Child expired passport and no written parent permission

[babyclaytonmom]

Wanted to share what happened this week. This isnt meant to scare anyone but instead to help anyone in this unexpected situation in the future.

 

On Sunday my ex-husband decided to take our son (11) on a 5 night cruise out of our local city which left the next day (Monday), he called and I said it was fine. We both live in Tampa and are on amicable terms. My son has been on several cruises with just me but never one with Dad. So early Monday a.m. we met at the bank where our passports are in the safe deposit box and then they were off to the port. Well they get to the port and oops find out that my son's passport is expired by 1 month. So my son is there with no identification (birth certificate is also in the safe deposit box). My son calls while they are standing there checking in to let me know its expired. He says " Dad said stay by the phone in case they wont let me board". I wait patiently in case I need to run his birth certificate down to the port (luckily only about 30 min. away and it was 2 1/2 hours till the ship left) BUT never needed to. My ex called once they boarded. No birth certificate needed or any other documentation. I was stunned they let him board. I've been stewing on this for a few days and called the Port Authority today. I realize this was my fault for not realizing a child's passport isnt valid as long as an adult's but it still irritated me that they let my son board with no I.D. THANK GOD this isnt a kidnapping situation. The Port Authority said they occasionally do allow this if the child and adult arent on "the list". Guessing its some type of at risk for kidnapping list, who knows.

So in the rare case you are in this last minute situation for yourself or your child (passport expired, lost birth certificate) hope isnt completely lost. Still go to the port. I wouldve never thought this was allowed but apparently it isnt that rare. Son called this a.m. and he is having fun in Cozumel :) Glad my error didnt cost him not being able to go.

By the way his father didnt have written person from me to take him either.

Edited June 26, 2014 by babyclaytonmom

[ryansmith18]

That's both good to hear and a bit concerning. But it sounds like they at least looked into it a bit before allowing them through. Maybe they're just understanding of situations like that with 1-month expired passports. I wouldn't be surprised if this happened to me in the future seeing as how they have 10 year expirations and you tend to forget about them.

 

Kinda thrown off by your last comment though. Is there some reason they'd need written permission? Your ex is his father, right?

[cruizinisthebest]

So are you glad and thankful they let him board with a passport expired just one month ago or irritated about it? Cause you said both.

[babyclaytonmom]

That's both good to hear and a bit concerning. But it sounds like they at least looked into it a bit before allowing them through. Maybe they're just understanding of situations like that with 1-month expired passports. I wouldn't be surprised if this happened to me in the future seeing as how they have 10 year expirations and you tend to forget about them.

 

Kinda thrown off by your last comment though. Is there some reason they'd need written permission? Your ex is his father, right?

 

I know it is a bit concerning.

The last comment was in reference to the many posts I've seen saying you need written/notarized permission from the other parent if only 1 parent is taking a child on a cruise. I've never been asked for this either on the 6 or 7 I've taken him on. We are on good terms though. I can see why you would need/want this if 2 parents werent.

[babyclaytonmom]

So are you glad and thankful they let him board with a passport expired just one month ago or irritated about it? Cause you said both.

 

Wasnt irritated about it till I thought about it afterwards and the general safety issue for other children. I wouldve gladly gone down there and provided his birth certificate since I think rules should be followed.

[sparks1093]

Wanted to share what happened this week. This isnt meant to scare anyone but instead to help anyone in this unexpected situation in the future.

 

On Sunday my ex-husband decided to take our son (11) on a 5 night cruise out of our local city which left the next day (Monday), he called and I said it was fine. We both live in Tampa and are on amicable terms. My son has been on several cruises with just me but never one with Dad. So early Monday a.m. we met at the bank where our passports are in the safe deposit box and then they were off to the port. Well they get to the port and oops find out that my son's passport is expired by 1 month. So my son is there with no identification (birth certificate is also in the safe deposit box). My son calls while they are standing there checking in to let me know its expired. He says " Dad said stay by the phone in case they wont let me board". I wait patiently in case I need to run his birth certificate down to the port (luckily only about 30 min. away and it was 2 1/2 hours till the ship left) BUT never needed to. My ex called once they boarded. No birth certificate needed or any other documentation. I was stunned they let him board. I've been stewing on this for a few days and called the Port Authority today. I realize this was my fault for not realizing a child's passport isnt valid as long as an adult's but it still irritated me that they let my son board with no I.D. THANK GOD this isnt a kidnapping situation. The Port Authority said they occasionally do allow this if the child and adult arent on "the list". Guessing its some type of at risk for kidnapping list, who knows.

So in the rare case you are in this last minute situation for yourself or your child (passport expired, lost birth certificate) hope isnt completely lost. Still go to the port. I wouldve never thought this was allowed but apparently it isnt that rare. Son called this a.m. and he is having fun in Cozumel :) Glad my error didnt cost him not being able to go.

By the way his father didnt have written person from me to take him either.

