How many are travelling without passports for their kids

[ctfamilyof5]

All 3 of my kids have passports (8,6,2) -main reason for fear of something happening on an island and not being able to fly home...

 

For nothing else but peace of mind!

[tnebell]

My son has had a passport since he was 1 years old.

We used to live in Alaska so traveling through Canada happened often there and he started cruising when he was only 14 months old.

Since then, we've moved to the East coast where once again we travel in and out of Canada constantly as well as enjoying cruises here and there.

If I'm going out of country with him, regardless if it is required or not, I'm carrying his passport.

God forbid we need it and not have it!!! That would be a nightmare!

[jules1121]

We just use BC for both kids. Every year we think about getting them but haven't yet. The problem is they are only good for about half the time as adult ones and you have to both be there to apply for them.

[jules1121]

Holy moly the price of passports have really gone up!!! :eek::eek: Basically $105 for a kid passport (80 + 25) that is only good for 5 yrs. Eek!

[mikesteg]

you have to both be there to apply for them.

 

Yeah, this was a nightmare for us. Between that and the ridiculousness of the USPS (in Austin TX), we (mostly my wife) wound up making 5 trips to get ours submitted. And these are the jokers who form the front line of the security mechanism to prevent fraudulent passport from being issued.

 

Holy moly the price of passports have really gone up!!! :eek::eek: Basically $105 for a kid passport (80 + 25) that is only good for 5 yrs. Eek!

 

Yep... get 'em before they go up to $150! :D

 

I think the passport card used to be +$10 if ordered together and now it has gone way up also.

[G&TQ]

My son (7) got his before his first cruise. We got ours and now its time to renew ours. I choose to reduce the risk as much as possible.

 

 

FWIW. Only truly needed it once. DH got a call at dinner on a Friday night Boss needed someone to fly to Europe the following week for training on some new Equipment. The employee that was scheduled to go had emergency surgery and was not able to go. My husband was the 8th call and the first to have a passport. He received a nice bonus for last minute travel and he spent a little more then a week in Germany on the company. The training now enables him to travel to training others and he got a big promotion.

[nothriver]

I accidentally smuggled my son, now 18, into Canada for a daytrip from seattle up to to Vancover when he was about 9 mos. fortunately were waved back across the border without being stopped about the time I realized I had no ID for him, which would have been a real problem with his birth certificate in my safe, back in Iowa.

 

I haven't left the country with my kids without passports since. I renew the passports when they expire. I like having the flexibility to travel at the spur of the moment. As a single parent, it is a bigger hassle to get the passport paperwork completed so I'm not in the least bit tempted to let them expire. Even with passports, I still need signed notarized statements from dad giving permission to travel!

[bus man]

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.

 

We are getting a passport for our son's first cruise; however, he is adopted AND mexican (we are not) so his name is different on his birth certificate than how he's booked. It's easier to take a passport than keep track of a birth certificate AND court adoption paperwork....

 

You should bring the adoption paperwork as well. A passport has no information about parentage, so if you look substantially different (which I think is implied in the post) you could very well be asked for proof.

 

And kudos for adopting. ;)

 

 

This is our situation too: white adoptive parents with adopted Asian kids (ages 5 and 3). Their first cruise is coming up in April, and we got them passports. It simply seemed a much easier way to link us all together as one family (all of us have the same last name now), rather than deal with potential issues due to the kids being of a different race than the parents. Not to mention, passports are official documents, recognized worldwide, that prove our American citizenship.

 

In addition, we're also bringing copies of their adoption decrees and U.S.-issued birth certificates, just so we'll have further evidence that yes, these kids actually do belong to us. We've done this every time we've ever traveled anywhere (other than car trips), and though we've never once needed the "extra" paperwork, we've always felt better for having it with us. (If only the authorities would issue wallet-sized adoption decrees and birth certificates . . .)

