What id do I need to bring for 1 year old?

[damaskprint]

DH and I are taking a RC cruise with our 1 year old son. We set sail in two weeks and will be visiting Belize City, Belize and Cozumel, Mexico. I am getting conflicting information regarding what id I need to bring for our 1 year old son to enter Belize and Mexico. The RC guy I spoke with seemed very confused and told me that I needed his birth certificate and a state issued photo id. However, it appears that Pennsylvania (the state where we live) only issues photo id to children 10 and older. The RC guy also stated a passport would be preferable. I can't believe that we would actually need a passport for our one year old to take a cruise and visit Belize and Mexico. Honestly, I didn't even know that they issued passports for 1 year olds.

 

Hopefully, you guys can set me straight. What id will I need for my son?

 

Thanks!

[notsodesperatehousewife]

The state department says the following for Canada/Mexico/Caribbean:

 

U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same port in the U.S.) will be able to enter or depart the country with proof of citizenship, such as a government-issued birth certificate and laminated government issued picture ID, denoting photo, name and date of birth. A U.S. citizen under the age of 16 will be able to present either an original, notorized or certified copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad issues by DOS, or Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

 

Children below the age of 16 do not need a government-issued picture ID.

 

HOWEVER, if something happened (missed the boat, sudden medical emergency), your child would need a passport in order to return to the US by air. You still have time to get an expedited passport, but it will cost you

 

I found mention on a website that Belize and Roatan (Honduras) are also included under the above rules but I would check with the state department or the relevant embassies if you have any doubts.

[cb at sea]

Just the state issued BC! That's all!

 

No passport is required for your cruise. None of the countries you'll visit require a passport for cruise passengers.

Edited February 2, 2015 by cb at sea

[damaskprint]

The state department says the following for Canada/Mexico/Caribbean:

 

U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same port in the U.S.) will be able to enter or depart the country with proof of citizenship, such as a government-issued birth certificate and laminated government issued picture ID, denoting photo, name and date of birth. A U.S. citizen under the age of 16 will be able to present either an original, notorized or certified copy of his or her birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad issues by DOS, or Certificate of Naturalization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

 

Children below the age of 16 do not need a government-issued picture ID.

 

HOWEVER, if something happened (missed the boat, sudden medical emergency), your child would need a passport in order to return to the US by air. You still have time to get an expedited passport, but it will cost you

 

I found mention on a website that Belize and Roatan (Honduras) are also included under the above rules but I would check with the state department or the relevant embassies if you have any doubts.

 

Thanks!

EDIT: I'm sort of embarrassed that I didn't read this prior to posting. I should have done more research

Edited February 2, 2015 by damaskprint

[damaskprint]

Just the state issued BC! That's all!

 

No passport is required for your cruise. None of the countries you'll visit require a passport for cruise passengers.

 

Thanks!

[pl281]

We are traveling with our (will be) 20 month old and we got him a Passport...as the previous posts have said BC should be fine, but you don't want to end up where you are flying home for some reason and have issues.

 

There was a post recently about a family that was on Disney with an 8 month old (booked prior to Disney changing their minimum age) and they ended up getting put off the ship since the little one got sick.

 

It's a nominal cost for the passport and this way if you decide to go somewhere else where you do need it, you have it already

[melsdt]

I got a passport for my son when he was 5 months old. The major difference is that you must renew them every 5 years.

 

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