Interracial Adoption & Cruising

[PhoenixDawgCruising]

As for customs issues, as long as you have proper documentation, it won't matter if your kids are striped or polka dot, as long as the documents are there, you're fine.

 

Don't forget, these customes agents see mixed families EVERY DAY!! Especially going through Florida.

Edited April 24, 2014 by PhoenixDawgCruising

[hattack]

If you were cruising in the late 70's, early 80's it would have brought more stares...today, not an issue in the least...have fun.

[Starlight Durban Cruising]

Thanks everyone! Again I'm not worried about other passengers. We are used to stares & comments (both polite & rude). I just wanted to make sure there were no issues with security or customs, etc. Thanks again. We're excited the adoption is now final & we can take them on one of our favorite vacations :-)

 

Congrats on finalization. I am also adopting from foster care and am in limbo with no-cruises-for-now [sad] like you appear to have been pre-finalization. I can't wait to finalize so my lil guy can travel. :)

 

While the US authorities may be more accepting now, I understand your concern as I have read other posts where people say they have been pulled aside in other countries to verify if the kids are "theirs". What with international abductions hitting mainstream news in recent years, I think that other countries authorities can be skittish when they see families that do not all "look" the same. And just because they all have passports with the same last name is no guarantee either - just look at the issue with the Malaysian plane and all the hoo-ha over the 2 passengers who had purchased stolen passports with considerable ease and were on the flight that disappeared!!!

Originally Posted by Elaine5715 View Post

Where they all US adoptions? There are additional documentations for foreign adoptions.

 

if they have birth certificates, why would they need?

For some US adoptions of a foreign-born child it might not even be to do with re-entry into the USA - it could be to do with entry into the other countries during the cruise. As an example, there was a thread a while ago here where the child was born in Ethiopia, adopted in USA, parents had Green card for child (at home) and the foreign passport for the child, and the discussion became very heated over the child's travel documents for a cruise. Issues raised included US documentation being different for some foreign births, visas and entry/exit issues of other countries during the cruise as the child was travelling on a non-US passport, not having the GC on hand at the embarkation, ...

Edited April 24, 2014 by Starlight Durban Cruising
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[Prinycesa07]

I cant help with the documentation aspect but I get it. I'm white, my husband is black and our 2 children are obviously biracial. I get the stares often. My daughter favors me a lot and many people are shocked when they see her daddy so he gets the stares when hes alone with her. We've been on 3 cruises now with the 4 of us and yes, we do get some not very nice stares but those are rare. We get much more friendlier smiles and comments about how beautiful our children are. I love that it is all becoming more mainstream. Anyways, have a great time and you are a wonderful family :)

[jbrezen]

My DH and I are caucasian, we have two bio sons and a daughter adopted from Korea. The first few times we've traveled out of the country, I brought her passport plus adoption decree, but the passport was the only thing they ever asked to see. I now only travel with that and it's never been even commented upon. Enjoy your cruise and congratulations on your family!

[Onessa]

Oh how I wish this was the case. I've been asked for "proof" he was mine when I granted permission to get a sample of spicy cheese at our local Costco ;)

Same thing happened to me and my DD a few years back. But she is my biological DD and is really a "mini me" (was then, not quite as "mini" now!) - same coloring, same very distinctive hair, same goofy big smile. Let's give the sample person the benefit of the doubt and assume he/she asks everyone or at least a random sampling :D

 

I adopted my son from South America, and I am single. He is very tan and I am pink. About half the time we have returned to Miami, we get pulled aside for questions. We travel with U.S. passports, and I always bring my son's C of C, social security card, passport card and a copy of his birth certificate. These have come in handy some of the times when for some reason they want to look beyond the passport. As much as I am glad that they are watching for child smuggling, I would think they would trust their own documents.

 

The last trip a few weeks ago we were pulled by the same customs guy who had pulled us (and interviewed us separately) a few trips ago. This time, he was asking, "Where is his mother?" and what do I mean that he doesn't have one. It was irritating . . . .

A friend of mine's wife abandoned her family when their DDs were infants. He finally tracked her down and got a divorce and she happily relinquished ALL parental rights. So he is their sole parent and carries all of the documents to prove it. He gets stopped constently -- has had problems at the dentist's office once even. I think some people unfortunately cannot get their arms around a male single parent. Sad!

[bus man]

Where they all US adoptions? There are additional documentations for foreign adoptions.

 

I assume you mean that there are complications prior to finalization. Once the adoption is finalized, the child is a U.S. citizen, same as any other. However, I do believe you are correct that if you don't have a passport, then you have to bring other documentation, such as the citizenship decree.

 

My two kids were adopted from South Korea, and my wife and I are white. We have passports for all of us. Yes, we do bring copies of our adoption decrees with us, "just in case," but we've never needed them. About the only thing we've gotten that might be out of the ordinary is that sometimes the TSA agents will directly ask my kids what their names are. I assume this is done as a safeguard to ensure that what they unhesitatingly answer will match what their documents show. I don't know if they do that for other families, or just ours because it's pretty clear that my kids are not biologically related to us, their parents.

 

Other than that, we've had no issues whatsoever.

 

OP, it's probably too late this time, but next time I would go ahead and get passports for all of you. It's just so much easier than having to bring birth certificates and adoption decrees and so on.

Edited May 2, 2014 by bus man

[cyntil8ing]

Once the adoption is finalized, the child is a U.S. citizen, same as any other.

 

I realize this is going off on a tangent, but this is not necessarily true. It depends on if the adoption was finalized in the US or abroad, but more importantly, when this occurred. The law changed significantly about a dozen years ago. There are children (and adults) who have been adopted, the adoption is final, yet they are not US citizens and must go through the naturalization process.

 

My children, one adopted and one not, have been asked to identify who I am. The agent pointed at me and asked my kids "Who's that?" My son answered "Mama" and we were waived on.

[sharktums]

If they have passports, they are never going to be asked for any other docs. That's why you got passports

 

To be fair we were twice asked to show our daughters birth certificate along with her passport in China. These were at major international airports and/or land crossings.

 

I get that it wasn't on a cruise, but countries/agents can ask for a lot of documents even though they aren't supposed to.

[PrettyHazardous]

You should be fine. I'm a social worker and in my state you can take foster kids on cruises due to the court order so in your case you should definitely be fine! Have fun!

 

 

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