cherishrwil Posted March 26, 2008 #1 Share Posted March 26, 2008 My husband is deployed and I will be taking my son on a cruise to Mexico this summer with my parents. How do I go about getting a letter saying I have permission to take my son out of the country if my husband is deployed? I will also need to get a passport for my son just in case and will need permission for that as well? I do have POA but have any other military families had to do this and what is the process? TIA! Robyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenSinMA Posted March 28, 2008 #2 Share Posted March 28, 2008 Hi Robyn, My DH is deployed too and I have your same question. I am booked on a Caribbean cruise with my mom & 2 kids, with a stop in Cozumel, and I've heard that Mexico is particularly stringent about children's documentation. I called ArmyOneSource, who referred me to the Department of State, Office of Children's Issues. No one there could give me a definitive answer. The woman just agreed with me that Mexico is very strict, but said "you should be fine" with a copy of the orders and POA. That's not very reassuring to me! We leave in 3 weeks, and I really don't want any problems. :( I just emailed the US Embassy in Mexico City to see what they could tell me. I'll post their response here when I get it. Jen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strike71 Posted March 28, 2008 #3 Share Posted March 28, 2008 My husband is leaving next month and I am going on a cruise with dd and parents in June. THere is a form on the passport website for a parent who will not be present for the passport will fill out. It was very simple...basically he had to sign it in front of a notary. Then you give it when getting the passport. He was here when we did it but if he has access to a notary and can mail it to you... I am confused as to whether I need an additional letter for the cruise?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meatball77 Posted March 30, 2008 #4 Share Posted March 30, 2008 He can go to JAG in theater and get a form filled out for you. Make sure that your FRG leader and or Rear D know your travel itenarary incase of emergency. You always need to make sure that you can be found quickly when your loved one is deployed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherishrwil Posted March 31, 2008 Author #5 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Hey Jen, I would love to know what you find out! Thanks. Robyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JsMom2 Posted April 2, 2008 #6 Share Posted April 2, 2008 I am an active duty single parent, and I travel worldwide with my DD. If you both have passports, you shouldn't have any problems. To be on the safe side, I always keep a copy of my DD's birth certificate in my passport wallet - since we have different last names. To get your child a passport, you'll need to have a notarized letter from your DH saying that you can apply for the passport - he can download the form from the state.gov website and get it notarized at his JAG office. To be on the safe side, he can also get another letter notarized that specifically mentions this trip, and that he has your permission. You probably won't need it, but it's nice to know ahead of time that you are well prepared. Have a great time on your cruise. Hopefully your DH will be home before the next one! Wendy P.S. - Some cruise lines extend military discounts to families who's sponsor is deployed...be sure to check yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherishrwil Posted April 3, 2008 Author #7 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Thanks for the info. Wendy but unfortunately DH is in a very remote place in Iraq and not near a JAG office or a computer for that matter. Hopefully, I will be able to get the passport ok. Robyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JsMom2 Posted April 3, 2008 #8 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Thanks for the info. Wendy but unfortunately DH is in a very remote place in Iraq and not near a JAG office or a computer for that matter. Hopefully, I will be able to get the passport ok. Robyn Robyn, Then I wouldn't worry about getting a letter to take him out of the country, just focus on the passport. Check with the Post Office to see if your POA will allow you to get the passport without your DH's signature. If the answer is "No," is there someone in his chain of command who is not deployed that you can speak with? Because, depending upon his method of re-supply it could be that someone with notary powers can come in with the document and have him sign it. On the occasions that I've been deployed, we've been able to make all kinds of things happen. Good luck! Wendy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherishrwil Posted April 5, 2008 Author #9 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Thanks Wendy, I will see what the Passport office at the Post Office says and if they won't let me do it I will try to go to someone at his command. Robyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcat2u Posted April 15, 2008 #10 Share Posted April 15, 2008 I have a generic letter from my husband stating that I may travel with my children for military or for other purposes by plane, boat or car and may leave and re-enter the United States with my children. It has thier Names, DOB, and SSN on it. I did this during OIF 1 and update it each deployment. My mom lives in Cozumel, I have cruised there and have not been asked for any documentation, however I have once been asked flying back into the states w/my one daughter. My girls have hyphenated names so I don't know if that triggered it. This summer they will be flying solo and I will be giving them notorized statements stating they can fly in/out by themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelitis Posted April 21, 2008 #11 Share Posted April 21, 2008 Here's the phone for the Mexican embassy in the US Phone: (202) 728 1600. You can also call the US State Dept. Mexico is different from many other countries, and having worked check-in for flights to Mexico pre and post 9-11, I can tell you that a passport didn't negate the need for the letter. I've personally denied boarding for this issue. However, laws change, and somewhere in your POA this very issue might be covered. Read all the fine print. Here's what the US State Dept. website says, but it doesn't talk about military deployment. You have an unusual situation, though, and they aren't going to address that on the web. Minors: Mexican law requires that any non-Mexican citizen under the age of 18 departing Mexico must carry notarized written permission from any parent or guardian not traveling with the child to or from Mexico. This permission must include the name of the parent, the name of the child, the name of anyone traveling with the child, and the notarized signature(s) of the absent parent(s). The State Department recommends that the permission should include travel dates, destinations, airlines and a brief summary of the circumstances surrounding the travel. The child must be carrying the original letter – not a facsimile or scanned copy – as well as proof of the parent/child relationship (usually a birth certificate or court document) – and an original custody decree, if applicable. Travelers should contact the Mexican Embassy or closest Mexican Consulate for current information. Here's the reason for their requirements: CHILDREN'S ISSUES: For information on international adoption of children and international parental child abduction, see the Office of Children’s Issues web site. Mexico is the destination country of the greatest number of children abducted from the United States by a parent. A party to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction since 1991, Mexico is not in full compliance with the Convention. Good Luck to all of you!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenSinMA Posted April 29, 2008 #12 Share Posted April 29, 2008 I emailed the American Embassy in Mexico City weeks ago and never got a reply. So maybe calling them is a better method to try to get some answers. I ended up drafting a letter and emailing it to my deployed husband, and he was able to print it out and take it to the JAG office, get it notarized and snail-mail it back to me. I got it 2 days before we left home for Ft. Lauderdale the day before our cruise. Of course, after all that, no one looked at it or even blinked as I entered and exited Mexico with my 2 kids. I like the PP's method of getting a generic letter notarized to cover all possible travel during a spouse's deployment. In all the reams of junk they give us for "family readiness" before a deployment, why don't they include something useful like that? Or at least include language in the POA to cover traveling with children? Arrrgggghh! :mad: Jen S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofcandj Posted May 13, 2008 #13 Share Posted May 13, 2008 I hope you get it all worked out and enjoy your vacation. When mine deployed he had to fight JAG to let him get the POAs he knew I would need. I had a generic one they were having everyone fill out. But then I got one for the kids, basically saying I was the sole parent in his absence and he would agree with all my decisions on vacation, travel, medical, etc. Another one for buying and selling houses and cars, high expensive items. Another for the Finance Office, they were really giving all spouses a hard time at that point. Another one for the Chain of Command in case I needed anything. And I know there was another one. But it was really crazy that I needed all of those just in case. Of course I never needed them, but it made him happy to know I could take care of whatever came up. Before he goes again we will get passports for the children and have to update all the POAs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arrianna83 Posted May 13, 2008 #14 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Passport is always necessary. I think you should get one for your child to avoid also other hastle.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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