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Passports,
Visas & Birth Certificates PASSPORTS
Important
information to know :
AIR TRAVEL
Implemented on January 23, 2007, ALL PERSONS traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean region are required to present a passport or other valid travel document to enter or re-enter the United States .All other areas of the world also require a passport.
You must have six months validity from day of return left on your passport to travel to most countries.
For additional information please see http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html
NON AIR TRAVEL
When entering either Canada or Mexico from ship or boarder crossing, you will need the following.
Proof of Citizenship:
- All U.S. citizens, including infants and children, entering Mexico, are required to present a VALID passport with 6 months validity left on it from date of return back to the US.
-OR-
(Please note, if you have a passport you will not need the following)
- Certified birth certificate* in good condition (hospital birth certificate is not acceptable), or certificate of naturalization*.
- Passengers (18 years of age and older) are required to present a VALID government-issued photo I.D., along with the birth certificate, certificate of naturalization, voter's registration card, or notarized affidavit of citizenship.
- Married women that have a maiden name must present a marriage certificate. If a woman has been divorced, she must present all divorce degrees and marriage certificates, thus showing how she went from birth name to current name.
IMPORTANT:
Minors: Children under 18 years of age traveling without both parents/legal guardians, must carry a notarized letter of authorization to travel out of the country from each parent/guardian. A notarized birth certificate showing only one parent, a parent's death certificate, or a court order of child custody may also be permissible. Minors should be met by an adult.
- Non-U.S. citizens must contact both the Mexican Consulate AND U.S. Immigrations regarding required documents. For more information please visit: www.travel.state.gov or www.dhs.gov.
Please Be Advised:
Laws and regulations regarding documentation for international travel change frequently, and should be verified each time one travels internationally. Please check with the Country of Destinations Consulate for the most up to date entry requirements.
Important:
Correct travel documents are the traveler's responsibility. Bear Tracks Travel and Paradise Registry assumes no liability for costs incurred or denied boarding as a result of failure to comply with customs and/or immigration requirements. Passengers who are denied boarding for lack of proper travel documentation will forfeit all money paid for unused air seats and any other nonrecoverable costs.
*Passports are by the easiest way to travel the world. For those over 15 years old, the passports will be good for 10 years, for those 15 and under, they will be good for 5 years.
*For most destinations, you must have six months validation
left on it from the time you will return home from your travels.
There are many countries that will refuse your entry if you do
not have six months left on your passport. Make sure to check
the expiration of your passport.
*If you will needing a visa for a country(ies), check with Bear Tracks Travel
to see how many pages you will need to have left in your passport
for the visa. Some countries require that you have 2-3 complete
pages left in your passport. Also, see section on visas below
for additional information.
*Most local City Halls or License bureaus will process passports. Most will do
the special passport photos as well. Call ahead and see if your
locality does passports. You will need your birth certificate
with the state seal on it to apply. (See section on how to obtain
a birth certificate).
*It will generally take 6 weeks to secure a passport. You can put a rush on the
process for an additional fee. Plan ahead.
*For all the information you will need about passports please click the link to www.travel.state.gov
This is an excellent site to get the most updated information on passports. You can even print the applications and do by mail if you wish.
*Make sure to leave a copy of the front page of your passport at home and bring an extra copy with you and keep it separate from your original. If your passport gets lost or stolen while you are away contact the nearest consulate or Embassy.
Also see www.travel.state.gov and check under passports.
VISAS
Traveling
to many countries outside of the United States requires that
you have a visa to do so. Some visas can be secured thru the
countries
Consulate General, other visas have
to be secured using a visa service. Some countries will require
you to have 2-3 pages left
in your passport for the visa.
Most countries require 1-3 passport type photos for the visa.
Bear Tracks Travel is up to date on all visas for all countries and will
help you secure these. Leave plenty
of time to do so.
BIRTH
CERTIFICATES
*All
birth certificate used for travel or to obtain travel documents
(passports, visas, etc), must be the certified
copy from the state you were born
in. It must have a state seal on it.
*You may not use hospital or baptismal certificates. You will be denied
boarding aircraft if try to use these.
*Obtaining birth certificates: Almost
all states have the birth certificates
with the the States Department of Health. You will be able
to
order
copies thru them. Please
note that many states no longer
will take call in or walk ins for birth
certificates. Plan aheadÖ.. Allow plenty of time to secure
your birth certificate.
Also, be ware that there are many sites
on the internet that will order your birth certificates but
they charge a lot of money. They will just be ordering right
thru the health departments to obtain the certificate. Go to
the source and do it yourself and cut out the big charges.
For Minnesota go to www.health.state.mn.us
For Wisconsin go to www.dhfs.state.wi.us/VitalRecords
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Notarized
Letters For Minors
Children under 18 years of age traveling without
both parents/legal guardians, must carry a
notarized letter of authorization to travel
any
where out of the country from each parent/guardian. A notarized birth
certificate showing only one parent, a parent's death certificate, or
a court order of child custody may also be permissible.
If a child does not have this, they will be denied boarding.
Plan ahead...
On the letter please have:
Childs name
Where they will travel to
When they will travel
Permission to leave the country
This must be signed and notarized as stated above.
Sample letter
March 16, 2007
To whom it may concern,
John Smith age 16, will be traveling with the O’Brien family to
Cancun Mexico March 19-26, 2007.
I give him permission to travel at this time and to leave the country.
Sincerely,
Mary Smith
If you have any questions regarding this, please contact us at Bear Tracks
travel 651-429-5244 or info@beartrackstravel.com
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