Passport for toddler

[mmunro6207]

My son will be 21 months old at the time of our 3 day cruise on the Dream. Does he need a passport? My husband and I have ours but we had not gotten one for our son yet. Thanks!!!

 

[lanejudy]

The 3-night Dream cruises do no REQUIRE a passport for any passenger, just a certified birth certificate (and ID for those 16+). So you are not required to get one for your son. However, it is recommended that all passengers have a full passport - in the event of emergency (medical, onboard, in-port or at home) nobody can fly from a foreign port to the US without a full passport.

Your decision. You're likely to get a lot of opinions on the topic.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[fairytalelover]

I always think that it's smart to have a passport for all members of the family, in case of an emergency. But you could just take along a birth certificate. I just like to have a peace of mind when traveling.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

My son will be 21 months old at the time of our 3 day cruise on the Dream. Does he need a passport? My husband and I have ours but we had not gotten one for our son yet. Thanks!!!

The minimum necessary for US citizens on a closed loop cruise, is a certified birth certificate (not the hospital one), and (for those 16 and over) a government-issued photo ID.

But, you certainly can get a passport for your son, at any age.

 

[mmunro6207]

Thanks. We were planning on getting him one but weren't sure if its arrive in time good to know he doesn't absolutely need it to board though just in case it doesn't come on time. This trip was a last minute decision lol

 

[fairytalelover]

Thanks. We were planning on getting him one but weren't sure if its arrive in time good to know he doesn't absolutely need it to board though just in case it doesn't come on time. This trip was a last minute decision lol

Then you shouldn't stress about it. In my experience, our passports have arrived fairly quickly. But if it doesn't arrive in time, as long as you are on a closed loop cruise, you will be fine with a birth certificate.

 

[lanejudy]

Thanks. We were planning on getting him one but weren't sure if its arrive in time good to know he doesn't absolutely need it to board though just in case it doesn't come on time. This trip was a last minute decision lol

Hopefully you have a 2nd appropriate copy of his birth certificate, then. If I recall, DD's paperwork was returned after we received her Passport. So if you aren't sure the Passport will be received in time, make sure you get another official copy of the birth certificate!

 

[manateesmom]

Hopefully you have a 2nd appropriate copy of his birth certificate, then. If I recall, DD's paperwork was returned after we received her Passport. So if you aren't sure the Passport will be received in time, make sure you get another official copy of the birth certificate!

Yes, the birth certificate is kept until the passport is issued, so you might need a second copy.

 

[bumbershoot]

Glad everyone covered the "if you don't get the passport back you probably won't have the BC back so get another BC" part.

If you still live in the area where he was born, it should be simple to get another, possibly even in person on the same day. I know if we needed another we would just go to the registrar's office in the county where he was born (where we live) and do a same-day application. We would walk out with another certified copy.

Passports are definitely the gold standard though, and are so easy to use.

 

[PrincessTiannaLove]

Just recieved our luggage tags & info for our April 25th 3 day Dream & it states that minors under 16 just need the BC & adults BC & ID.

We were going to get ours, procrastinated a bit & now my husband is working 10-12 hour days, at least 6 days a week with an hour commute each way. He CANNOT take time off now, (under a huge deadline & we are taking off 12 days for our upcoming vacation) so he can't go to apply with me for the kids. Both parents HAVE to be present or have a notary signed form, and again, him working 7am-until past closing at most places, we are going to chance it. We had every intention of getting them, but now I can't guarantee that they will be here unless I expedite & I can't justify the $500 I will spend. The chances are slim of something happening, although as always anything is possible. Here is to taking a chance & crossing my fingers & toes!

 

[bumbershoot]

Just recieved our luggage tags & info for our April 25th 3 day Dream & it states that minors under 16 just need the BC & adults BC & ID.

We were going to get ours, procrastinated a bit & now my husband is working 10-12 hour days, at least 6 days a week with an hour commute each way. He CANNOT take time off now, (under a huge deadline & we are taking off 12 days for our upcoming vacation) so he can't go to apply with me for the kids. Both parents HAVE to be present or have a notary signed form, and again, him working 7am-until past closing at most places, we are going to chance it. We had every intention of getting them, but now I can't guarantee that they will be here unless I expedite & I can't justify the $500 I will spend. The chances are slim of something happening, although as always anything is possible. Here is to taking a chance & crossing my fingers & toes!

Does he get a lunch break? Is there a bank branch near by? If you WANT to do the passports and there are banks nearby and he gets a break during the day, call the bank(s) to see if they have notaries. All the banks around here have at least one notary public on staff, and the ones we have talked to will notarize things for free.

So if the answers are all yes, he could conceivably go have the form notarized on a lunch break so you can take it in and get the passports on your own.

Or if there's a post office that accepts passports near his work, take everyone up on a day he can take a break and do it near his work. That's what we did with DS's passport; DH works in Seattle really close to a main PO, and we picked him up, raced to the PO, did what we needed to do and got him back to work.