[Onessa]

. . . the ridiculousness of the USPS (in Austin TX), we (mostly my wife) wound up making 5 trips to get ours submitted. And these are the jokers who form the front line of the security mechanism to prevent fraudulent passport from being issued.

 

I've found that getting a passport for my daughter has just gotten easier and easier over the years. More post offices are serving as a place to process applications (we used to be limited to the "main" PO). They have the facility to take the picture (although I still use AAA). And the PO guy who handled our last passport application was thoroughly professional and pleasant (but of course we live in Wisconsin where we've discovered that most folks are pleasant and easy to deal with! :) )

[angelndscz]

I would never consider *NOT* getting a passport for my kids. I am still having issues with the concept that has been posted the folks are only taking a color copy of their passport on port. I hope no one ever misses their ship and has to fly back home because a birth certificate and color copy of a passport will not work flying international. You are spending a good chunk of money on the cruise, why would you not get the proper documents for your kids? In the long run, it will cost a lot more if you get stuck in another country without a passport and no ship to take back home.

 

My two younger kids were born overeas and I had to get their passports directly from the US Embassy immediately when they were born. I have always ensured their passports remained current for various personal reasons.

 

I also thought the law changed were passport were mandatory at all ports now? Of course since we all have current passports, I have not researched the rules lately.

[MMsteffey]

This is our situation too: white adoptive parents with adopted Asian kids (ages 5 and 3). Their first cruise is coming up in April, and we got them passports. It simply seemed a much easier way to link us all together as one family (all of us have the same last name now), rather than deal with potential issues due to the kids being of a different race than the parents. Not to mention, passports are official documents, recognized worldwide, that prove our American citizenship.

 

In addition, we're also bringing copies of their adoption decrees and U.S.-issued birth certificates, just so we'll have further evidence that yes, these kids actually do belong to us. We've done this every time we've ever traveled anywhere (other than car trips), and though we've never once needed the "extra" paperwork, we've always felt better for having it with us. (If only the authorities would issue wallet-sized adoption decrees and birth certificates . . .)

I'm curious about why you bring the adoption decree - the new birth certificates issued when your adoption is final list you and your dh as the parents. (at least ours do -- I'm the adoptive parent of children who are obviously not biologically ours). The new birth certificate is "legal fiction" that does document you as the parents to immigration and school officials. Has anyone questioned your kids birth certificates so that you have needed to produce the decree?

[huneymoonerz]

I don't have time to read this whole thread but if anyone has mentioned... I lost my DD's BC right before our cruise. We were pretty screwed and John Heald had to help us through Facebook with getting on the ship. We had to have our hospital fax paperwork to the port and it was a huge nail biter.

 

Do yourself a favor and get the passports if you have the time. It's not hard to do.

[mikesteg]

I've found that getting a passport for my daughter has just gotten easier and easier over the years. More post offices are serving as a place to process applications (we used to be limited to the "main" PO). They have the facility to take the picture (although I still use AAA). And the PO guy who handled our last passport application was thoroughly professional and pleasant (but of course we live in Wisconsin where we've discovered that most folks are pleasant and easy to deal with! :) )

 

Admittedly the USPS here in Albuquerque seems to be much better, though we haven't done a passport yet.

 

The sad thing is that the Dept of State has been doing a fantastic job with this. I've never know a gov't agency to get off it butt and run an operation efficiently, especially if the face of something like the WHTI.

[mikesteg]

I don't have time to read this whole thread but if anyone has mentioned... I lost my DD's BC right before our cruise. We were pretty screwed and John Heald had to help us through Facebook with getting on the ship. We had to have our hospital fax paperwork to the port and it was a huge nail biter.

 

Do yourself a favor and get the passports if you have the time. It's not hard to do.

