Passport question for Caribbean trip
 

My brother and nephew are planning to join us in the Caribbean in March 2008. How much time should they allow to get their passports? My brother is divorced and nephew is still minor, does he need a notarized letter from ex wife to take nephew out of country? Thanks in advance for replies!

Why wait to apply??There are too many stories of people having to cancel trips because of not receiving their passports. Apply NOW!
Yes, he will need a notarized letter to take his son out of the country.

Because of the recent changes in the US Passport requirements the Passport office has been swamped with applications and many first time applicants are experiencing delays that are counted in months rather than weeks. The backlog is easing some but there are still processing delays and there will probably be another "crunch" of applications during late 2007 and early 2008 as more people decide to travel outside the US and learn they need passports. You can check for updated processing information on the US State Department website:

http://travel.state.gov/index.html

The point is, since your brother and nephew know they are going to be leaving the country they shouls apply for their passports as soon as possible to avoid any disappointment and delays.

Regarding your divorced brother travelling with his son whether or not he needs a notarized letter from his ex-wife depends on who is the custodial parent. If he has sole custody, he doesn't need the ex-wife's permission. If they have joint custody or if the ex-wife is the legal custodial parent your brother will need a notarized letter saying he has permission to take the minor child out of the country.

Thanks! I have been imploring him to apply ASAP as we have heard horror stories about people having to cancel their vacation for lack of passpor. They have joint custody of my nephew - will he need notarized letter just to apply for passport (SIL is crazy, don't go there!)

I agree about applying now.
And yes he'll need a notorized letter to take his son out of the country.

Scroll down to #5 for applying for passport for minors:
http://www.travel.state.gov/passport...inors_834.html

My passport expires next summer and we are planning two trips next spring and summer out of the country. I applied yesterday. I figure if I get it by Christmas, I will be set for the new year. Apply today and get the notorized letter for both travel and medical decisions.

Tell them to apply NOW !!!!

my girlfriend just applied friday (13th yikes!) for our nov vacation, she had to expedite it. they told her regular processing is up to 4 months

New regulations will allow anyone applying before Sept 07 to show proof of identification and proof that the passport has been applied for to fly back into the United States. Make sure that you read all of the requirements yourself...

fyi you can get back into the US with the application letter but not all the islands let you on... For example the dominican republic will let you on the island without a passport but with barbados this does not appear to be the case acc. to the government website. so if you pick the right island you do not need the passport. hope this helps. good luck

justme22 is correct. We cannot change the requirements of other countries.
I don't even see the purpose of waiting one more day to apply if you know you will be leaving the US.