How many are travelling without passports for their kids

[KristenFMR920]

I just want to get a feel for how many people buy their kids passports and how many don't. Please repspond if your young kids 5 and under have passports or you are just using birth certificates

[AmesFL]

Our daughter will be 3 for our cruise and we're just bringing her BC. No need to spend the money to get a passport for her. The only time we plan on being out of the country with her is on a cruise. If you travel more, then it may be worth it. Otherwise, stick with a BC. :)

[chipmaster]

When we started doing a lot of international traveling my daughter was 3 at the time so passport and since than the three have always goine with them. At first looks like a lot of money but good for 5 years, funny as we looked at her original passport and the one again recently, very neat mug shot.

 

The aggrivation of taking and possibly losing / reoplacing our one copy of the birth certificate seems a silly balance to spending a few bucks and having the passport and be done with it.

 

We also drive across a border 2-3 times a year, passport! Versus dragging a few pieces of paper and the parents passorts. Just seems silly in this day and age not to have them.

[6rugrats]

I just want to get a feel for how many people buy their kids passports and how many don't. Please repspond if your young kids 5 and under have passports or you are just using birth certificates

You are really not going to get any "accurate" feel for how many people travel with or without passports for their children with your question. Do what you think will work for you.

[ashmac8]

and we have a passport for him. I got it for cruises but also because i like the option of booking a "last minute" deal on other non cruise travel. Him having a passport gives us that flexibility.

[mikesteg]

We've has passports since they were ~5MO. They are 2 and so far have only been on 3 cruises so we haven't legally needed them. At some point we'll do an AI where it would be required, so it was a no-brainer for us to just get ti done before their first cruise.

 

We also carry BCs for each of us. I got multiples for the kids when they were born since it's pretty cheap to get extras. I also have multiples since I had to get a new 'original' in the 90s. DW is a U.S. citizen born in the Philippines though, so hopefully we never lose hers!

[parrotthead]

Personally, I would not travel out of my home contry without a PassPort... whether I *could* or not...

My girls had them for our Alsaka Cruise out of Canada (2006) before they were 'required'...

we just got "Traveling GingerBaby" (7mo old) his and my Niece (11yrs) her's, for our upcoming Cruise .(they are so cute!)

I just feel safer... of course we will still have to carry their birthcirts (to go with the perental consent letters we must carry for them) but thats ok... *If* I needed to I *could* prove who they are, and why they are with me.... :)

~I (personally) think its a bit irresponsable to travel outside the country with out one esp for children... people have the misguided impression,that "Nothing will happen" or that in an emergency 'they would let them fly home'... )

__________________

[nlt46]

We are going on the kids 2nd cruise in February, and they will once again be using birth certificates. If we were flying, it might be a different story. But since the passports expire pretty fast, we're waiting until they are older. They are going to be 4 & 5 this year.

 

Nancy

[russianmom]

My son has had his passport since he was 2.

 

We travel frequently and it's so much easier.

 

Also he has significant medical issues and I never want to be in the position of being unable to return home if needed.

 

It was not expensive and in my opinion is money well spent.

[parrotthead]

I dont like to fly and typically drive to port. We drove to Canada in 2010 (from Texas)

But in an emergency, if we Had to fly home from a port, Id want to be able to do it with no problems.

I too think its money well spent.

[amcb]

Definitely passports. Our 3 children have them and our youngest just turned 2 months. Our older two (5 and 3) are on their second one so that we could renew them all at the same time in the future. We do most of our cruising in Europe, so traveling with just a birth certificate is not an option anyway.

[capriciousc]

Our 7 year old is on her second passport. We fly with her internationally, so there was never a question as to whether or not she needed one. My husband travels internationally for work frequently, and there have been a couple of times that we've decided to join him somewhat spur of the moment because we got great last minute airfares. We didn't ever want to get stuck in a position of either being somewhere and not being able to get home, or of wanting to go somewhere and not being able to go because she didn't have the proper documentation.

 

I think it really depends on your personal situation, though. My 65 year old mother has never had a passport, and will probably never get one. She doesn't like to travel, so she sees no need for one. I'm the complete opposite - I'm always thinking of the next three to four trips we're going to take.

[sharktums]

My daughter has had her passport since two months old (couldn't get it until we also had the actual birth certificate and SS Card).

