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Child's ID


gayoung
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So I am going to be travelling with girlfriend and her son shortly and what kind of ID with her son need to get on and off the ship while in a port? We have our Drivers license which we usually just carry but will we have to bring along his passport for him to get back on the ship?

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A learner’s permit at 15 from most states will work, too. Basically, all states’ driver’s licenses, including learning licenses, that meet the requirements for an airport will work. 

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Your question might better be what ID the child needs to enter the port area, not get back on the ship.

 

Some ports are stricter than others about proof of identity for children being taken out of the country (i.e.; entering the port area to go on board ship).

 

I suggest some type of government issue ID. A school photo ID might do.  Otherwise, check to see if the state of residence will issue an ID through the Motor Vehicle Administration.  

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My daughter does not have the same last name as me and I never bring her birth certificate only her passport.  You need their birth certificate to get the passport so once you have a passport you should never have to show your birth certificate again the passport works in its place.  Usually if you need to bring photo ID off the ship it is for adults not minors.  That being said I recommend taking a photo copy of everyone's passports with you off the ship.

Edited by jlabs03
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17 hours ago, jlabs03 said:

My daughter does not have the same last name as me and I never bring her birth certificate only her passport.  You need their birth certificate to get the passport so once you have a passport you should never have to show your birth certificate again the passport works in its place.  

 

Unfortunately, this is not true.  I'm guessing you have been lucky so far.  When we boarded 3/17 we had to show my daughter's birth certificate.  Her passport was not enough.  You need the birth cert. to get the passport but I'm guessing the passport does not have the parent's name on it so once the passport is obtained they have no way of verifying who is the parent.  We did not know this until we arrived at NYC port and were told we could not board without it.  Luckily I had a digital copy of it on my Google Drive and they accepted that.

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My last name is now different than what is shown on my daughters birth certificate so that would not verify that I am her parent.  NCL recommends traveling with a notarized letter of consent for the minor to travel that includes the other parents signature and a copy of their driver's license attached.  This is also required to enter some countries as well.  I would expect that this would surfice rather than their birth certificate.

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33 minutes ago, jlabs03 said:

My last name is now different than what is shown on my daughters birth certificate so that would not verify that I am her parent.  NCL recommends traveling with a notarized letter of consent for the minor to travel that includes the other parents signature and a copy of their driver's license attached.  This is also required to enter some countries as well.  I would expect that this would surfice rather than their birth certificate.

 

Yup I bet that would work as well!  I was so happy to remember that I had her birth cert. on the Drive because when I spoke to a NCL rep a few weeks before our cruise about needing the notarized letter since I'm her parent I was told I didn't need it which was right but the rep never picked up on the fact that we have different last names!  I can't even imagine what we would've done if this had happened before the digital age!

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I’m just off the Getaway (NYC to Bermuda) with my 10/12 year old great niece and nephew. Thankfully I carried their NEXUS cards with me along with their key cards! Upon return to the ship, I simply handed the guy in customs my picture ID and all three key cards. Because our last names are different, he really gave the kids a grilling about who they were, who I was, what they did while in Bermuda, etc. Both kids were near tears! He said “next time, bring picture ID for the kids”! I promptly whipped out their NEXUS cards, and said “if you told me this at the beginning, I would have given them to you”! He then told me that “every person, no matter the age, needs picture ID”. I don’t know if this is true, but it sure made me not want to return to Bermuda anytime soon! Of course he blamed the “misinformation” on NCL!

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As far as the ship is concerned all they really need is your key card. When they scan your girlfriend's child's card it will show the child's photo along with the adults traveling with them. That way if someone else tries to leave the ship with the child they will not be allowed off the ship, also the child will not be able to get off the ship without the proper escorts.

 

As for embarkation day you will all need to have all the required govt documents for the cruise - as spelled out in the cruise documents. Usually a passport is the easiest ID, followed by the old driver's license and certified birth cert.

