We are going to the Turks and Caicos Islands from Florida. Will my 10 year old son need a passport or do I just need his birth certificate?

Thank you!

As of now all he needs is an original "raised seal" birth certificate but there is talk that the island will soon require everyone to have a Passport 9the same holds true for many of the Caribbean islands - times they are a changing. In this day and age, anyone traveling to/from a foreign country should get a Passport, regardless of their age. It make getting through immigration (both coming and going) so much easier, besides those behind you in line will thank you for speeding things up.

How soon is soon, sunnyboy?

Get in touch with the T and C authorities to make sure. Rules are changing, and why should a US citizen "get away with" a birth certificate, when the rest of the world have to have a up-to-date passport to get into the USA??

(I recently changed my passport, 4 years before expiry date to get the new barcode readable passport. Now the USA is sending out messages of fingerprint ID passport... which will need new passport again)

and my home country is welcoming US citizens without any visas at all!)

How soon Pasports for US citizens will become a requirement in the T&C is up to local government officials. All I can tell is friends who live on the island tell me it's currently under consideration - a decision could be made in the next couple of weeks or it could take months - no one really knows. One thing I can tell you is that once the decision is made it will more than likely take effect almost immediately (things don't happen in the T&C like they do in the US) so you don't want to get caught short. Therefore I highly recommend you get a Passport for your trip (the process is relatively easy and it takes about 2 weeks (quicker if you pay extra to expidite your request.

I have also found that it's much easier and quicker going thru customs when you have a passport.

Hi, my daughter was eleven when we went to Anguilla recently and I also debated whether or not to get her a passport. I did end up getting it and I was extremely glad that I had it. The American representative at LAX commented on how many times they have had to send families home because children have just the passport and no other government issued document with a photo, ie drivers license. It was also much easier coming back through customs having the passport--another appreciative comment from the customs agent. I'm not trying to alarm you, but if you have the time to get one, it is a good thing to have for your child.

Sorry, I meant to say that children just have the birth certificate and no other photo id, so the airlines will not accept them for international destinations--or at least that was the inference of the American counter person. Hope I haven't confused you more.

If a minor child is going to an internation destination that doesn't require a passport, an original or certified copy of their birth certificate is all that's needed. Minors aren't required to have government/federal photo ID. Doesn't matter what the airline employee says, please go by what the state dept. says.

I also agree that kids should have their own passports. But that aside, if you and your son are not also traveling with his father, it's a good idea to bring along a notarized letter with his permission to take son out of the country. I'm not sure that it's REQUIRED, but it can certainly help things along if you have one prepared. My extended family members have been doing this and on only one occasion was a letter of this nature asked for--on a trip to London.

Beg to differ but it DOES matter what an airline employee has to say -- they're the ones who ultimately decide whether you get a boarding pass or not. I have seen gate agents at two different airports turn people away who didn't have passports even tho their Caribbean destinations didn't require them. Guess how many appeals you get at 6:00 a.m.?

For what it is worth regarding the notorized letter without one natural parent along(in my case, 2 teens, step dad and myself traveling together)--please get the notorized letter with permission! Last year St Louis to Bahamas, was asked for it at check in. I asked the agent out of curiousity what would she have done if I did not have it, she replied not let them on the plane until other parent arrived with ID and gave permission(yikes, that means miss the flight). This is a separate issue than a pasport. Maybe one will never be asked for the permission, but I hope this info will help someone in this situation avoid missing their flight.

MaryD,
I deal with travel industry employees every day who do not know the correct answers about rules to various questions; the employee is given wrong information who gives it to someone else. I guess it depends on if know the actual rules or not. I have yet to have been denied boarding when they find I'm a TA and I know exactly what I'm talking about. I have had to call a supervisor before and wouldn't hesitate again. I had to explain once to a supervisor of an major airline what a handwritten ticket was; she thought my client had a phoney ticket. I do not know how an management employee in the airline industry cannot know what that is. It happens.

For what it's worth, I'll be traveling with my daughter,who has a passport, and my niece, who does not. She does, however, have an original birth certificate and a state issued id. This is our first time traveling with her outside of the U.S., but even when traveling inside the U.S., I carry notarized papers from my brother and sister-in-law giving my husband and myself permission to take her where we're going, along with authority to have her treated in the event of a medical emergency. We are authorized to act as her legal guardians while she is with us. Better safe than sorry.