 

We travel by air internationally as well, but even if we just cruised I would absolutely get her a passport. Like others have said, if you were in a foreign country and needed to get home in an emergency, you'd kick yourself for not having one.

[staceyeileen]

Birth certificate.

[TheCalicoCat]

Passport.

I'd hate to lose or damage the BC.

I'd hate to have to figure out how to get home in an emergency without a Passport. (The ship may not port near where the Consulate office is located, you can't get one quickly, etc.)

I added the cost of the passport into the cruise - just like pet boarding & port parking.

[cyntil8ing]

Passports. We had to renew my eight year old's passport last year. My five year old was adopted internationally so we got him a US passport as soon as we received his Certificate of Citizenship. His will be renewed next year.

[youngestof9]

I wouldn't take my children out of the country without a passport. I couldn't imagine being out of the country and stuck without passports.

[mikesteg]

I added the cost of the passport into the cruise - just like pet boarding & port parking.

 

That is a great point: pet boarding, travel insurance, airport bags fees, transfers, pre-cruise hotel stays, even shipboard gratuities ... many things cost more than the passport(s) within one of two trips.

 

OTOH, I just noticed that the kids come up for renewal about the same time that mine does in 2015. That is over $300 at current pricing, but could very well amount to closer to $500 in a few years. :( And then again in 2025... I don't even want to think about that! :eek: :D

 

But still: passport. :)

[youngestof9]

That is a great point: pet boarding, travel insurance, airport bags fees, transfers, pre-cruise hotel stays, even shipboard gratuities ... many things cost more than the passport(s) within one of two trips.

 

OTOH, I just noticed that the kids come up for renewal about the same time that mine does in 2015. That is over $300 at current pricing, but could very well amount to closer to $500 in a few years. :( And then again in 2025... I don't even want to think about that! :eek: :D

 

But still: passport. :)

 

But imagine the cost/hassle if you're stuck in another country without one.

 

I'm with you - regardless of cost (and I'm not discounting the fact that it's pricey when you do it!), I wouldn't go without them.

[tagheuer]

But imagine the cost/hassle if you're stuck in another country without one.

 

I'm with you - regardless of cost (and I'm not discounting the fact that it's pricey when you do it!), I wouldn't go without them.

 

^this^

 

Good luck getting back quickly if an emergency arises and you don't have a passport...some friends of ours have a young daughter, with allergies, she had an allergic reaction and they were not able to leave Aruba for a few days and without significant hassle because the daughter did not have a passport.

 

I personally wouldn't roll the dice...things happen all the time, look at what happened with the Concordia...say something much more minor happens, i.e your ship has a mechanical problem and can't continue, and you have to fly home from St. Maarten....with no passport.

[cyntil8ing]

There was also the case of the Carnival Victory over the summer. There was a hurricane and the San Juan port officials forced Victory to depart early. Many passengers still enroute to San Juan missed the ship. Carnival flew those with passports to the first port of call. Those without got to go home.

[Corntea]

We are using a copy of their Birth Certtificates. You do not have to have the original, and that way it can't get lost/damaged.

[LKBott]

Our LO will be 13 months when we go on the Allure in May. Were just taking a certified copy of his BC.

[parrotthead]

We are using a copy of their Birth Certtificates. You do not have to have the original, and that way it can't get lost/damaged.

It cant be a copy...it must be the kind with the raised seal. BirthCirts are not very expensive to replace... GingerBaby's (who will be 8mo when we sail) was $22 each... We got 2 One to leave at home with other 'important papers' and One to carry with us (along with his PassPort and Consent to Travel Letter)

I still say PassPorts are Very Important for anyone Traveling out of the Country...exp Children.

[mikesteg]

We are using a copy of their Birth Certtificates. You do not have to have the original, and that way it can't get lost/damaged.

 

Are there localities that issue an "original" any longer? We had to go order ours, as they were not issued by default. The original was like $20, but most of that was the "search" fee. Additional copies were just a few bucks, so we have several. Each of the copies are official/legal/certified copies and are identical and equivalent.

 

I'm curious if there is any place that issues an original these days (or even sends a free copy by default). That would not including a decorative certificate issued by the hospital which is not certified and the child could not travel on.