Do kids under 16 need a passport when travelng with parents with passports? - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Do kids under 16 need a passport when travelng with parents with passports?
We'll I guess I have already asked my question in my title. My boys will be coming with us on the Disney Wonder January10, 2009. Do they need a valid passport? They are under 16. We traveled to the Bahamas last November on an NCL line and they didn't need one. Whats your take on this. Thanks!!
A U.S. citizen under the age of 16 will be able to present either an original or a copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad issued by DOS, or a Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
It is true that children who are U.S. citizens can enter the U.S. by land or sea with only a birth certificate. However, entry to the U.S. by air requires a passport:
(from DHS | Crossing U.S. Borders)
Air Travel
All U.S. citizens including children must present a passport or other approved travel document when entering the United States by air. U.S. citizens can present a passport, NEXUS card at airports with NEXUS kiosks, U.S. military ID with travel orders, or a U.S. Merchant Mariner Document when on official business.
So, if all goes well during the cruise, a birth certificate is fine. However, if there is a crisis which requires flying home from a port, you may have problems without passports. We got passports for our kids just in case -- that way, if the rules change further, we're ready.
Basically, if a passport is required for travel, then it is required for all travellers. So, to travel to Paris (le sigh!), your kids would need passports, whether you're with them and have passports or not.
For those "special" travels such as closed-loop cruises, if a birth certificate is required (in lieu of a passport, as with Disney's Caribbean and Bahama cruises), your kids will need their birth certificate - even if you present passports for yourselves.
For interstate traveling, when ID is required (such as at the TSA check in airports), a government issued ID will suffice and children are rarely required to have one themselves. I have never had it happen to my family, though there are stories of TSA agents asking for ID, so some parents get state IDs, just in case. Of course, that's not what you're asking, but I thought I'd throw it in for good measure!
MelissaL is right...passports aren't required for children, but it's a good idea to have in case something happens and you need to fly back instead of continuing with the cruise.
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Passport rules have only become more complex. In this particluar circumstance (closed-loop cruise to the Caribbean), neither parents nor children need passports, so long as they all have birth certificates, and the adults have government-issued photo ID as well.
The rules are somewhat different for crossing US land borders, different again for "open-loop" cruises (such as Panama Canal repositioning), and still different again for air travel. The only way to be covered completely is to have a passport, and it's best to apply for that passport(s) well ahead of time, so you don't have to pay a premium for an expedited passport application.
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Do kids under 16 need a passport when travelng with parents with passports?
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