Passport/birth certificates

[cparkerkite]

We will be on the Oasis on 4/2. Stops are Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. My hubby and I have our passports. Our daughter is 5 and we have a certified copy of her birth certificate. We are good document wise for the cruise.

 

Lord forbid we have an emergency and have to exit the ship and fly back from say the Bahamas or St. Maarten, will we have issues with flying with my daughter's documentation seeing as how we will only have the birth certificate?

 

Thanks for any help!

[Gonzo70]

My understanding is you would need to visit the US Embassy or Consulate in whatever country you were in to obtain necessary documents for your daughter to be able to fly back to the US. Obtaining the necessary documentation could be a time consuming process. I believe this applies regardless of age (i.e. even young children cannot fly from a foreign country back to US without a passport). If you think needing to fly home mid-cruise is a realistic possibility (i.e. loved one in poor health) it would be wise to obtain a passport for your daughter prior to the cruise so as not to encounter potential delays and added stress. Hopefully someone will correct me if I am wrong on this, but that is my understanding of how it works.

Edited January 14, 2016 by Gonzo70

[sparks1093]

We will be on the Oasis on 4/2. Stops are Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. My hubby and I have our passports. Our daughter is 5 and we have a certified copy of her birth certificate. We are good document wise for the cruise.

 

Lord forbid we have an emergency and have to exit the ship and fly back from say the Bahamas or St. Maarten, will we have issues with flying with my daughter's documentation seeing as how we will only have the birth certificate?

 

Thanks for any help!

 

You would need to get help from the Consulate and they would need to issue an emergency passport or emergency travel document in order for your daughter to fly home. The odds should be in your favor, but only you can answer the question of whether the small risk is worth it to you. (You would be able to fly home from St Thomas without a passport.)

Edited January 14, 2016 by sparks1093

[cparkerkite]

Thanks so much yall! I think I'll be safe and get the passport! Hopefully I can get it back in time if I order it on a rush.

 

Thanks so much!

 

Carla

[cruisecraze96]

It took only 2 weeks to get the kids their passports last year so if you order now you should be good. Normal is 4 to 6 weeks and your right about there.

[brillohead]

I wouldn't bother paying for a rush. You'll be fine. I got my son a passport and a card and I had the book, the card, and the birth certificate all returned to me in less than three weeks.

 

Check around for passport application acceptance facilities in your area -- my post offices require an appointment, and they're often booked out three weeks in advance. Then I realized that a nearby township office (village hall type) was also an acceptance facility, and they didn't need an appointment and we were able to walk right in.

 

Note that both parents will need to be present, with copies of gov't photo ID (your passports would work great), to get a child's passport -- otherwise, there is another form that has to be notarized, etc.

[cb at sea]

You will NOT be stranded in a foreign country...it may be a bit of hassle, but you WILL get home!