 

That's also one more reason to get multiple (official) copies of the BC. Though it just occurred to me that I ought to take 1 copy of each to work in case the house burns down right before a cruise. Because we'd still be going on that cruise... :D

[newbiecruiser09]

Holy moly the price of passports have really gone up!!! :eek::eek: Basically $105 for a kid passport (80 + 25) that is only good for 5 yrs. Eek!

 

Which works out to about $21 per year or about 4 large Starbucks lattes. Totally worth it to me for the piece of mind.

 

Both of my kids have had passports since they were about 3 (got DD's first one when DS's was expiring so they'd be on the same schedule). Would not even consider taking them out of the country without a valid passport.

[bus man]

I'm curious about why you bring the adoption decree - the new birth certificates issued when your adoption is final list you and your dh as the parents. (at least ours do -- I'm the adoptive parent of children who are obviously not biologically ours). The new birth certificate is "legal fiction" that does document you as the parents to immigration and school officials. Has anyone questioned your kids birth certificates so that you have needed to produce the decree?

 

I bring the adoption decree purely for extra peace of mind, as something else I can show someone in case they doubt that the kids belong to us. Yes, our new birth certificates also show us as the parents. ("Legal fiction" -- that's a good way to describe it!) No, no one has ever questioned us. I've never needed to show anyone any of these documents while traveling, but it makes me feel better to have them.

 

At the airports, the TSA agents will look at the kids' boarding passes and then ask each one of them their names. I assume this is just a way for them to have some basic level of assurance that the kids are in fact who the documents say they are. I don't know if they do this just for us, because it's apparent that the kids are not biologically ours, or if they do this to all kids.

[angelndscz]

I bring the adoption decree purely for extra peace of mind, as something else I can show someone in case they doubt that the kids belong to us. Yes, our new birth certificates also show us as the parents. ("Legal fiction" -- that's a good way to describe it!) No, no one has ever questioned us. I've never needed to show anyone any of these documents while traveling, but it makes me feel better to have them.

 

At the airports, the TSA agents will look at the kids' boarding passes and then ask each one of them their names. I assume this is just a way for them to have some basic level of assurance that the kids are in fact who the documents say they are. I don't know if they do this just for us, because it's apparent that the kids are not biologically ours, or if they do this to all kids.

 

 

They do it to almost all kids. We fly a lot and they ask my son "who are you flying with today?" and he replies, "my mom and dad." Then they say, have a nice flight!

 

For the record, I have four children, all biologically mine. Two have blonde hair, green eyes, very pale white skin (first marriage). I am very pale, natural blonde, with bright blue eyes. Two younger ones are half-Mexican as my husband is Mexican-American (5th generation American). In the summer, my son gets extremely dark like his dad. Adults may look twice but rarely if ever comment. Teens do ask my older boys "how is that your dad?" when they hear them call him dad (technically step-dad but only dad they know). This only started in about 8th grade as younger ages they did not catch on. Adults are more aware of blended families and adoption situations.

 

I almost adopted from Korea 9 years ago, but got pregnant with my daughter so decided to wait. My step-mom is Korea (2 Korean sisters), my brother's wife is a Filipina and they have a daughter. We are just one blended family. I will see white moms with Asian kids and just think they were adopted and keep going. Once I thought this at a mall playground, until the dad showed up, he was Asian. LOL. I have many friends who are white ladies with biological children where the dad was not white and the kids look like the dad. I don't think many people think twice if the kid is biologically yours or not these days. Do the kids have your last name? That usually clears things up when traveling in a group. My two older boys do not have our last name but it has never been an issue.

 

LOL - last weekend my husband took my oldest and the two youngest to dinner. The waitress graduated with my son and asked how that was his dad. He replied, "my brother and sister are half white". LOL. Instead of this is my step-dad like usual. I told him he should have just said he was adopted by a Mexican family!

[katyf]

Both my kids have passports....even though they haven't really been anywhere "exotic" .... i'm too much of a nervous nelly

[cyntil8ing]

I have one adopted and one biological child. We don't take anything other than their passports. No birth certificates. No adoption decree. We have what the law requires.