 

An expired passport is still valid as proof of citizenship, which is all your son needs (once he turns 16 he would need proof of citizenship and a government issue photo ID and an expired passport would not work by itself). An expired passport is not listed as an acceptable WHTI document but evidently they will take them under certain circumstances.

[Badfinger]

Hard to tell if you are bragging or complaining.

 

He did have an ID. It was just administratively expired.

[sparks1093]

Wasnt irritated about it till I thought about it afterwards and the general safety issue for other children. I wouldve gladly gone down there and provided his birth certificate since I think rules should be followed.

 

You could have faxed it and it would have been fine.

[babyclaytonmom]

An expired passport is still valid as proof of citizenship, which is all your son needs (once he turns 16 he would need proof of citizenship and a government issue photo ID and an expired passport would not work by itself). An expired passport is not listed as an acceptable WHTI document but evidently they will take them under certain circumstances.

 

Interesting, didnt know that.

[ryansmith18]

I know it is a bit concerning.

The last comment was in reference to the many posts I've seen saying you need written/notarized permission from the other parent if only 1 parent is taking a child on a cruise. I've never been asked for this either on the 6 or 7 I've taken him on. We are on good terms though. I can see why you would need/want this if 2 parents werent.

 

ah, okay. Don't have childeren of my own yet, so I was wondering if I was missing something there about both parents needing to consent or something like that.

[Fergus]

I don't think it's your fault at all.........your ex should have checked well before the cruise to make sure all the documents were up to date.

[springs741]

I do see your concern with your son being allowed to board. If Dad had just taken him and you didn't know he would be in Mexico right now with you frantic about the "kidnapping" I think some other things that may have factored into your son being allowed on board was his age. Under 16 doesn't need photo ID but did have the expired passport and at 11 years old he could have answered questions regarding who was taking him on the cruise and if mom knew where he was going. Before anyone jump on me yes I know adults can influence a child's answer but let just hope those asking the questions know what they are doing.

[babyclaytonmom]

I do see your concern with your son being allowed to board. If Dad had just taken him and you didn't know he would be in Mexico right now with you frantic about the "kidnapping" I think some other things that may have factored into your son being allowed on board was his age. Under 16 doesn't need photo ID but did have the expired passport and at 11 years old he could have answered questions regarding who was taking him on the cruise and if mom knew where he was going. Before anyone jump on me yes I know adults can influence a child's answer but let just hope those asking the questions know what they are doing.

 

I agree. Will be eager to ask when he returns on Sat. what questions if any they asked him.

[Eeyoregon]

I know it is a bit concerning.

The last comment was in reference to the many posts I've seen saying you need written/notarized permission from the other parent if only 1 parent is taking a child on a cruise. I've never been asked for this either on the 6 or 7 I've taken him on. We are on good terms though. I can see why you would need/want this if 2 parents werent.

 

Same here. I've taken my two sons on 6 cruises on 4 different cruise lines (including Disney) and have NEVER been asked where the other parent is or asked for any type of form, release, custody paperwork, etc. I of course had documentation with me but the need never arose. I also took one of my sons friends with us who was 15 at the time and no one even batted an eye at the fact that he wasn't my son.

[Ally22]

I very rarely sail with my husband/kids dad. When we checked in at Tampa, the kids passports were expired. I always bring them and the birth certs. The check in guy said that they will work with passports that are up to 10 years expired! They dont state it openly, but it is an understood policy. They can also look up previous sailings documentation. I was a bit surprised also!

[Rogueperson]

I am paranoid about that. I'm taking my stepkids on a cruise this December. I want all our ducks in a row and ready just in case.

 

My fiance' has full legal and physical custody, so that's checked. We are applying for their passports, so that's a check too. The ex would do anything to sabotage this, but right now, all the chips are in our corner for this trip.

 

I know technically, it is not required, but better safe than sorry.

[Havingfun2010]

Wanted to share what happened this week. This isnt meant to scare anyone but instead to help anyone in this unexpected situation in the future.

 

On Sunday my ex-husband decided to take our son (11) on a 5 night cruise out of our local city which left the next day (Monday), he called and I said it was fine. We both live in Tampa and are on amicable terms. My son has been on several cruises with just me but never one with Dad. So early Monday a.m. we met at the bank where our passports are in the safe deposit box and then they were off to the port. Well they get to the port and oops find out that my son's passport is expired by 1 month. So my son is there with no identification (birth certificate is also in the safe deposit box). My son calls while they are standing there checking in to let me know its expired. He says " Dad said stay by the phone in case they wont let me board". I wait patiently in case I need to run his birth certificate down to the port (luckily only about 30 min. away and it was 2 1/2 hours till the ship left) BUT never needed to. My ex called once they boarded. No birth certificate needed or any other documentation. I was stunned they let him board. I've been stewing on this for a few days and called the Port Authority today. I realize this was my fault for not realizing a child's passport isnt valid as long as an adult's but it still irritated me that they let my son board with no I.D. THANK GOD this isnt a kidnapping situation. The Port Authority said they occasionally do allow this if the child and adult arent on "the list". Guessing its some type of at risk for kidnapping list, who knows.

