Passports Needed?

[necruiser]

Hi, We are cruising the 4/19 Eastern Carribean and cannot wait. Quick question, do our children 10 and 8 need passports, or can they get away with birth certificates. If they can get away with birth certificates, are passports preferable? Thanks in advance.

 

[TootyJane]

Your children do not need a passport. Are passports preferable? That is entirely up to you. Last year, dh renewed his passport, I had to get a new one (since it was issued when I was a teen) and we got passports for our 3 kids. We did so before the rates for passports went up and figured that it would be easier in the long run to get them. HTH

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

necruiser, you don't say where you're located, but I'm guessing New England based on your screen name. If your children were born in the U.S., then yes, you only need to bring certified copies of their birth certificates. Passengers from any other country must bring passports.

 

[ducklite]

One reason to have a passport for everyone in your party is emergency evacuation to someplace which requires a passport for entry. Without one you could have a heap of problems.

Anne

 

[AnnMorin]

Originally posted by ducklite
One reason to have a passport for everyone in your party is emergency evacuation to someplace which requires a passport for entry. Without one you could have a heap of problems.

Anne

I had never thought of that, but I would think that most contries would extend a courtesy in an emergency situation and not force you to "go down with the ship". But then again I could be wrong. I am trying to think of where we could possibly be evacuated to and will check their policy. Hate to get a passport for DS at this point , frankly I don't want to pay to get them for any of us as we only do cruises not Europe or anything but now you have me thinking...hmmm got to look into this evacuation thing.

 

[ducklite]

Maybe I should explain a little more. Many countries require a Visa for entry. Getting that visa when you have a passport is quite easy. Getting it without a passport is very difficult. They can actually keep you from LEAVING the country until you have secured a passport and valid visa to be there to begin with! Considering that you have to be in the US or at a US conulate to get a US passport, it gets very complicated getting one after the fact.

I believe Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Belize all fit into that category. Cuba is another story altogether (if you ever DO go there, do NOT let them stamp your US passport or permanently attach the visa unless you have specific permission from teh US government to go!).

I'm a US citizen with a Canadian Social Insurance card, as is DH. We still don't even enter Canada without our US passports. Having one just makes any number of emergency situations better.

Anne

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

I have to agree with ducklite. Particularly considering world conditions over the past several years you just don't know what could change when. We've had our passports long enough that we had to renew kids this past year.

Will the birth certificate do it for the cruise? Yes - as long as there isn't an emergency. Does the passport give you peace of mind - yes.

One other thing to consider - with kids at 10 & 8 those passports will be good until they are 15 and 13. Don't think they'll need them? Consider whether or not either of them might travel to Canada with a Scout group or other non-parent adult. The passport covers a lot of the paperwork needs in that event. If the family is active in church youth group mission trips to Mexico or beyond would be covered. And once you start looking at a lot of the opportunities associated with high school programs the possibility that they'll use again at least rise once again.

Deb