Passports: Thank you Glenda...

So, as previously reported- I had sent my passports from Toronto to Houston TX for a Chinese Visa- and somehow on their journey they were lost. Let's see- the overnight Canadian company Puralator handed them off to DHL in the U.S., who proceeded to open them, put them in another envelope, and then put a new address on them to the wrong place- a family in West Virginia. Then, as a result of major layoffs DHL had that week, they handed them straight over to the U.S. Postal Service- Yes you read that right- $60.00 for overnight delivery turned into a regular old piece of mail. And consequently- no one could figure out where the passports were- because the tracking codes had changed so much. That was until I got a call from Glenda. Glenda works in the Houston Texas processing center for the U.S. Postal Service. She said- "honey, tell me your story" and I did, and she informed me she was on the case and would call me later that day. Well, miracles happen- she tracked the passports down- put them in her hot little hand- and made sure they were delivered that day.

All is resolved and we are now back in Europe with visions of attaching our passports to our body with a staple gun. It all worked out but I would say that lady Glenda luck was on my side this time!

Did I really send our passports away.....

We are currently in Canada and have devoted most of the past two weeks to trying to get my 16 month year old under control after so much travel. Just in case you are wondering- it's not really working but anyway-

I have been told that I need to get our visas for China done in the U.S. and since we aren't going to be back in North America again, I thought I would just Fed Ex the application and passports to a service in the U.S. (from Canada) and then they will take care of it, send them back and we would be good to go. We had 15 days to get this done.

WELL- Fed Ex from Canada takes about 5 days and I have been told customs can hold our passports for up to 5 WORKING days to verify them. So- now I am praying big time that they make it back here by the time we are suppose to leave or I will have one grumpy husband on my hands. Yikes. I will keep you posted on this one.

Can we file this under- what not to do??????

Reader Question about travel to Canada and Parent Letter

Melissa wrote the following question to us that I thought may be handy information for others:

I am wondering if you could tell me if I can use a birth certificate to take my baby to Canada by bus and also where I may go to get the letter notarized from the other parent not traveling with us. Thanks, Melissa.

The rules regarding bringing a child to Canada have been a little unclear the past year. I believe that parents now need a passport while babies can get by with a birth certificate but you should check on line with the US passport agency. Check this page for information: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1082.html To get the letter from another parent notarized, you can usually go to places like Mail Boxes Etc. and other places that ship packages . If you can't find something like that near you, you can ask any law office, accounting office, mortgage office, real estate office etc. if they can help. They often will for a small fee. Sometimes there are listings in the phone book yellow pages under Notary. Good luck!

Finally An Answer on Social Security Number for U.S. Passport

One reader left this comment for us about the question we were trying to resolve about whether or not you need a social security number to apply for a U.S. passport. Her answer confirms one point we have been making along the way- it seems the answer is a bit different depending on whether you apply in the U.S. or at an embassy....

I applied for my daughters US passport in February when she was only a few weeks old. I was confused as well and made a few calls as I needed that passport asap and I learned her social security number wouldn't come to us for another few months. But it turned out you do not need a social security number for your baby just fill in zero's. We applied for it in person in San Francisco and got it without any problems the same day. Not sure where you will apply for it, but at the moment I am in the process of getting her an Dutch passport as well. It turns out that 'the rules' are not the same of where you apply. Either in the country it self or at a consulate in another country. It even differs per consulate the paperwork and proof you need. Make contact with the place you are going to go to get the passport to make sure you got the right papers with you when you go in. Hope this helps.

Question from a reader- Do you need a Social Security number for a U.S. passport?

Today I received an email from one reader who mentioned that perhaps you do not need a social security number to get a U.S. childs passport. This question has come up before and the answer is not black and white. I looked on the U.S. State Departments website and although it is not that clear, it does mention 2 items on the general information page- the first is "Your Social Security Number does NOT prove your identity" but then at the bottom of the page, at the very end, it reads: "8. Provide a Social Security Number If you do not provide your Social Security Number, the Internal Revenue Service may impose a $500 penalty. If you have any questions please call your nearest IRS office." But what is not clear is whether that is the parents social security number or the childs. So further investigation is needed.

