OT Passport for a newborn

[LadyBeBop]

A friend's daughter is due in early June. My friend is thinking about taking the family (newborn included) to Niagara Falls, Ontario for the 4th of July.

1) Can the newborn get a passport within two to three weeks without going to a expedited passport center. The closest one to here is six hours away.

2) Will the newborn (and for that matter, her older sister) have problems getting the passport with their father being an undocumented alien? Baby daddy is in and out of the picture. And no, he will not accompany the family to Niagara Falls.

As always, many thanks.

 

[pr surfer]

If you pay to have it expedited, and pay to have it overnighted both ways, you SHOULD get it within that timeframe.

There should be no issues with the dad, since as long as the child is born in the US, under the 14th amendment the child is a US citizen.

Unfortunately the only way to guarantee it is to go in person, with a plane ticket within two weeks, which doesn't help if you plan on crossing the border by land. The easiest, but temporarily extremely expensive way to do this is to get an early appointment at an agency, buy a fully refundable international plane ticket for that same day, and once you get your passport, cancel the ticket and get a refund. But that's unrealistic for most people.

In short, this needs to happen tomorrow: pictures, applications, and fees all paid, and sent overnight, with either enough payment to pay for overnight return, or a prepaid/preaddressed envelope for it to be returned in (I suggest paying attention to the tracking numbers for the return, since you'll know when your passport will get back to you.

 

[ancestry]

There should be no issues with the dad, since as long as the child is born in the US, under the 14th amendment the child is a US citizen.

This isn't quite true. Yes, the child is eligible for a passport but can't get one without either dad appearing in person or without dad signing a notarized statement.

For children 14 and under either both parents must appear in the passport issuing office/center (post office) or must send in a notarized statement.

Copies and pasted from http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/minors/minors_834.html

The minor and both parents (or guardians) must appear in person to submit Form DS-11 at an acceptance facility or a passport agency...Parent(s)/Guardian(s) must submit evidence of their relationship to the minor applicant...When applying for a minor under age 16, both parent(s)/guardian(s) must present acceptable identification at the time of application.

If both parents can not appear than one parent must:

Appear in person with the minor
Sign Form DS-11 in front of an Acceptance Agent
Submit the second parents' notarized Statement of Consent (Form DS-3053)

So bottom line is the child can not get a passport without both parent's consent. If dad can't go to the passport issuing agency he must sign a notarized statement of consent.

 

[Lewisc]

Kids under 16 can enter Canada by land or sea with just a certified copy of their birth certificate. You can either drive the entire distance or fly into Buffalo then rent a car.

 

[VAfamily1998]

You didn't say if they were planning to drive or fly, but just as an FYI a lot of airlines will not allow babies under 2 weeks to fly. Since the baby is due in early June, if she is born pretty late, that might put them close to that 2 week mark...

 

[LadyBeBop]

You didn't say if they were planning to drive or fly, but just as an FYI a lot of airlines will not allow babies under 2 weeks to fly. Since the baby is due in early June, if she is born pretty late, that might put them close to that 2 week mark...

They plan to drive.

Did not know about only needing the birth certificate. That is good to know.

 

[dzorn]

They plan to drive.

Did not know about only needing the birth certificate. That is good to know.

But it may take a some time to get an official certificate. When I worked at the hospital we told the parents to wait at least 2 weeks for the paperwork to be filed.

FYI a mother just giving birth should not be driving.

Denise in MI

 

[momof3ds]

Even with driving, you need notarized consent from the other parent if both parents are not present.

 

[LadyBeBop]

Thanks for the replies thus far. A few things.

1) New mommy won't be driving. Her parents (Grandma and Grandpa) will drive.

2) My friend (Grandma) said that there is an expediated center in Buffalo. Is it enough to make the appointment in Buffalo, and travel into Canada the following day?

3) My friend also told me...Baby Daddy isn't on the elder sibling's birth certificate. No one knows why (maybe he didn't want his name on, maybe they wouldn't put it on because of his legal status). Because of that, would he have to sign off on the her passport?

Again, thanks.

 

[tjmw2727]

Have you checked the official website?
http://www.travel.state.gov/passport/get/minors/minors_834.html

I recently applied for passports for my dd's at the local post office and received them at my home in about 2 weeks.

