NCL and Foreign Exchange Student - Advice?

[sclipere23]

Hi-

Our family of 4 will be cruising with our foreign exchange student in 2015. Can anyone give me advice on what I can do to make this go smoothly for us. I know there is one form on the NCL site that will need to be completed and signed by the birth parents (they are from Spain) but is there anything else I will need to have with me when we board or enter other countries (traveling to Cozumel, Jamaica and Grand Cayman). She has a passport and a J-1 Visa.

Thank you in advance for your help!

[GORDONCHICK]

The only thing I do know is that she will have to clear customs in a different line (the one for non-US citizens) when the ship returns to the US.

[DipBrat]

Hi-

Our family of 4 will be cruising with our foreign exchange student in 2015. Can anyone give me advice on what I can do to make this go smoothly for us. I know there is one form on the NCL site that will need to be completed and signed by the birth parents (they are from Spain) but is there anything else I will need to have with me when we board or enter other countries (traveling to Cozumel, Jamaica and Grand Cayman). She has a passport and a J-1 Visa.

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

Not sure what age you are talking about but if they are young to be safe you could get a notarized letter from the parents.

[sclipere23]

Thanks for the replies. She will be 17 at sailing. I will also get a letter notarized. It doesn't hurt to be prepared.

 

 

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[GeezerCouple]

Thanks for the replies. She will be 17 at sailing. I will also get a letter notarized. It doesn't hurt to be prepared.

 

 

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Make sure that there is a letter from EACH birth parent.

 

You might want to double check with the US Immigration office.

 

Trying to be pro-active to avoid last minute problems would be good.

 

Perhaps a copy of the passport photo (or other photo ID) of the parents WITH the signature matching what is on the notarized form?

And an English translation if the forms are in Spanish?

 

You might also want to ask if one of you (the adults) can clear customs/immigration in the SAME line as the student, as an escort in case of any difficulties, since the student is a minor.

 

In this day and age, with the increasing concern about non-custodial parents literally abducting children from the custodial parent, it is no longer "simply" a case of verifying citizenship, etc.

 

We had a foreign exchange student live with us for a year, and it was a fantastic experience - approximately (gasp!!) 1/2 century ago.

 

However, there weren't any of the same legal/political/international concerns as there are now, so no one blinked when we crossed borders.

(And when I traveled extensively with young children, also long ago, without the other parent, all that was needed were our three passports. Nothing was needed from "the other parent". Things have changed dramatically.)

 

We most recently met up again for a visit in Florence, and the two couples (each of us and our spouses) are planning a cruise together next year, after another entended land visit together :)

I hope you and your 'new family member' have the same long-term relationship!

 

GeezerCouple

[Johnny Bananas]

A J-1 visa is just for the US. Please check with each countries customs and immigration you are stopping at and make sure no addt'l visas are needed from those countries.

Boarding will be denied without the proper visas even if you don't get off of the ship.

[DipBrat]

Thanks for the replies. She will be 17 at sailing. I will also get a letter notarized. It doesn't hurt to be prepared.

 

 

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Extremely unlikely you will need anything for a 17 year old, but of course it won't hurt.

[ClarkBHM]

Check to determine whether the visited country requires a separate Visa from the host student's country. I highly doubt that (for instance) Mexico requires a special visa for visitors from Spain, but a quick search will help prevent future problems.

 

Having been and hosted an exchange student myself, typically the student will be able to enter and exit countries on their own accord, without need for parental approval.

 

Do note that this is different from any requirements that NCL may have for travelling with an unrelated minor.

[Delawarealan]

I took a foreign exchange student on a cruise a few years ago, and he wasn't even in my "custody" (he was living with my son's friend, and they all came on the cruise). We had the Norwegian form notarized by his parents, and also had copies of the parents' government ID (they were from Germany). We also made sure that his visa allowed for multiple entry to the US. We had to get a renewal before he left, as his did not.

 

We did joke that we needed to work on his swimming skills -- we cruised to Bermuda, and he was scheduled to return to Germany the week after the cruise was over. I figured that since were 1/3 of the way across the pond, he could swim to the Azores and his parents could pick him up there.

 

One more thing -- we were able to take him through immigration with us -- we asked the agent nicely, and he just turned on the fingerprint scanner and off we went.

 

Delawarealan

[sclipere23]

Thanks so much again for the information!!!

 

 

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[martincath]

Since it wasn't covered above - no visa requirements for a Spanish citizen in any of those ports. Jamaica is the only port with 'tiered' EU passport status (i.e. some EU countries get different treatment than others), but Spanish citizens are still allowed to stay for 30 days merely with proof of onward transportation.

 

Other than the letter to satisfy NCL, there's a good chance the documents you signed for the exchange program already cover you having temporary custody - at the very least I would hope you have been given authority to make any medical decisions required while the student is in your care. If not, be sure to ask for that to be added to the notarized letter you're arranging.

[sclipere23]

Thanks again. Yes we have been assigned full custody and medical.

 

 

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[Doughboy139]

To be on the safe side, I would call NCL directly and ask them for all the information needed for this...

[NMLady]

To be on the safe side, I would call NCL directly and ask them for all the information needed for this...

 

Cruise line phone reps, including NCL, know very little, if anything, about requirements for non-US citizens.

And it is not NCL agents who do ship check-in but port agents. So NCL answers don't necessarily apply.

Edited July 31, 2014 by NMLady

[Tiggertastic]

the student visa allows her into the US, you need to make sure that they don't need a visa to get into the other places too

 

We are from europe and we've never needed one but when we sail back into the USA we have to show our visa/esta and the homeland securities stamp. Check her visa entitles her to leave the USA and come back again

 

when I recently studied with foreign exchange students, they could not leave the UK unless the university gave them a letter that they had to take to the embassy to get the ok to leave and come back

[Doughboy139]

Cruise line phone reps, including NCL, know very little, if anything, about requirements for non-US citizens.

And it is not NCL agents who do ship check-in but port agents. So NCL answers don't necessarily apply.

 

To say NCL knows very little about this, I disagree with what you are saying....I have a fantastic PCC with NCL and he has always had the answers to questions that I have ever had.....In fact I took my niece on a cruise with her grandmother and had asked him this same question....very knowledgable

[nyc2theworld]

Also I would check with the student exchange organization. The rules and regulations you agreed to may stipulate what type of vacation your exchange student can or cannot go on. They may also be able to help you with the custodial documents as they already have on file forms from their biological family stating that you are their parental guardian during their time in the US.

Edited August 2, 2014 by nyc2theworld