Does our 16 yr old need a passport

[plunker]

We have been on 5 princess cruises with our kids and have always taken their birth certificate and social security card. Our son turns 16 this month and we are going on the Caribbean princess aug 25th. Does he need a passport now? I called princess but they were no help.

Thanks

[neverbeenhere]

FROM U.S. PASSPORT SERVICE GUIDE

 

 

 

Most American citizens or non-citizen nationals with plans to travel abroad need a passport. There are a few exceptions for special groups such as minors under age 16 traveling to Canada by land or sea.

 

U.S. citizens are not required to present passports to travel from one state to another, to U.S. territories, within the border zone of Mexico or on closed-loop cruises. However, if you are an American citizen, you will need this travel document now more than ever. A passport was always needed in order to fly to Europe or Asia or beyond. Now you also need a passport to fly to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. It used to be that to travel to and return from Canada, Mexico or most of the Islands of the Caribbean, all you needed were your birth certificate and proof of identity such as a valid driver's license. September 11, 2001 changed all that.

[Potstech]

Why take the chance. Go ahead and get him one and then he will have it for later trips.

[voljeep]

exactly - 100 bucks or so, and will get him to 26...thru college if that is his career path ( our son 'studied' in Europe for a month ) and thru the first few years after that..:cool:

[caa]

For U.S. citizens on a closed loop cruise departing from the U.S.:

- passengers age 16 and over need either a birth certificate and government issued photo ID, or a passport

- passengers under 16 need either a birth certificate or passport

 

So, if your son now has a drivers license or state ID, he could use that with his birth certificate. Nobody needs a social security card. Don't bring those on vacation with you.

[riffatsea]

You should never take a SS card out of your home!

It is not ID. Doesn't he have a picture ID from school?

No one is required to have a passport if you are on a closed loop cruise starting and ending in the USA. IF you are traveling outside of the USA to catch your cruise then of course everyone needs a passport at any age!

[Id rather be diving]

exactly - 100 bucks or so, and will get him to 26...thru college if that is his career path ( our son 'studied' in Europe for a month ) and thru the first few years after that..:cool:

 

I think passports for under 18 are valid for 5 years not 10.

[voljeep]

Per Travel .. State.. Gov

 

Applicants Age 16 and 17

 

 

Most applicants age 16-17 must apply in person using Form DS-11.

If you are eligible to Renew a Passport by Mail, you can use Form DS-82.

Passports for applicants 16 and older are valid for 10 years.

[moki'smommy]

I think passports for under 18 are valid for 5 years not 10.

Wrong. Per the US State Department web site, passports issued to people under age 16 are usually good for 5 years. Passports issued to people age 16 and over are good for 10 years.

 

And I agree--getting a passport now will get him thru college and grad school. It acts as a great form of ID in some situations. No, it isn't needed for a Caribbean cruise, but chances are it will be needed at some point in the next 10 years!

[weedpindle]

And if something happens and he needs air evac back to the US, without a passport it will not happen.

[Cruise2End]

We have been on 5 princess cruises with our kids and have always taken their birth certificate and social security card. Our son turns 16 this month and we are going on the Caribbean princess aug 25th. Does he need a passport now? I called princess but they were no help.

Thanks

 

Trust me, just go ahead and get the passport. My son at age 16 was an exchange student in Tokyo for his junior year in high school. He obtained his first passport then. He will be 40 soon - has been to dozens of countries, has lived in Korea, China and Japan, and is actually applying for permanent residency in Japan now. My other younger son in the military has been to over 30 countries. The younger generation believes in traveling so it’s just as well to get prepared. ;)

[villauk]

Wrong. Per the US State Department web site' date=' passports issued to people under age 16 are usually good for 5 years. Passports issued to people age 16 and over are good for 10 years.

[/quote']

 

This is the same in the U.K. Our kids have had their own passports since they were around 3 years old. It’s great now as the eldest was able to have a 10 year passport when we renewed the last time. They obviously alter greatly when they are younger (facially), hence them only lasting for 5 years at a time.

 

I’d find it really strange them not having their own passport. Well, for starters, we’d never have been able to visit all the places we have up to now :D.

[moki'smommy]

And if something happens and he needs air evac back to the US, without a passport it will not happen.

This is not true either. If he needs an emergency evac from the ship back to the US, it will happen but there are procedures that will need to be completed after his arrival. If he is stabilized in a hospital in another country and needs re-patriation to the US, there are procedures that will be completed at a US Embassy or Consulate to obtain an emergency passport and then it will be exchanged for a standard passport on arrival back in the US. In other words, he or someone on his behalf will have a pain in the neck bit of bureaucracy to deal with. He will not be denied needed medical care or emergency transport back to the US due to lack of a passport. It is just much easier to have it.

 

He will be denied the ability to return to the US when medically stable (for instance, after hospitalization on an island) until he has jumped thru the hoops there.

[DrivesLikeMario]

I think passports for under 18 are valid for 5 years not 10.

The cut off is age 16, not 18. If the OP's son gets a passport at 16, it will be good until he's 26. It's well worth the investment.

[moki'smommy]

That's what she said.