So in the rare case you are in this last minute situation for yourself or your child (passport expired, lost birth certificate) hope isnt completely lost. Still go to the port. I wouldve never thought this was allowed but apparently it isnt that rare. Son called this a.m. and he is having fun in Cozumel :) Glad my error didnt cost him not being able to go.

By the way his father didnt have written person from me to take him either.

 

A birth certificate does not have a photo on it, but yet it is ok. A passport, even expired still proves citizenship on a closed loop cruise. So the expired passport is "better" than the birth certificate. So you son did have ID, just expired. You don't need permission to travel with your kids. All you need is the permission of "one" parent and that one parent was with him. Sounds like he shares custody. The permission note is for non-parents. Such as friend, Grandparents or other relatives etc.

 

Another note is that you do not need a passport to leave the country. You only need it to enter. If you notice, customs agents check you on your return, but who checks it when you leave? The clerk at the counter handing you your boarding card.

 

Go to the airport. They (the ticket clerks) check your passport before giving you a boarding pass, but no custom agent is. The TSA checks it, but not customs. But as soon as you enter a country, you are checked by a boarder control agent of whatever country you are entering.

[misguidedangel]

It is so wrong in every way possible. If I tried to travel to the US with an expired passport I wouldn't even be allowed out of my own cities airport. I need a valid passport that has a minimum of six months left on it if I want to travel to the US. The fact they let your son travel with an expired passport and no form of ID is so wrong. Children here need passports to travel out of Canada, even if the child is only a few months old, a passport is required and most be presented.

 

On the upside, at least the cruise sounds like it is going well!

[dwjoe]

I need a valid passport that has a minimum of six months left on it if I want to travel to the US.

No, you just need a passport that has not expired. The US and Canada do not require six months or three months or any specific amount of time remaining on the passport for each other's citizens. You can stay as a tourist up til the time remaining on the passport.

 

Children here need passports to travel out of Canada, even if the child is only a few months old, a passport is required and most be presented.

Canadian citizen children under 16 years of age can travel by land and sea to the U.S. with just a birth certificate.

Edited June 27, 2014 by dwjoe

[tigercat]

Actually Missguidedangel you only need your passport to be valid for the time that you are in the States. Just had this discussion with my Granddaughter and we looked it up. Now, if you are on a cruise and one of the countries you are visiting requires the 6 months than you will need to make sure it it up to date.

tigercat

[Jana60]

That's both good to hear and a bit concerning. But it sounds like they at least looked into it a bit before allowing them through. Maybe they're just understanding of situations like that with 1-month expired passports. I wouldn't be surprised if this happened to me in the future seeing as how they have 10 year expirations and you tend to forget about them.

 

Kinda thrown off by your last comment though. Is there some reason they'd need written permission? Your ex is his father, right?

 

Normally written permission from the other parent is required for one parent to take a child out of the country since there have been problems with kidnappings by the noncustodial parent. I would be very concerned that they let a child be taken out of the country without permission of both parents.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Forums mobile app

[Illyria]

Normally written permission from the other parent is required for one parent to take a child out of the country since there have been problems with kidnappings by the noncustodial parent. I would be very concerned that they let a child be taken out of the country without permission of both parents.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Forums mobile app

 

It's very bizarre, since Mexico has particularly strict laws about it (a lot of kidnappings). Back about 10 years ago Frontier Airlines wouldn't board my brother on a flight to Puerto Vallarta - my brother was under 18 at the time and traveling with just my mom (because my dad didn't read the paperwork closely enough and didn't realize he had to provide a notarized permission).

 

Maybe cruise terminals are getting more lax about that rule...very odd. Even thought the cruise was round-trip to the U.S., it still entered Mexico.

[ksy8384]

I took my son and daughter on a RCCL cruise and not only did the agent checking us in ask to see the letter or permission from my ex but they made copies of it too. I always make sure to have letters of permission, notarized, for any kids I take with me out of the country. The kids were 14 and 16 at the time. I would rather have it and not need it than be standing on the dock waving the ship bye.

[srjones1]

In regards to the "other parent" note... My wife and I have taken my son and her daughter on two cruises. Me, the wife, and my son have the same last name but my stepdaughter doesn't. My son would easily pass as my wife's child so I didn't bother with a letter from his mom but we had one for my stepdaughter due to the obvious name difference and they didn't bat an eye at either of them. Just a welcome, a glance at birth certificates, a thanks, and a wave on down the line. She and I discussed how disturbing that was considering the things that happen these days.

 

My stepdaughters dad takes her on cruises as well with just him and he says the same thing happens to him.

[topofE]

Normally written permission from the other parent is required for one parent to take a child out of the country since there have been problems with kidnappings by the noncustodial parent. I would be very concerned that they let a child be taken out of the country without permission of both parents.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Forums mobile app

 

It is recommended but not required on a closed loop cruise.