notarized documents for minors traveling with one parent?

[Talldrink]

I have another question.

Last time I was in DR I spent 20 days, and I ended up paying $20 for each child because according to the Immigration officer tourist cards are only valid for 15 days. I had never heard of this but I had to pay her $40 and leave for my plane. I would have loved to stay around and watch to see if she put that money in her pocket after all.

Has anyone heard of this before?

Everything is changing so much I'm so tired of it. Every time I travel is a different story. You would think that every trip is a first, meanwhile last year I went to DR 5 times...

 

[Dolores1]

I have another question.

Last time I was in DR I spent 20 days, and I ended up paying $20 for each child because according to the Immigration officer tourist cards are only valid for 15 days. I had never heard of this but I had to pay her $40 and leave for my plane. I would have loved to stay around and watch to see if she put that money in her pocket after all.

Has anyone heard of this before?

Everything is changing so much I'm so tired of it. Every time I travel is a different story. You would think that every trip is a first, meanwhile last year I went to DR 5 times...

This is a government requirement that has been in place since the last year of the past President that the new government has maintained as apparently it produces a pretty penny. We include hte information in our travel documentation page.

http://dr1.com/travel/prepare/documentation.shtml

See http://www.dr1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38010&highlight=Migration

 

[Talldrink]

Thanks Dolores.

 

[paradise]

Since we don't live nearby a consulate, we have to mail our documents and pay $75! I think they do it just to make money. This is the only country I have heard of this requirement, DR couldn't have more of a child abduction problem than the other countries in the area. I decided to pay the $75 and send the documents instead of ending up having to bribe someone at the DR airport to let us leave the country.
It is my understanding that since it is a dominican requirement, they only require the paper to leave the country.

 

[Nelly]

My daughter is 11 and has her Dad's last name. (We are divorced.) Her and I travelled from Halifax (Canada) to Puerta Plata in April 2004. We underwent the greatest scrutiny at the Halifax Airport check-in. They wanted to see her passport, the notarized letter of authorization to travel with the one parent, her birth certificate (long form is best as it states the parent's names) and documentation to support our custody arrangements. They reviewed it all in detail. Once in POP, immigration only stamped my daughter's passport and did not ask for any documents. (Just in case, I had translated a copy of the letter to Spanish and had an original signed and notarized.) I would make sure I have everything that they could ask for and then some but the best thing to do is, if you live near the airport that you are leaving from, go there and talk a ticket agent.

 

[rellosk]

My friend was detained and missed her flight b/c she did not have the letter for her daughter. Luckily the father lives in DR so she was able to get on a plane the following day. She did not need the stamp from the consulate, but she had to get it notirized. She had to pay the $100 for both tickets and had to come back with the letter - otherwise she was not leaving the DR with the child.

Since I know my luck, I will get my little stamp at the consulate after all - b/c I KNOW I'll be the first one they will detain if I dont have it...

I had a similar experience. About two years ago I was traveling with my daughter and they asked for proof that I was allowed to take her out of the DR. I showed them a notarized letter from my daughter's mother that authorized me to take her on this trip. They said that the letter meant nothing and that I needed a document from the consulate. Luckily I was able to cajole them into letting us board the plane. This only happened once in over 20 trips. Evidently the airlines are supposed to ask for this document before you leave the US. A similar incident happened once when I landed in the US.

 

[Escott]

I am finding this thread a bit of a worry. My daughter who is 14 is traveling next month here. During the summer she traveled without a problem. My wife put her on the plane in NY and I took her off the plane in Puerto Plata and vice versa.

I will call American Airlines today.

Scott

Just got email back from my wife who just called American Airlines last week and said she needed a gate pass because of a young daughter traveling alone and they said NO PROBLEM.

 

[Talldrink]

Scott, is not the airline that asks, is immigration. Just make sure that you have the letter from the mom and get it notirized. I hope it works out for you guys. Let us know...

