Cruising with Baby, PLEASE HELP re passport

[WiltonK]

I'm running for idiot of the year, 2010.

 

Anyway, I hastily booked a cruise which leaves next week. Carribean, ROUND TRIP Baltimore.

 

19 month DD is going and I JUST NOW thought about how she does NOT have a passport.

 

I didn't think of it because we took her on a Carib cruise just 7 months ago, and her birth certificate was just fine with immigration. But then as of June 2009, there's new laws requiring Americans to have passports for Carib/Mexico/Western Hemisphere travel. BUT...............

 

The updates gov't website says that "closed loop cruises"...meaning round-trip from the same U.S port does NOT require a passport, but an American Birth Certificate AND gov't I.D

 

Ok DD has notarized birth certificate. but what gov't ID does a baby need?

 

Thanks for any thoughts you can give.

 

Anyone recently take a baby on a Caribbean cruise?????

[cb at sea]

She does NOT need a passport, but she will need her Birth Certificate that has been issued by the STATE...not the hospital!

That's all she needs. Babies have no gov't id...they don't need a picture ID, either.

You don't need a passport to cruise the Caribbean, yet!

[sharktums]

^Exactly, you're fine for now. But use this opportunity to get one now anyway! And heck, I've seen some crazy processing times lately, you never know you may just get the passport in time anyway!

[VEIK]

Priority processing Passport takes about 2 weeks.

We got our pretty fast.

 

Go to the nearest USPS office and apply.

[Bowie MeMe]

Is whole family going? Do you need any permissions forms to travel with child internationally or if both parents going just their ID? My GS got a passport at age 2 months. I am sure he is going to look like "Baby" when he is 5 yo -- he already looks different at age 1. Both parents have to appear to file for passport? Anyway easier to have the stuff with you than to have a need for it later.

[crusinmama06]

Take a breath. ;) You are fine.

 

She doesn't need a passport. She needs a birth certificate. Make sure its a certified copy. She doesn't need a photo ID. No child under age 16 (I think its 16) needs a photo ID.

 

Just so you know, if you need to FLY back into the US, you will have problems. But let's hope you have no emergencies while you are gone.

 

If dad isn't going with you, just as a precaution, get him to sign a quick letter and have it notarized giving you permission to take his child out of the country. I always do, even though we all have the same last names.