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26 minutes ago, NayRN said:

I’m just off the Getaway (NYC to Bermuda) with my 10/12 year old great niece and nephew. Thankfully I carried their NEXUS cards with me along with their key cards! Upon return to the ship, I simply handed the guy in customs my picture ID and all three key cards. Because our last names are different, he really gave the kids a grilling about who they were, who I was, what they did while in Bermuda, etc. Both kids were near tears! He said “next time, bring picture ID for the kids”! I promptly whipped out their NEXUS cards, and said “if you told me this at the beginning, I would have given them to you”! He then told me that “every person, no matter the age, needs picture ID”. I don’t know if this is true, but it sure made me not want to return to Bermuda anytime soon! Of course he blamed the “misinformation” on NCL!

Yes, Bermuda is one of those ports I was referring to in Post 7. 

 

Bermuda has always been strict about checking on children. First time we had the Bermuda grilling was in 1986 when my daughter was three.  

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14 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

Yes, Bermuda is one of those ports I was referring to in Post 7. 

 

Bermuda has always been strict about checking on children. First time we had the Bermuda grilling was in 1986 when my daughter was three.  

I wish I had known that before getting off the ship! Makes me feel better - don’t know why, but it does! Thanks!!

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When my husband was going to take the kids on his own with his mother one time, RC told us that I needed to sign and notarize a letter saying I was aware he was taking the children out of the country. If the parents were divorced (or never married), then the parent would also need a copy of the custody order. 

 

As for the photo ID's, we never needed them when the kids were under 16 but this was on Carnival and RC so it may be different on NCL. I always carried a copy of their passports and birth certs regardless.

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When we fly, I bring son's passport.  When we go out of the country, I bring his passport and birth certificate. His dad and I are married, and we all have the same last name, but "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".  I would always rather have it and not need it than realize too late that I should have brought it.  I just lock everything in the safe when we arrive at our destination.  Although, I might try the digital copy of his birth certificate mentioned above - love that idea!!! 

 

He has had to answer questions from airport personnel and customs and immigration about us, where we are going, what we are doing (or did).  I consider it part of the experience!  He needs to always feel comfortable answering for himself, and the more he is called on to do it, the easier it is.  Fortunately (and very thankfully!!!), when he was small, the agents always made it seem conversational, like they were just interested in his trip!  🙂

 

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Before we adopted my son we just used his passport, obviously different last names. I also brought the letters of guardianship but we were never asked to see them. We needed passport to embark but just ship card in ports.

 

This next trip we are bringing my son's friend. He will have a passport and parental consent signed. Will he need a birth certificate? His parents will not be with us.

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On 4/16/2019 at 7:13 AM, MamaLady76 said:

 

Unfortunately, this is not true.  I'm guessing you have been lucky so far.  When we boarded 3/17 we had to show my daughter's birth certificate.  Her passport was not enough.  You need the birth cert. to get the passport but I'm guessing the passport does not have the parent's name on it so once the passport is obtained they have no way of verifying who is the parent.  We did not know this until we arrived at NYC port and were told we could not board without it.  Luckily I had a digital copy of it on my Google Drive and they accepted that.

For a child under 16 BOTH parents have to go with them to apply for the passport in person. The cruise agent may have asked for the BC but it is not needed. The passport trumps a BC.

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On 4/21/2019 at 11:13 AM, tonit964 said:

For a child under 16 BOTH parents have to go with them to apply for the passport in person. The cruise agent may have asked for the BC but it is not needed. The passport trumps a BC.

 

When thousands of dollars and a pretty awesome trip are at stake I think better safe than sorry.  We were told in very clear terms we would not be boarding the ship in NYC without my daughter's passport.  I went back and forth with the agent a bit since NCL doesn't have that stated on the website (that I could find) but there was no budging her!  Luckily I remembered about the digital copy because taking the train back to Jersey for it would've really sucked!  It may or may not always be asked for but for us when traveling we'll make sure to always have a digital copy from now on.  Also, to get a passport if one parent is unable to go a notarized letter giving approval for the passport will suffice.

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