child's passports

[uktigger]

hi all
can someone help me out i'm starting to get a bit confused i thought that i read somewhere that children needed their own from october 2004(it was supposed to be oct 03 but they but it back a year)am i right or was i dreaming
now to the ? my kids are on my passport and we leave wdw on the 25th oct landing back in the u.k on the 26th now presuming it is october this year(for their own passport)will i still be o.k to travel with them on mine or does passport need to be valid so many days after your trip or shall i just go and get them new ones anyway
sorry if this is a dumb question

eve

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

From 26 October 2004 children travelling to the USA require their own passport, regardless of whether they are on their parent's passport which has not yet expired.

The US Immigration regulations state that "if traveling under the Visa Waiver Program, the passport must be valid for at least 90 days from the date on which the holder enters the United States. If not, the holder will be admitted until the expiration date on the passport."

On the face of it, I don't think you have to renew your passport because (1) you will leave the USA the day before your children require their own passport, and (2) you will leave the USA one day before your passport expires. However, because of the requirment for any new passports issued after 26 October 2004 to contain biometric information (which UK passports won't until 2005) you will require a US Visa next time you want to travel to the States. If you renew your passport (and get your children their own passports) before this date you can continue to travel to the US without a visa until your new passports expire.

Regards

Rob

 

[uktigger]

hi rob
thanks for that it is soo confusing isn't it,i thought that the passports had to be valid 90 days after
maybe i'll double check with the passport agency aswell just to make sure,not that i am doubting you of course
eve

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

That would be sensibel - please let me know what they say. I think they might direct you to the US Immigration Service as the 90 day rule is imposed by the USA and not by the UK Passport Agency, but it would be helpful for some clarity on this point.

Regards

Rob

 

[uktigger]

hi rob
i've just found the phone number for the us embassy on my invoice,i'll give them a ring tommorow and will let you know the result
thanks again

eve

 

[uktigger]

hi rob

i phoned the us embassy today and got an auotmated service with no option for info on the childrens passports

i then went on to phone the passport agency and explained about the kids needing their own passport from october 26th 04 and this was his reply

"altough they can travel on my passport as it will still be valid untill this date(we leave the us on the 25th)if our flight was delayed on the way home it would cause a lot of problems" i asked what sort of problems it would cause and he told me that they would not let us leave the us
so i now need to have the kids deleted off mine and then get them their own,he did ask me if i live near to the passport office(which i do)that i can go and get the names deleted at the office free of charge so that i don't have to send off mine when i get the kids done
i do hope i have made sense

eve

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

Thanks Eve.

Regards

Rob

 

[uktigger]

rob
your welcome

eve