I will be traveling to Bonaire with my 2 teenage sons in November. Neither has a driver's license. Will a birth certificate and no picture ID be acceptable for entry ? Will I need a letter from my childrens' father allowing them to travel out of the country. Any help or experience in this area would be helpful .

Judy,

I went ahead and paid the price last year and got my children passports. My kids are 11 and 9 and it just made everything a lot easier. Here is a link to the State Department and their travel guidance,

www.travel.state.gov/nethant.html

Just review the entry requirements.

Enjoy your travels.

Pat

Agree with Pat, best bet is get them passports, you've got the time. They're good for 10 years and work as ID's at the airport.

I would also also get the letter from the father, just to be safe. We were required to have one last year in St. Martin, even though no one actually looked at it. To make it even more ironic, he was 17 years 340 days old at that point, but we had our notorized letter.

By the way Pat that is a great link, thanks.

Pat, you should definitely get the letter, and have it notarized, with a raised seal! My fiance and I were forced to de-plane in Houston last year because he didn't have the letter from his daughters' mother. We were enroute to Cozumel. It is definitely better safe than sorry in this instance. Also, the passports will speed you along and are very helpful to have. Good luck!

And, if they are teenagers, they will need a government issued photo ID in any event for access to Bonaire.

Jake

In regard to the notarized letter, a prime corollary to Murphy's law states that 'what you are prepared for doesn't happen' , i.e., a request to show the letter. :–)

Jake, what age is considered a "teenager" on bonaire? 13? Just curious

One minor correction to a note above by Cecil:

US Passports are only valid for 5 years for children 15 and under. (Makes sense, since the photo will quickly become out of date).

dan, i think that they should do the same for adults...my drivers license is over 10 years old, and unfortunately, folks have to do a double take like "are you sure this is you?" so i use my military id now, looks more accurate! LOL!

Cynde,

I'm not sure if there's a hard and fast rule about what age a child has to be before a picture ID needs to be provided with a birth certificate for entry to Bonaire (if that's what you're asking). I suspect there is some leeway, but also believe that if an immigration agent looks at the kid and think the kid is old enough to require a photo ID that they will insist on one.

Jake

Thanks Jake. I know my stepkids have to use their school id when they travel now.

Jake,

I know this is a technicality and one doesn't win arguing with officials but wouldn't there have to be a law or regulation on some book somewhere for Immigration to be able to enforce the need for a picture id? Who on Bonaire would be likely to have the precise info for Judy?

Just looked at the 'Entry Requirements' page on InfoBonaire where a telephone number is given for Immigration on Bonaire which I suspect could supply this info.

Can the need for a picture id and the id age info be added to that page, for all? The Requirements do change in this new era of travel!

Thanks for all the responses, it was helpful to me and I am sure to others traveling with "teenagers". As a precaution, I will do as Pat and Cecil recommend and get them passports. The letter from an estranged father may be more difficult and nearly impossible. It is this that I am most concerned about not having.

I would think that the law that sets the requirement for proof of the 'other' parent's permission would cover letter refusal situations. Maybe that is too logical but maybe worth a telephone call or two.

Judy,
My 13yr. old daughter traveled into Bonaire in April with her 31 yr.old sister and sister's fiance. That's three different people with three different last names on their passports! No questions were asked.
BUT I was prepared and had written an authorization letter, basically for medical emergencies, for my youngest to travel with her sister. As previously stated...best to be prepared.

Maggie and I have been traveling out of the US since she was 3 months old. She has her Dad's surname and is bi racial but no one has ever asked who she was or what relation..never a blink of an eye in any country or island.

I often wonder if I should have a letter sometimes. I think you HAVE to in Mexico tho.

Linda, thanks for relaying that story, it makes me feel better. Glen do you think I need to contact a lawyer to find out how to handle a'letter refusal' from my children's father ? If not a lawyer, then who ? Thanks again for the advice

Judy~
"The letter from the estranged father may be more difficult and nearly impossible"- FORGE HIS SIGNATURE. Have one of your male friends to write the letter...Who will know?

I am not sure where the notarized letter from the absent parent rule comes from. I was hoping to get a feel for how often it is enforced ( or even if it IS really a rule for entry). Jim, it is the notarized part that makes forgery a little more difficult.

The only country I've heard of that requires the notarized letter from the non-traveling parent is Mexico. Bonaire and the US do not require them.

Thank you Linda, that is what I was trying to find out. I appreciate all the very good advice from those experienced travelers. What a great discussion group this is !!