseline wouldn't want to incur any legal liability if you were abducting them.....

Well, I actually dont think you need the information but I dont blame your TA for suggesting it. Like I have said, we never had a problem or was asked to show any form of id other than their birth certificates and they have different last names than us. I think your TA was playing it safe because it certainly could happen. Better safe than sorry I guess..:)

I planned on getting the letter no matter what anyone said. I don't want to get to the port and not be able to board or worse yet, not get back into the country. I think it is worth the little time it would take to have a notarize letter, just to be safe. I just thought it was strange to have to get a letter for my 18 year old, I understand the 16 year old.

Madelyn

I have taken my grandsons on 3 cruises and each time I have gone to the local AAA office and filled out the forms. My daughter has signed them of course,but as yet no cruise personnel have ever looked at them. We have different names of course,and each has his own passport.

 

I was told they were required 'just in case' as the cruiseline wouldn't want to incur any legal liability if you were abducting them.....

I didn't realize there was a "form". I thought you just needed a notorized letter with all the pertinant info. Although the form is a whole lit more convenient! I will be cruising with my DD's friend in June, and I told the parents that a notorized letter was needed. Hopefully I will be lucky as others have been, to just have it but not need it! Of course I will have it... just hoping everything goes smoothly!

A~:)