 

[Lewisc]

Absolutely no reason to get a passport, expediated or not, for the infant.

If the child is a newborn and the actual birth certificate has not arrived from the Vital Records Department, we will accept a Hospital issued birth certificate.

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/74/kw/newborn birth certificate

right from the state department website.

Consent of the daddy is a separate issue and I don't think using a passport instead of a birth certificate changes anything.

A passport would be needed if their was an emergency and you wanted to fly home. Really not an issue. Chances are you'd fly out of Buffalo.

edited to add I'm not qualified to comment on the advisability of taking a newborn on a somewhat long road trip. You might want to talk to your child's pediatrician.

 

[bumbershoot]

3) My friend also told me...Baby Daddy isn't on the elder sibling's birth certificate. No one knows why (maybe he didn't want his name on, maybe they wouldn't put it on because of his legal status). Because of that, would he have to sign off on the her passport?

Again, thanks.

The trip just sounds really miserable for new mom....


On this part of the passport page, you can see they walk you through the "if, then" scenarios.

I would imagine that since the dad isn't on the BC, he doesn't have any sort of custody. Since that would mean she's the sole custodian of the child, she follows the scenario for that.


I would say that the situation woudl apply if just using the BC. Bring that, if she has legal paperwork about custody bring that, etc.

 

[DebbieB]

I would think about leaving the dad off the birth certificate. He's in and out of her life and an undocumented alien. He probably does not want traced. Probably why he's not on the elder child's BC.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

know you did not ask for but somethings we found out with a very young baby a few years back. anything that requires a raincoat, mom can not wear baby under her coat. had to wrap tiny baby in a childs raincoat. he was like four weeks old and was not allowed under mom's coat on any ride. another thing to think about. we did take him on all of them.

 

[ancestry]

Generally speaking....not being on a birth certificate does not mean that the father is disregarded as being the father for the purposes of issuing a passport.

This is a unique/special situation and the person in question really needs to contact the U.S. Department of State for direction regarding their situation.

 

[crashbb]

know you did not ask for but somethings we found out with a very young baby a few years back. anything that requires a raincoat, mom can not wear baby under her coat. had to wrap tiny baby in a childs raincoat. he was like four weeks old and was not allowed under mom's coat on any ride. another thing to think about. we did take him on all of them.

I am not sure what you mean by "anything that requires a raincoat", but maybe you mean rides at WDW/DL (though I cannot think of anything that "requires" a raincoat - I know that I've never worn one).

However, the baby (and its family) are travelling to Canada (Niagara Falls specifically), so it isn't relevant anyway (assuming you are talking about rides).

OP - the little one is fine with a birth certificate. Not sure about the issue with father's consent, but I would second ancesty's suggestion of contacting the U.S. Department of State (though I doubt that it is a unique issue).

 

[kamik86]

I am not sure what you mean by "anything that requires a raincoat", but maybe you mean rides at WDW/DL (though I cannot think of anything that "requires" a raincoat - I know that I've never worn one).

However, the baby (and its family) are travelling to Canada (Niagara Falls specifically), so it isn't relevant anyway (assuming you are talking about rides).

OP - the little one is fine with a birth certificate. Not sure about the issue with father's consent, but I would second ancesty's suggestion of contacting the U.S. Department of State (though I doubt that it is a unique issue).

I assume the poster was referring to things like maid of the mist where you take a boat under the falls and you wear a raincoat to avoid getting soaked in the splash.

 

[pr surfer]

At this point, I will tell you that it's time to contact the passport agency for answers, rather than relying on an internet message board and friends


However...

2) My friend (Grandma) said that there is an expediated center in Buffalo. Is it enough to make the appointment in Buffalo, and travel into Canada the following day?

...in my experience, a verbal declaration that you will "cross the border tomorrow" will not be enough to get a same-day passport. They require a plane ticket.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

i was talking about rides or activites at Niagara Falls. this comes from a trip we took to meet family with an almost 4 week old. this happened on Ride the Mist and all other things there, not Disney. so i think it does apply to what they were talking about.

 

[crashbb]

i was talking about rides or activites at Niagara Falls. this comes from a trip we took to meet family with an almost 4 week old. this happened on Ride the Mist and all other things there, not Disney. so i think it does apply to what they were talking about.

I see.