[hm9912]

We have been on 5 princess cruises with our kids and have always taken their birth certificate and social security card. Our son turns 16 this month and we are going on the Caribbean princess aug 25th. Does he need a passport now? I called princess but they were no help.

Thanks

 

Our three under six grandchildren all have passports.

My advice is to obtain them for the kids

 

Howard

[EV2008]

why is it always such a big to do about a Passport, there is so much freedom having one, my children have had a passport since they were 1 year old

[TheRabbit]

exactly - 100 bucks or so, and will get him to 26...thru college if that is his career path ( our son 'studied' in Europe for a month ) and thru the first few years after that..:cool:

It might be $120 and will only get him to 18. At 18 he can get a 10 year passport as an adult.

[TheRabbit]

It might be $120 and will only get him to 18. At 18 he can get a 10 year passport as an adult.

Oops,

I stand corrected. Decided to do a check and did find this on the state department,s site "Passports for applicants 16 and older are valid for 10 years.".

 

Spend the extra 20 and get him the ID card also. Great to have should one loose or have a passport stolen.

[moki'smommy]

Oops,

I stand corrected. Decided to do a check and did find this on the state department,s site "Passports for applicants 16 and older are valid for 10 years.".

 

Spend the extra 20 and get him the ID card also. Great to have should one loose or have a passport stolen.

It is virtually impossible to loose a passport; they are very well bound. You could, however, lose one. A photo of the ID page is very useful if you need to have it replaced. I send it to my e-mail, so it is both on my phone and in a form that I can access from any computer.

 

Thank you for your correction--I was about to type that you were wrong!

[TheRabbit]

It is virtually impossible to loose a passport; they are very well bound. You could' date=' however, lose one. A photo of the ID page is very useful if you need to have it replaced. I send it to my e-mail, so it is both on my phone and in a form that I can access from any computer.

 

Thank you for your correction--I was about to type that you were wrong![/quote']

LOL, my fingers are quite FAT! Thought I had better do some fact checking. Glad I did. However, the fingers are still FAT!:eek:

[piescruises]

are you on a cruise that departs and arrives from a u.s port than he doesn't need passport but if it is going to/from other countries he needs it.

[eagletwo]

This is not true either. If he needs an emergency evac from the ship back to the US' date=' it will happen but there are procedures that will need to be completed after his arrival. If he is stabilized in a hospital in another country and needs re-patriation to the US, there are procedures that will be completed at a US Embassy or Consulate to obtain an emergency passport and then it will be exchanged for a standard passport on arrival back in the US. In other words, he or someone on his behalf will have a pain in the neck bit of bureaucracy to deal with. He will not be denied needed medical care or emergency transport back to the US due to lack of a passport. It is just much easier to have it.

 

He will be denied the ability to return to the US when medically stable (for instance, after hospitalization on an island) until he has jumped thru the hoops there.[/quote']

 

You must know something about emergency flights that I have missed. Our company operates an 8 passenger Citation V for Charter with authorization to operate in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. We can not transport any passengers from a foreign country without a valid Passport. The passenger information is transmitted to US Customs before scheduled departure. No Passport, no approval to depart. In addition, the arrival Port of Entry must grant landing rights. If they don't see the electronic ok for the flight, they will deny landing rights. Bad situation to deal with it someone is in critical condition.

[moki'smommy]

You must know something about emergency flights that I have missed. Our company operates an 8 passenger Citation V for Charter with authorization to operate in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. We can not transport any passengers from a foreign country without a valid Passport. The passenger information is transmitted to US Customs before scheduled departure. No Passport, no approval to depart. In addition, the arrival Port of Entry must grant landing rights. If they don't see the electronic ok for the flight, they will deny landing rights. Bad situation to deal with it someone is in critical condition.

You basically hit it with "from a foreign country." If they are on land in a foreign country, they can obtain medical care at an appropriate location nearer than in the US. We can argue for weeks over whether the care is of the same quality as in the US; that might depend totally on the location!

 

For a USCG transfer from a ship to the US, a passport is not needed, although it will speed the process. A US citizen will not be denied emergency transfer for lack of a passport. The proof of citizenship issues will be dealt with at the arrival point. This is only because the ship has already decided that the person cannot get the care that is required on the ship and that transfer to the US is the most appropriate way to obtain the needed care.

 

As to experience, I spent 18 years as the receiving (stateside) doc in emergency medical situations in my subspecialty. We'd get transfers by fixed wing, helicopter, and ground. In fairness though, I don't believe that I ever got a fixed wing emergency transfer from a foreign country. Part of the decision process was always whether it was better for the patient to obtain care where they were or to transfer. As you know, transfer has its own inherent issues.

 

For someone who has received care in a foreign country after being taken off a ship, there are emergency re-patriation procedures for those without a passport. At the time these are needed, the patient is typically stable and able to spend the extra 2-3 days that might be need to obtain the emergency passport.

 

It is FAR easier to travel with a passport than to deal with the issues of not having one.

Edited July 6, 2018 by moki'smommy

[caribill]

exactly - 100 bucks or so, and will get him to 26...thru college if that is his career path ( our son 'studied' in Europe for a month ) and thru the first few years after that..:cool:

 

$145. Still worth it.