USVI-On-Line

My Brother-in-law and his wife are traveling to STJ in December with their 3 kids. None of them have passports. I know that they are not "required" but is he going to have a problem with getting the kids through the airports in SJU and STT without any picture ID? Easy solution is to get the passports - but they would need 5 passports and $$ is an issue.

I don't have a legal answer, and I would be in the same position. What about having an id card made and using that and a certified birth certificate. I would think that would be better than nothing..Personally, I would just feel better with the passport, but completely understand not wanting to spend the extra $$$~

Unfortunately, we don't issue ID cards in MA to kids under 16. That's why I am worried. How would the airport people know whether the kids are the ones identified on the birth certificates?

We just traveled this past July with BF's 10 year old daughter who did not have a passport or picture ID. He had a certified copy of her birth certificate (must have original or certified copy with stamp). The TSA agents asked her a few questions - what her name was, her date of birth, where she was going, and who she was traveling with. That was it - no problems.

Before our kids had passports we just used the certified birth certificate...the one with the raised seal...with no problems. The security people might ask the kids who they are traveling with, ect. I told them they could talk to my kids, but I wnated to be able to see them at all times. They first tried to take them a bit away from me to talk to them.

Technically they don't need anything - if you state they are your children and the kids say they are, that is it. The Federal Govt. can not forbid you from entering your own country -

That being said, Birth Certificates for the kids should give them (your friends) peace of mind.

Anthony wrote:Technically they don't need anything - if you state they are your children and the kids say they are, that is it. The Federal Govt. can not forbid you from entering your own country -

That being said, Birth Certificates for the kids should give them (your friends) peace of mind.

I am pretty much in the better safe than sorry category, but Anthony is right. I had an incident with my youngest when he was about 19 months old and he didn't have a passport yet. I had his original birth certificate with us, but we had a gate agent tell us "they have been deporting a lot of people lately" ... Of course, my response was where do you deport a US citizen visiting a US territory to?
It was nonsensical.

That said, both kiddos have passports and we travel with them for no other reason than it leaves no room for question.

Thanks for all of your input! The Passport Card seems like a great compromise. I am going to recommend that!

-Dux