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Documentation requirements for minors


Inkelis

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Good afternoon!

 

We have a cruise booked on the Navigator of the Seas for December 20th and I had a question about documentation requirements for us and the kids.

What sort of ID are the kids required to have? We have kids aged 1, 6, 10, and 12 years of age.

The cruise will take us to Ensenada, Mexico, but we do not plan on leaving the ship. Will we still require passports?

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Birth certificates will be fine, but you really should have been considering this sooner. (OFFICIAL Birth Certificates as stated in the link @smokeybandit provided)

Given the long lead times required to get passports right now, you would be lucky to get them in time with only two months until your cruise.

Even with expedited service, it can take up to 10 weeks to process your passport request.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/processing-times.html

If you do feel like leaving the ship in Mexico, it is not necessary to carry passports or birth certificates to get off the ship.

The only time you will need to provide any passports or birth certificates is while checking in on Day 1 and to U.S. Customs at the end of your cruise.

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6 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

..and I would never take the passports OFF the ship.  Too much of a risk, IMO.  I guess this means you can't go wrong either way !  LOL

I make a paper copy and keep it with us.  I also have a picture of each passport saved on my phone.  The passports themselves stay on the ship in the safe.  If something happens, there is a very good chance that the ship staff could remove them and hand them over to the port agent.

To answer the OP's original question, you do not need passports on US sailings. Just make sure the birth certificates are the "official" ones with a raised seal - not a copy.

I would highly recommend getting them if you plan future cruises.  The main reason is that you would be unable to easily return to the US without one if for whatever reason you had to leave the ship early in a foreign port.

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On a related note of child documentation. My step daughter is 13 and naturally has different last name than her mother does now. My sailing in Nov stops at St Thomas, ST Martin and Cococay. Is it necessary for us to carry a signed consent to travel form from her Father that has been notarized

Does anyone have any experience with this and if that would be an issue at the ports listed above?

 

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3 hours ago, UNCFanatik said:

On a related note of child documentation. My step daughter is 13 and naturally has different last name than her mother does now. My sailing in Nov stops at St Thomas, ST Martin and Cococay. Is it necessary for us to carry a signed consent to travel form from her Father that has been notarized

Does anyone have any experience with this and if that would be an issue at the ports listed above?

 

Hi - a friend of mine has had this exact query whenever she travels with her kids and 95% of the time she is not asked for documentation.   But she has been asked.  It just takes one agent/TSA officer to have a bad day and decide to go by the letter of the law to ruin your trip.   I would say get it, bring it, and if you never have to use it - great.   But if you do need it I guarantee it'll be the best $50 you ever spent to get a letter notarized.  You would only need it at boarding.

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When we took our grandson in Feb 2020,  there was a form on the RC website that had to be signed by his mother and notarized.  We had to provide it to the agent at check in.  I agree with PP, better to have & not need than need & not have.  Kinda like taking our passports whenever we get off in foreign ports 😘

But $50 to get a document notarized???  My local bank does it for $5, free if I get a nice rep.

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On 10/21/2021 at 7:14 PM, Pooch said:

When we took our grandson in Feb 2020,  there was a form on the RC website that had to be signed by his mother and notarized.  We had to provide it to the agent at check in.  I agree with PP, better to have & not need than need & not have.  Kinda like taking our passports whenever we get off in foreign ports 😘

But $50 to get a document notarized???  My local bank does it for $5, free if I get a nice rep.

...and if you are a AAA member you get free notary service at any AAA location. 

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1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

AAA has "locations" ?  I've been a AAA member for over 25 years and had no idea that they even had any office locations !  LOL

You missed out -- before GPS (and before mapquest.com) you could go there and ask for a "TripTik", and someone would make you a little binder of maps for a custom driving route for your road trip.  They would use a highlighter to show the route.

I recall using one of this when I was a kid in the late 80's to direct my mother on our driving trip to Lancaster PA.  Was kinda nifty.

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39 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I remember the trip tiks very well.  I can't remember how we got them.  I guess maybe we did go to a location and pick them up.  Gettin' old.  I guess I had forgotten that !

I just got a trip tik last year when we were planning a driving trip. Requested it through the AAA website and if I remember correctly, received it through the mail within a week. Yeah, I know, sort of "old school", but since I pay for the membership I try to use it.

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On 10/22/2021 at 10:54 PM, emmef said:

...and if you are a AAA member you get free notary service at any AAA location. 

This is VERY good to know! I'm a AAA member for about 20 years, & we plan to take a cruise with our adult children in 2023 and one of our granddaughters will fall into this category. Thanks @emmef!

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On 10/23/2021 at 9:52 AM, WAAAYTOOO said:

AAA has "locations" ?  I've been a AAA member for over 25 years and had no idea that they even had any office locations !  LOL

@WAAAYTOOOThere are actually two locations within easy driving distance of my house. Less than 20 minute drive.  I go often to get maps, tour guides, free passport photos, free notary service, and plan trips.

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On 10/23/2021 at 1:18 PM, fireclan said:

I just got a trip tik last year when we were planning a driving trip. Requested it through the AAA website and if I remember correctly, received it through the mail within a week. Yeah, I know, sort of "old school", but since I pay for the membership I try to use it.

@fireclan I love Triptiks.  Actually planning to get some printed soon for our trip to Orlando. So easy to use, especially if you go through a bad mobile phone reception area, or if your phone loses battery.

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