 

It's not that I'm trying to hide my child's adoption, which is impossible since it was an international adoption, but to make it a non-issue for those that do not need to know. Medical personnel may need to know because we lack knowledge of family history. TSA agents do not need to know.

 

It's a point of my child's privacy.

 

It's also because having 'one of each' makes me more aware of how adopted children are treated differently. I minimize that in every way I can.

 

On the other hand, when we return to our child's country of birth, we will likely carry the adoption decree because the child is still a citizen of that country.

[kimmimom]

I don't have time to read this whole thread but if anyone has mentioned... I lost my DD's BC right before our cruise. We were pretty screwed and John Heald had to help us through Facebook with getting on the ship. We had to have our hospital fax paperwork to the port and it was a huge nail biter.

 

Do yourself a favor and get the passports if you have the time. It's not hard to do.

 

lost the passport. Either bc or passport, you must keep track of it. If you had your child's passport and bc together and lost them both, you would still be scrambling!

[babyblue78]

Absolutely, both DD3 and DS5 have passports. We wouldn't considering leaving the US without them. We want the assurance that we can return home freely for any reason at any time, and we want to possess documentation accepted worldwide of our identity and US citizenship. :)

[alise007]

We have had passports for both kids since they were under a year old. We just renewed DS (he will be 6 in May).

 

Yes it sucks they only are good for 5 yrs when they are little but still worth it.

 

We have been to Canada multiple times (both flying and driving).

 

Hubby has to work in Germany occasionally and if it ever worked out $ wise we would be go in a heart beat and join him!

 

Figure it is best to be prepared!

[angelndscz]

There are good reasons kids passports expire every 5 years instead of 10. In a way 5 years can be too long based on the reasoning. The reason was to prevent one parent from taking the child out of the country. Prior to this law there were numerous "parent abductions" where the parents were not together (pending divorce, etc) and one parent took the child out of the country without the other parents permission. Thus, both parents also having to be present for the passport (or proper documentation for the other parents absence). Children's safety is more important than the parents inconvience.

 

My kids had passports before the law changed, but when I renewed the passport I still ran into one issue with one son because I ony had the "short form" birth certification. Which was what I used under the old law. The new law requires the "long form" with both parents name on it. I did find it silly only because I also provided legal documentation that I had sole custody of this child, which means I did not need any signatures from the other parent. Regardless, I had to order the long form and go back. Lesson learned. Even though, I don't see what the father's name had to do with it. What if it said Tom Cruise. LOL. I still have sole custody.

 

Actually, as someone mentioned the parents name are not on minor passports. Maybe they should be! My kids also have military ID's that have both their name and my name on it. Makes sense to me.

[mikesteg]

I don't see what 5 years vs. 10 years has to do with child abduction. A valid passport is a valid passport, regardless of age. Once issued (or even before that), the non-abducting parent has very little recourse.

 

The requirements for both parents to approve the issuance of the passport is a poor attempt to prevent parental abduction. Once a passport is issued, the United Stated has no exit controls.

 

The Dept. of State webpage on child abduction says:

 

The Department may not revoke a passport that has already been issued to the child. There is also no way to track the use of a passport once it has been issued, since the United States does not have exit controls for people leaving the U.S. If your child already has a passport, and you fear the other parent may abduct your child from the United States, ask a court or your attorneys to hold it.

 

http://travel.state.gov/abduction/prevention/passportissuance/passportissuance_554.html

 

Note that even if the court is holding the passport, the other parent could claim it was lost and get another one issued. That would require more than a little bit of fraud, but someone who would steal a child is hardly going to worry about that.

 

Also, there is an alert system for child passport issuance (also on that page), but there is no guarantee that a passport won't be issued even in that case.

[parrotthead]

but arent you required to travel with the 'absent parent letter' if the child has two parents listed?

or is that just certian countrys?