Passports for my 2 & 3 YO?

[FLCruiseFan]

I'm pretty sure I am ok with a birth certificate for the 2&3 Year old kids on my next cruise in lieu of a passport but just wanted to check with you all to see if anyone can verify this?

4 day to Mexico...

[Sue L]

yes as long as they are US citizens and you are leaving and returning to the SAME US port

[jerin]

As long as you're starting and ending at the same US port, their birth certificates are all that are required.

[mechcc]

If starting and returning from the same port and nothing happens on your cruise that causes an interruption to your cruise. By that I mean a medical emergency, either minor or major, where you are medically evacuated or need medical treatment on shore at a foreign port.

 

On the other hand, they are expensive and are only good for 5 years. It's a risk situation only you can evaluate.

[taxiang]

 

On the other hand, they are expensive and are only good for 5 years. It's a risk situation only you can evaluate.

 

 

5 years or 10 years?

[crookedhalo]

Under 16 years old the passports are only good for 5 years, and they don't give you much (if any) break on the price:(

[Babyberger]

5 years or 10 years?

 

Childrens passports are only good for 5 years, unlike those fore adults which are good for 10.

[RZ3]

Our two, currently 8 and 3, both have them. DD is on her second.

 

As others said, you can sail without them on a closed loop cruise from the US, but if anything happens requiring a change in plans that would require you to fly back, you will face a lot of bureaucratic red tape before being able to fly. For me, it's worth the price for the peace of mind to have them.

[Stevesan]

The U.S. State Department is your best source for queries about international travel:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/travel_1744.html

[chessbriar]

You can look into the passport cards as well. They are far less expensive.

[Mack2]

I have an 11, 8, and 6 year old... they all have expired passports from when they were all around 12months to 18 months. The passports are kinda funny, and I think they're cute momentos of how much we've traveled with them when they were infants (my daughter's passport was the youngest passport we ever had, just recently expired, but Customs officials got a kick out of her infant picture, and her 6 year old self)

 

Really, we got them for piece of mind. They're more durable and people ask fewer questions and scrutinize them less than a notarized birth certificate

 

Every year, we try to make a trip or two with them, and whether it's a drive up to Canada to visit family, a cruise in the Caribbean, or just a flight to California to do an exhausting trip doing Disneyland, California Adventures, Legoland, San Diego Zoo, Sea World, and La Jolla (in a week)... it's just convenient to have along with us.

 

I want to make a joke about Arizona, passports, and children.... but I don't want to offend anyone (and I'm with the 2/3s :p)

[Sue L]

You can look into the passport cards as well. They are far less expensive.

 

You can't fly with it either so no better then using a birth certificate.

[Don Pedro]

You can look into the passport cards as well. They are far less expensive.

 

True, they are somewhat less expensive, but they are designed for people making land border crossings. They will be of little good if one has to return to the USA by air.

[FLCruiseFan]

Thanks everyone for the replies...I would like to get the passports but dont think I have enough time. We leave in 76 days...

[John Henry on CC]

Thanks everyone for the replies...I would like to get the passports but dont think I have enough time. We leave in 76 days...

Average reported wait lately has been four weeks or less.

[Ella2]

Agreed. You have PLENTY of time to get them if you really want to. My daughter got hers within three weeks. Costco (if you have one nearby) does passport photos for $5, and they are instant. Get an appointment at a post office that offers passport services. Download the forms online and bring them with you, already completed. It's really not a horrendous process. You would just need to get the ball rolling now.

[BethV114]

I'm pretty sure I am ok with a birth certificate for the 2&3 Year old kids on my next cruise in lieu of a passport but just wanted to check with you all to see if anyone can verify this?

4 day to Mexico...

 

Why not get a passport? We're taking DD on Allure in December and she'll be 15 months old at the time. We're stopping at Labadee, Costa Maya and Cozumel. Although we *probably* could get away with using her birth certificate, we went ahead and applied for a passport for her, just to be safe. We also paid the $10 extra to get the passport card. That way, we can leave our passport books in the cabin safe and take DD's passport card along with our driver's licenses so that we all have some form of photo ID. I'd rather be over prepared than under prepared when traveling abroad!

 

And 76 days should be plenty of time if you get working on it now. The average turnaround time is 4-6 weeks and they ask you on the application when you're going away. If it doesn't look like you'll get them in time, you can always call them and tell them you need them on a certain date and they will usually try to help you out.

[Hebejeebe]

Why not get a passport? We're taking DD on Allure in December and she'll be 15 months old at the time. We're stopping at Labadee, Costa Maya and Cozumel. Although we *probably* could get away with using her birth certificate, we went ahead and applied for a passport for her, just to be safe. We also paid the $10 extra to get the passport card. That way, we can leave our passport books in the cabin safe and take DD's passport card along with our driver's licenses so that we all have some form of photo ID. I'd rather be over prepared than under prepared when traveling abroad!

 

And 76 days should be plenty of time if you get working on it now. The average turnaround time is 4-6 weeks and they ask you on the application when you're going away. If it doesn't look like you'll get them in time, you can always call them and tell them you need them on a certain date and they will usually try to help you out.

 

76 days is not a lot of time for a new passport. Yes, the average time is less than that but I've had to wait considerably longer. You can call up the State Dept and they'll charge you an extra $60 per passport to speed it up. As other posters have said you do not "need" the passport for a closed loop cruise beginning and ending at the same US port.

 

Being "over prepared" comes at a cost. Sure you may want to pay the extra money for one child but it adds up if you are paying for an entire family. Remember - all of the this preparation is just so that you can get back into the US. Your ports of call don't care. You have your cruise card and the locals just want you to spend money and get back onto your ship at the end of the day.