 

[Escott]

Well they didn't ask ever. AA made me pay extra money to have my daughter escorted on the plane and off again when she got to NY.

 

[Escott]

New Info...

I just got this email from my wife. WOW what a pain in the arse!

Another thank you to DR1 for the heads up and saving my bacon with my kid and eventually my wife who would have blamed me of course for anything that goes wrong.

> Well guess what? your message board was
> correct!!! I have to go down to
> the Dominican Consulate with Kaela's passport and
> picture to get her a
> permit for you, so she can leave the Dominican
> Republic even if you are
> flying with her! So I need your passport # and
> your address to bring with
> me. I'm going to be in the city on March 11th for
> my birthday, so I'll go
> there then. Please send me that information.
> Apparently this law went
> into effect in November!
>
>
>
> On Wednesday, February 16, 2005 2:27 PM, Scott
> wrote:
> >
> >Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2005 11:27:26 -0800 (PST)
> >From: Scott
> >To: Judy
> >Subject: re: Kaela
> >
> >Ok, just wanted to NOT take chances. Sorry to
> >bother you with it. I read on a message board
> that
> >children traveling alone or with only one parent
> >had to have something certified by the Dominican
> >Consulate. Didnt make sense but figured better
> >safe than sorry for us all.
> >
> >Love,
> >Scott
> >--- Judy
> >
> >> I called the other day to tell them that I
> needed
> >> a gate pass and they
> >> said that wouldn't be a problem. And I had
> >> mentioned that she was
> >> thirteen. But I'll call again. I don't think
> >> there will be problem, even
> >> if I have to pay for her, I have to do it that
> >> morning.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On Wednesday, February 16, 2005 1:19 PM,
> Scott
> >> wrote:
> >> >
> >> >Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2005 10:19:19 -0800 (PST)
> >> >From: Scott
> >> >To: judy
> >> >Subject: Kaela
> >> >
> >> >Please give AA a call to make sure there are
> no
> >> >problems with her flying alone.
> >> >
> >> >Sorry but I just read on a message board that
> >> there
> >> >can be a problem.
> >> >
> >> >Scott

It would have been nice to keep her here though!

 

[la flor]

I have all my documentation ready from the dominican consulate- it is a formal letter, typed in spanish, with all our info, and a picture of my daughter stapled to it. there are 2 copies, and they told me that the original is to be left at the santo domingo airport when I leave. I am very curious to see if they are even giong to ask for it, and I will wait for them to ask for it...
I also spoke to a friend of mine, also going alone with her kids, and I told her about all this documentation stuff, and she told me that liberty travel told her just to get a notarized letter from her ex. then I told her no way, you got to go to the consulate, she didnt believe me until she made the phone calls...p.s. she ended up spending the day going intoNYC to the consulate office with her ex to get it done in one day! then she call liberty travel and blasted them, and they said they never heard of such a thing of having to go before the dominican consulate!

 

[MrMike]

Maybe we should try to create an "incident" and see if we can get the American Embassy involved since they seem to be making it unreasonably difficult for underage US citizens to return to their own countries.

Basically this is a thinly veiled ploy to generate additional income for Dominican Embassies abroad which have been in the news repeatedly because they have such bloated payrolls.

 

[la flor]

update on notarized documents

I just came back from the DR with my daughter, and after all the hassel getting these documents from the consulate ,and the insane $55 US fee for the papers, no one even stopped and asked me for them leave the USA, and no one asked as I left form Santo Domingo! Now what the heck is that about? A way for the goverment to make all this extra money off everyone ,is it just a random choice from the immigration/ customs agents to ask for the documents? well, I will just save the papers for the next trip just in case, and with my luck if I didnt have it with me, thats when they would ask for them!

 

[MrMike]

It's the same with a return ticket, I have travelled to the DR many times over the last 5 years and no one has ever asked me for one, but I understand there is a hefty fine if I don't have it and they do ask.

