Birth certificate/Adoption papers-HELP!

[KariB]

I am doing a Western Caribbean cruise on Princess next week. My son who is now 10 was born overseas (Spain) on a military base; my husband adopted him soon after we got married. I do not have my son’s original birth certificate from Spain. I have an expired US Passport with his old name and the original adoption paper issued by the court after the adoption. Will these two items work for identification on the ship and any ports (Ocho Rios, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman)?

Thank you in advance for any input you can offer.

Kari

[chinadoll]

Kari, does your son have a social security card? this is really sticky and no time much to do anything. if you are where you can you might walk his passport through customs yourself. you can do this in New Orleans. i don't know where you are located. i would call the cruise line and see what they say. they may not ask for proof of citizenship for your son since he is with you. but you can never tell. good luck. hope everything works out.

[chinadoll]

Kari, does your son have a social security card? this is really sticky and no time much to do anything. if you are where you can you might walk his passport through customs yourself. you can do this in New Orleans. i don't know where you are located. i would call the cruise line and see what they say. they may not ask for proof of citizenship for your son since he is with you. but you can never tell. good luck. hope everything works out.

[DetectiveMom]

I am doing a Western Caribbean cruise on Princess next week. My son who is now 10 was born overseas (Spain) on a military base; my husband adopted him soon after we got married. I do not have my son’s original birth certificate from Spain. I have an expired US Passport with his old name and the original adoption paper issued by the court after the adoption. Will these two items work for identification on the ship and any ports (Ocho Rios, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman)?

Thank you in advance for any input you can offer.

Kari

 

You would need at least a certified copy of his birth certificate and custody/adoption papers. You need to prove at least he is your child.

 

I just applied for my 9 yr old son's passport and I had certified copies of his birth certificate, custody papers and name change.

 

To be honest, you didn't think about this when you booked his passage? How have you gotten him enrolled in school without certified copies of birth certificates?

[DetectiveMom]

Kari, does your son have a social security card? this is really sticky and no time much to do anything. if you are where you can you might walk his passport through customs yourself. you can do this in New Orleans. i don't know where you are located. i would call the cruise line and see what they say. they may not ask for proof of citizenship for your son since he is with you. but you can never tell. good luck. hope everything works out.

 

She won't be able to obtain a passport without a copy of a certified birth certificate, even if she has his expired passport. So the passport is a moot point...she needs the certified birth certificate.

[kitty9]

You waited too long to take care of this. His expired passport won't work as you will need proof of birth along with his adoption papers. Plus, if his passport is more than 6 months expired, it isn't useful for ID. You need the birth certificate and the adoption papers. Since your cruise is stopping in Mexico, they are much more strict with things like this. Many non-custodial parents "kidnap" their kids and try and take them to Mexico to hide, so any cruise that stops in Mexico has much tougher rules. Plus, if it's a Spanish passport and not a US passport, that opens up another set of probems.

[DetectiveMom]

You waited too long to take care of this. His expired passport won't work as you will need proof of birth along with his adoption papers. Plus, if his passport is more than 6 months expired, it isn't useful for ID. You need the birth certificate and the adoption papers. Since your cruise is stopping in Mexico, they are much more strict with things like this. Many non-custodial parents "kidnap" their kids and try and take them to Mexico to hide, so any cruise that stops in Mexico has much tougher rules. Plus, if it's a Spanish passport and not a US passport, that opens up another set of probems.

 

For the life of me, I can't figure out why a person would not handle this months beforehand.

 

What is even scarier is that she doesn't even have a copy of his birth certificate. :eek:

[KariB]

Thanks for all the helpful advice! I went to Denver where my son's old passport proved his citizenship and the adoption papers served as proof of his name. I have always used his adoption papers for everything and it has worked just fine until now. When my parents gave me a cruise and airfare for a gift they had no idea that my son would have such an ordeal due to the fact he was born overseas.

Kari

[DetectiveMom]

Thanks for all the helpful advice! I went to Denver where my son's old passport proved his citizenship and the adoption papers served as proof of his name. I have always used his adoption papers for everything and it has worked just fine until now. When my parents gave me a cruise and airfare for a gift they had no idea that my son would have such an ordeal due to the fact he was born overseas.

Kari

 

Good luck Kari...I hope it works out for you.

[tjaker11]

Good Luck Kari!

 

Hope you are able to fly & sail

[cmacf1]

Kari -- I'm so happy that you were able to get a passport (or will get one before you leave for your cruise.) Now you can relax and get ready for your trip. Have a great time!