As of right now, with the types of cruises Disney takes in the Bahamas and Caribbean, they are "closed loop" which don't *require* passports. It's only if there's an emergency and someone needs to fly out when there will be delays while people get emergency passports.

 

[thehighprincess44]

If you live in a major city with a passport office, you can get it in two days. Just have husband get form notorized and you can do rest.
I had an 11am appt Tuesday and picked up my passports at 9am Thursday. I don't know if this is true everywhere, but a few banks here have Sunday hours. Call around and find a notary. Lots of real waste offices are open most Sundays and often have a NP there at off times.


Good luck!!!

 

[lorenni]

I love how everyone is assuming that DWs don't work outside the home and can just kart the kids around in the middle of the day to hubby's work at back. Really?

Many post office locations accept passport applications on Saturdays. You likely need to call and make an appointment. CVS and other drugstores take passport photos. You can download the passport applications and fill them out before you go to the post office. You can also expedite applications done thru the post office.

As for toddler passports, the background check is a breeze so they typically come back really quickly. We got my son's in the mail exactly one week after our post office appointment.

 

[Meghatron]

If you live in a major city with a passport office, you can get it in two days. Just have husband get form notorized and you can do rest.
I had an 11am appt Tuesday and picked up my passports at 9am Thursday. I don't know if this is true everywhere, but a few banks here have Sunday hours. Call around and find a notary. Lots of real waste offices are open most Sundays and often have a NP there at off times.

Good luck!!!

Most regional Passport Centers require you to be within two weeks of your travel date (and prove it when you show up) before you can even make an appointment. We booked a trip to see family in Canada when DD was a few months old and were too close to fly date to risk expedited passports via submission, but still had to wait a bit before we could get in to the regional center. Once we had the appt, though, it was next day pickup.

 

[VAB2013]

If you need to get the form notarized so that you can get your child's passport without your husband being there try the UPS store. Some of them have a notary and just charge a few dollars to notarize something.

 

[Msmit002]

Most regional Passport Centers require you to be within two weeks of your travel date (and prove it when you show up) before you can even make an appointment. We booked a trip to see family in Canada when DD was a few months old and were too close to fly date to risk expedited passports via submission, but still had to wait a bit before we could get in to the regional center. Once we had the appt, though, it was next day pickup.

And for something like a vacation, yes. They won't usually jump through hoops and will require the two-week lead time. But I can say... they will issue the same day (at least here in Washington DC) even if you have to board a flight the next day. One of my colleagues got word that her husband passed away while working as a contractor overseas and had to go to Europe to bring him back (No, I don't know all the particulars on what was required) but she did get one in less than 24 hours and then headed off to fly out) But, it *can* be done when absolutely necessary.

 

[southlake]

I always think that it's smart to have a passport for all members of the family, in case of an emergency. But you could just take along a birth certificate. I just like to have a peace of mind when traveling.

Same here. I wanted the peace of mind in case of emergency. We got our DD a passport and she is 3 yrs old.

As for toddler passports, the background check is a breeze so they typically come back really quickly. We got my son's in the mail exactly one week after our post office appointment.

It took 4 weeks for our toddler's passport to arrive after our post office appointment. I'm in the SF Bay Area (CA).

 

[bumbershoot]

I love how everyone is assuming that DWs don't work outside the home and can just kart the kids around in the middle of the day to hubby's work at back. Really?

Many post office locations accept passport applications on Saturdays.

If she had mentioned that she worked outside the home I'm sure I would have mentioned it. ALL she mentioned was her husband's issues.

But if she wants to get passports for the kids SOMEONE is going to have to cart the kids around in the middle of the day. So it's a weird thing to get bent out of shape about, because if she wants them it's going to *have to* happen. Both of them will have to go, or one has to get the form notarized while the other has to take them in.

And she said that her husband is working SIX days a week, so the Saturday idea probably isn't going to work for him either. I was going to mention it, re-read her post to make sure I wasn't missing something, and rejected the suggestion.


And by the way, "everyone"? Two of us responded with ideas to help her before your post and we are "everyone"?

 

[lorenni]

If she had mentioned that she worked outside the home I'm sure I would have mentioned it. ALL she mentioned was her husband's issues.

But if she wants to get passports for the kids SOMEONE is going to have to cart the kids around in the middle of the day. So it's a weird thing to get bent out of shape about, because if she wants them it's going to *have to* happen. Both of them will have to go, or one has to get the form notarized while the other has to take them in.

And she said that her husband is working SIX days a week, so the Saturday idea probably isn't going to work for him either. I was going to mention it, re-read her post to make sure I wasn't missing something, and rejected the suggestion.

And by the way, "everyone"? Two of us responded with ideas to help her before your post and we are "everyone"?

I thought it would be impolite to single you out, Bumbershoot.