O well, my residency will be official in about 1 week, so maybe I will have less hassles.

 

[N&D]

HELLO what is going on. I'm a US citizen and I've traveled to Dr with my daughter who is 11 years now with a notorized letter from her father also a US citizen and never got asked for the letter when leaving DR. Now I have a 1 month old son from my current husband who is dominican and is currently in Dr. I came back to the US to give birth and plan to go back to DR when my baby son is able. If I arrive in DR and decide to go back to the US with my son you mean to tell me I have to get a notorized letter from his father even if we are married just to visit my family? What happens to people in my situation that dont have a good relationship with the other parent? Worst case senerio, just horrible to imagine that if me and my husband break up, and are in bad terms and I decide to return to the states I won't be able to take my son with me. cant deal with that

 

[N&D]

passport for newborn

Ok read through the posts no help. My husband is Dominican and is in Dr. I came to the US to give birth and now have a new born son, and need to get a passport for him. How can I get one if in the US you need both parents present to obtain a passport for a child under 14.

 

[Secret]

I had no problems.....

I went down with just a signed and notarized letter from the father. I also called the consulate and talked with 2 different people, and they told me that that was just fine, especially if I had sole physical custody. I took a copy of my divorce decree along with just in case they needed extra proof. And I did not have passports for my children, only had birth certificates with. Had no problems. Hope this helps.

 

[MrMike]

I went down with just a signed and notarized letter from the father. I also called the consulate and talked with 2 different people, and they told me that that was just fine, especially if I had sole physical custody. I took a copy of my divorce decree along with just in case they needed extra proof. And I did not have passports for my children, only had birth certificates with. Had no problems. Hope this helps.

OK, are your kids Dominican or US citizens? Which consulate did you talk to where? Is this coming to or leaving the DR?

 

[oaktown75]

That exactly why you need a letter

The reason for the letter is to protect Both parents and children from possible abduction by either parent or strangers.It has been my experience the last 10 years(after a very bitter divorce) while travelling with my kids,to always have the notorized letter on hand.I find some airlines/immig will request it and others won't.But if they request it and you don't have it,grab your bags and go home as you will not be allowed to enter or leave for your destination.Also should you exhusbands new wife(assuming he remarried) travels with your 11 year old without him,she would require a letter from you as well as him if custody is split.As much as a pain in the backside it is it is one of the better laws on the books and should be enforced at all times.No just spot checked as it is now.

HELLO what is going on. I'm a US citizen and I've traveled to Dr with my daughter who is 11 years now with a notorized letter from her father also a US citizen and never got asked for the letter when leaving DR. Now I have a 1 month old son from my current husband who is dominican and is currently in Dr. I came back to the US to give birth and plan to go back to DR when my baby son is able. If I arrive in DR and decide to go back to the US with my son you mean to tell me I have to get a notorized letter from his father even if we are married just to visit my family? What happens to people in my situation that dont have a good relationship with the other parent? Worst case senerio, just horrible to imagine that if me and my husband break up, and are in bad terms and I decide to return to the states I won't be able to take my son with me. cant deal with that

 

[N&D]

The reason for the letter is to protect Both parents and children from possible abduction by either parent or strangers.It has been my experience the last 10 years(after a very bitter divorce) while travelling with my kids,to always have the notorized letter on hand.I find some airlines/immig will request it and others won't.But if they request it and you don't have it,grab your bags and go home as you will not be allowed to enter or leave for your destination.Also should you exhusbands new wife(assuming he remarried) travels with your 11 year old without him,she would require a letter from you as well as him if custody is split.As much as a pain in the backside it is it is one of the better laws on the books and should be enforced at all times.No just spot checked as it is now.

So in other words, if am in DR and get into an argument with my newborn son's father who is Dominican, I won't be able to leave back to the states if my husband does not sign a notorized letter and either I have to stay in DR or leave my newborn son behind? I understand the reasons for the letters but it kinda bites. thanks