The strange thing is that you can use the child's passport as proof of identity to get the social security number- so does that mean you don't need the social security number? Is this a chicken and egg thing? I kept looking- the US Embassy for New Zealand lists the social security number as something you must provide to apply for a minors passport. But the U.S. embassy in Japan does not. So next I called a friend here in Spain who just applied for her son's U.S. passport and asked her the question- and she said she applied for them together and they came together. So maybe that is the answer. I looked online at the actual passport application http://travel.state.gov/passport/forms/ds11/ds11_842.html and it does show the social security number clearly needed, right at the beginning. But perhaps if you apply for them both at the same time then they take care of it?

Crazy and confusing so I am looking for other's input. Thanks for the question, anonymous poster and stay tuned....

A baby traveling with only one parent across an international border

These days, it is important to be prepared if you are going to cross an international border (including Canada) with a baby and only one parent. Whether you are a single parent, parent with custody or without, grandparents, or if you are a two parent family but your spouse is not with you- you need to be ready for questions from immigration. To help fight child abductions, customs in many countries are cracking down. To be honest, I have flown to 9 different countries with our daughter (and without my husband) and have not yet been questioned- but I do believe it is very important to be prepared when it does come up. It is simple to be prepared, just have the following paperwork with you:

1) Proper I.D.'s for you and your child. This is obvious, (and there is another post below on how to apply for a baby passport) but keep copies of both of your passports in case you lose one. I have scanned our passports and emailed them to myself so I can print them out from any computer anywhere in the world.

2) A notarized letter from the other parent (or both parents if grandparents are traveling with the children) giving permission for the other to take the child out of the country. It doesn't have to be too formal or lengthy- just something that says: "I, John Smith, father of Baby Smith, do hereby give full permission for my wife, Jane Smith, to travel to Canada with Baby Smith for two weeks from August 15- August 30, 2008. If you should have any questions, please contact me at email XXXX or mobile phone XXXX. " Then just head down to your local Mailboxes Etc. or other closest notary and get it notarized. You can put more information, if you would like, on the letter explaining why you are going but it is not necessary to write something too detailed.

3) Full itinerary and contact info for everywhere you are going. Put it on a spreadsheet or document so you don't have to carry too much paperwork (and email it to yourself in case you lose your copy)

This should take care of traveling internationally with only one parent. Not being prepared can lead to a domino nightmare effect- for example- being stuck in customs and missing a connecting flight which then makes you miss your cruise, etc.

If you have questions or thoughts on traveling internationally with a baby and only one parent- send us a comment or email babyjetsetter@gmail.com

Getting Your Baby a Passport

With all of the craziness going on with passport requirements these days, my advice is this- get your baby a passport as soon as possible. You never know when you will need it and you might as well get the process going. Here is the procedure for those of you from the U.S.-

The first thing you need is a birth certificate and a social security number. Some hospitals are automatically applying for social security numbers. Check with your hospital or plan on a trip to the S.S. office.

Next you will need to get passport photos done. Although many of the U.S. post offices will do this for you these days, I recommend getting passport photos done at a local photo store. Mostly because they are experts at getting a correct photo and they are patient. The employees at the Post office are not prepared to work with you for 45 minutes to get a shot with the baby's eyes open and looking at the camera. Also, get extras- I have found that I need them for other things as well.

Go to the website and fill out the application. Here is the official website and the answers to many of the questions that most people have- http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/minors/minors_834.html

Take the application to your local post office (not all of them are doing passports so check here to see if yours does- http://www.switchboard.com/usps.1355/dir/6_0/index.htm?cid=3034 )
or the local passport office.

If you are in a hurry, you can order a rush passport either thru the official site or using a private expedite service.

Our passport took 3 months to arrive in the mail.

If you have further questions, or comments on getting passports for your baby- send us an email at http://www.blogger.com/babyjetsetter@gmail.com or post a comment here.