Minors identification

[cmhenry79]

Im pretty sure but I want to verify. My children all under 16 will be able to embark and debark with a copy of their birth certificate only? They will not need a photo id?

[cruisinmems]

My grandchildren only use bc, no id.

[cloudninecat]

As long as they are under 18 a BC or Passport will work. 

[Bookbug53]

5 minutes ago, cloudninecat said:

As long as they are under 18 a BC or Passport will work. 

Actually under 16 with just a BC. If older than 16 then a passport or BC and photo ID 

 

"A non-expired government-issued photo I.D. is required of all guests 16 years of age and older"

Edited May 10, 2019 by Bookbug53

[cloudninecat]

5 minutes ago, Bookbug53 said:

Actually under 16 with just a BC. If older than 16 then a passport or BC and photo ID 

 

"A non-expired government-issued photo I.D. is required of all guests 16 years of age and older"

Bookbug53 is correct. I thought my daughter didn't have to have a picture id because she was under 18. It looks like it was because she had a passport not a BC. I checked Carnival's website. 

A non-expired government-issued photo I.D. is required of all guests 16 years of age and older. The following are acceptable:

• Driver's License (a temporary Driver's License with photo is acceptable)
• Driver's Permit
• School/Student I.D. (acceptable for guests 16/17/18 years of age)
• Government-issued identification card (city/state/federal)
• Government-issued Trusted Traveler Program Membership Card (NEXUS/SENTRI/FAST) - for photo identification use only

[Athankfulheart]

Keep in mind that at some ports you will need picture ID plus your ship card to gain access to the ship. Cozumel is one of these ports. If you don't like taking your passports ashore, then you will want a DL or other photo ID for your 16+ companions for this purpose. 

[SadieN]

We got our girls State IDs when they were  single digits.  They've used these all over the world as ID because they do not travel with their DLs, and their passports are in safe keeping.  

[Alh0126]

We had no issue with just birth certificates on our Bahamas cruise (Nassau, Freeport). They asked my 11 yr old some extra questions...her name, how old she was, what state she lives in, what's the capital of the state she lives in....All in all, a super easy process! 

[Athankfulheart]

1 hour ago, SadieN said:

We got our girls State IDs when they were  single digits.  They've used these all over the world as ID because they do not travel with their DLs, and their passports are in safe keeping.  

We have done the same for our eight. No way I would ever travel anywhere out of the country without a government photo ID at all times, especially with the heightened (rightfully) awareness of child trafficking.

[EngineCo52]

8 hours ago, cmhenry79 said:

Im pretty sure but I want to verify. My children all under 16 will be able to embark and debark with a copy of their birth certificate only? They will not need a photo id?

 

depending on your state your children can get photo id's for travel reasons. or you can get them a passport card not the actual booklet which cost much less 

[Squadleader]

As technology is progressing our government is making identification something a normal person cannot ignore. Starting in October 2020, unless you have the new enhanced RealID state drivers license, a drivers license won't be sufficient to board an airline flight anymore. In Virginia, a RealId compliant drivers license has a star in the upper right-hand corner, no star, no boarding flight. If you have a passport you wouldn't have to have a realID drivers license to board a flight, but I don't want to have to carry a passport for domestic air travel.

 

So, in my state, Virginia, even though DMV has had my social number for the last 45 years, I have to prove I have a social security number. I'm self-employed, so I don't have any of the paystub type of documentation they'll accept, and I lost my social security card decades ago, so I had to go to the local social security office with my passport and non-RealID drivers license to have a new social security card sent to me, so DMV will issue a new RealID drivers license to me.

 

The point of the story is to make sure at the very least, you have an original birth certificate (if lost, re-issue from your state's vital statistics dept is considered original too) and social security cards for yourself, and your children, on file at your home. Stress to the kids when you give them this stuff as adults, that it's a real pain in the rear end to replace these things, and to keep them safe. All identification begins with those two documents.

 

My children are of the age where they are getting drivers licenses. It's way more complicated than it was a few years ago. In Virginia, when you apply for a drivers license, you have to check a box to get an enhanced RealID permit, so don't forget to do that. We also have to have two utility bills or other documentation to prove Virginia residency, social security proof, and an original birth certificate.

 

Most of our international travel is cruises, and technically we don't need anything but birth certificates and drivers licenses to go, but the risk is that something goes wrong on the cruise, and for whatever reason, someone has to fly home. Without the passport book, you can't do it.

 

That's why I think the passport cards are a complete waste of time. A passport card will not permit you to fly. You can only fly with the passport book. The only way I think a passport card would be worth getting, was if I did land crossings to Canada or Mexico often enough that the passport card was a convenient way to avoid carrying the passport book instead. The passport card only allows for land crossings.

 

As far as passports go, if a child is 15 or less, it's a child passport and it's only good for five years instead of ten years like an adult passport. A child passport is less expensive, I think $110, as opposed to $145 for an adult.

 

I have a little less heartburn about paying $145 for a ten-year passport, as opposed to the five-year child passport, so I usually don't get the kids passports until they turn 16. I'm playing the odds that nothing happens that will require them to fly off a cruise.

Edited May 11, 2019 by Squadleader

[Doggielover68]

On 5/11/2019 at 11:12 AM, Squadleader said:

That's why I think the passport cards are a complete waste of time. A passport card will not permit you to fly. You can only fly with the passport book. The only way I think a passport card would be worth getting, was if I did land crossings to Canada or Mexico often enough that the passport card was a convenient way to avoid carrying the passport book instead. The passport card only allows for land crossings

I am also a Virginia resident and I do not think a passport card (and a real passport) is a bad thing to have, and here's why. 

 

You are absolutely correct about it being a pain in the rear to replace id documents, also to get a real id compliant license. A passport card is just another form of photo ID that proves your citizenship. I use it for employment paperwork in lieu of taking my passport book, I used it to get my real ID license instead of my passport book, I used it to board cruise ships (with my passport book stored away) so I dont have to carry additional things in my hand when checking in/going through security, I use it for domestic flights, I use it when I need to show a photo id but do not want whoever to see my mailing address, and more. So I have to disagree about it being a waste. I prefer to have as many unique photo ids as possible in case I ever need them. Same goes for my husband who was born out of the country but to US citizens. He does not have a normal birth certificate so his passport is critical. 

 

Anyway, I think any person regardless of age should have a government issued photo id. Having this documentation now will only help your child in the future when it comes time to apply for a driver's license or other reasons.