Traveling Abroad With Your Child
Tickets? Got ‘em. Hotel? Booked. Luggage? Packed. But wait. It’s no longer just you and hubby flying to that beach vacation points West. Now you’ve got a baby too. It’s not as simple as just packing a separate backpack for Junior’s toys and teething ring. There’s legal paperwork that needs issuing. Cynthia Groomes Katz of The Law Offices Of Cynthia A. Groomes, P.C., Practicing Federal Immigration, Naturalization and Nationality/Citizenship Law Exclusively, (www.groomes.com) notes “Even month-old babies need a passport to travel abroad and return to the United States. And depending on the airline, that child might need his own seat.” Now that you’ve picked yourself up off the floor, here’s more on that surprise tip as well as others to help baby on his first trip.
1. Paperwork. When you apply for your 16-and under child’s passport, both parents/guardians have to give proof of consent. The permission for issuance has to be approved by both parents/guardians and notarized. If you don’t have it, your trip to Paris, France will likely be rerouted to Paris, Texas. Katz notes: “Keep in mind, all applicants under 16 years old must apply in person and the easiest way to show permission for issuance of the passport is for both parents/guardians to accompany the child applicant. If both parents/guardians are not able to attend, contact the U.S. Department of State for instructions and guidance.” Be diligent about planning ahead. If your child has never had a passport, it can take as few as four weeks and as many as 12 weeks to process and receive one.
2. Time. Don’t “wing it.” Build in generous time allowances to complete even the simplest of tasks. Leaving the house when there was just the two of you might have taken only 15 minutes. With a baby, that time could easily quadruple. Don’t take any risks in traveling. If this means you have to leave five hours ahead of your flight time, bite the bullet and do that. You can relax once you check in at the airport.
3. Pediatrician. Visit at least a month before your trip. Inform the pediatrician about your itinerary and ask what immunizations can best protect your child during international travel. Keep in mind that certain preventive vaccinations can only be administered to babies/children of a certain age. Lastly, carry a copy of your child’s immunization records with his passport and other paperwork.
4. Food. Don’t assume that the in-flight meals will contain anything you could feed a baby. Pack food and medications in your carryon. Airlines allow mothers to bring infant formula, breast milk and baby food. To prevent pressure buildup in your tot’s ears, feed him when you take off and land.
5. Globetrotting. Visiting multiple international countries? The paperwork needed to enter, exit and re-enter different foreign countries is not the same. Call ahead of time-even months ahead-to allow for paperwork ordering and processing-to the embassies in the countries you plan to visit to make sure you have the necessary paperwork to travel in and out freely.
Shelley Moench-Kelly, MBA, is a New England-based writer and editor whose freelance clients include Google, L’Oreal Paris and TheWeek.com.
