Question:
My daughter is traveling abroad next week. We just realize that she
doesn't have time to get a US passport. She was born here in the
States. She holds a temporary passport to the country she is going to
visit. Does anybody know if she needs a US passport to get on the
plane in the US airport ?
Answer:
All US citizens are required to have a US passport in their possession
when they enter or leave the USA. I am not certain how this is implemented
but I would be more worried about her getting back into the USA than getting
out.
Short answer: You might not have problems getting on the plane in the
US, but you're more likely to run into trouble when you try to return
to the US. Check with a US immigration lawyer and/or the airline. I
believe it is possible to get a US passport on very short notice in an
emergency (for an additional fee); check with your local post office.
Longer answer:
US law, in general, requires any US citizen to be in possession of a
valid, unexpired US passport before leaving the US and when returning
to the US. Immigration and Nationality Act, sec. 215(b), 8 USC 1185(b);
22 CFR sec. 53.1.
Some exceptions exist (22 CFR sec. 53.2). For example, a child under 12
years of age, who is a citizen both of the US and of the parent's coun-
try, may leave the US and return without a US passport if (1) he/she is
included as a dependent child in the parent's foreign passport, and (2)
other evidence of the child's US citizenship (such as his/her birth cer-
tificate) is available for presentation upon the child's return to the
US. 22 CFR sec. 53.2(f).
I'm not sure if 22 CFR sec. 53.2(f) covers cases where the child has his
or her own individual foreign passport (as opposed to being listed as a
dependent child in a parent's foreign passport). Check with an immigra-
tion lawyer regarding this point.
At one time, the "waiver fee" (doublespeak for a fine) for returning to
the US without a valid US passport (where required) was $100. I under-
stand the amount of this fee was raised to $500 a while ago. So you
probably don't want to violate this rule. :-}
Also, I've been told that some airlines are not willing to accept pas-
sengers for boarding on US-bound flights using the sort of documentation
permitted by 22 CFR sec. 53.2(f). In such a case, the parents have no
choice but to get a US passport for the child -- sometimes on very short
notice. This can cause problems in cases where the other country (e.g.,
India) forbids even children to hold dual citizenship or two passports.
It's my understanding that a US passport can be had in a day or so (for
an extra fee) if one is going to be travelling very soon. Try checking
with your local post office (where you can file a US passport applica-
tion) about this.
No problemo Zing Doo, just have yellow arse bar-coded at a local 7/11, and
she is free to stink up whichever country she pleases, when she poeases, and
she can forgo the paperwork as she need only drop her drawers upon entry
or exit. Good luck, and have lots more chinese babies - we can never get
enough chinamen in this country - someday we hope to be as great as china!
US law requires that a US citizen have a US passport
when leaving and entering the US. Note, there is no
actual passport inspection when leaving the US, but it
is still required that a person be in possession of one.
(Note: The major exeception to this rule is when a
person is travelling solely within the western hemisphere
in which case other proof of US citizenship can be used).
It is quite likely, that with a passport of the country
she is travelling to, she may be able to board the plane.
However, she will need to obtain a US passport in order
to return. If she applies for a US passport at a US
consular office abroad, they will know that she
did not have one when she left the US and they can
impose a fine of several hundred dollars.
Your best course of action is to obtain a US passport
for your daughter. In general, passport offices have
been able to issue passports in the same day or within
one day if you can prove that you need to travel
immediately. Bring your daughter's airline tickets
along with the passport photos and make an application.
Intestinal parasites known as senders of unsolicited commercial email will
have their genitals removed by a rusty kitchen knife without anaesthesia,
be painfully sodomized by a herd of elephants and then slowly tortured to
death. Unlikely survivors will be promptly caught and fed to the lawyers.
I called up the airline and they said if passport is not available,
an original copy of birth certificate will do.
when you get time to pull your head out of your ass please read the
following:
Travel of these foreign hordes to USA is the second largest industry
Travel to America is the third largest employer in this country(I am talking
about the money those foreign hordes are bringing into the country you are
trying to stop).
It brings in about 61 billion dollars
it creates 1 million jobs
Do you understand what that means or you spending all your time inventing
sentences with the word "bar code"
Loss in the hordes coming in 1995 resulted in loss of about 177000 jobs
equal to the sum of all layoffs at general motors, Boeing, Digital
Equipment, McDonnell-Douglas and Bell South Combined.
If Morons like you keep up the good work the current loss in these hordes
might continue, by 2000 America will lose about 370000 jobs & 28.5 billion
in expenditure.
So flea brain just pray that you don't piss them off, no one want to hang
out with a bunch of racists, not even the racists them selves, the music
sucks, the food sucks, guys have no hair, dress badly and the chicks just
don't dig them. should I continue...
Isn't it interesting how people like yourself who start by attacking
foreigners always go on to attacking Americans?
