[snc2007]

I'm planning a trip for March and I wanted to book the flights now. I'm not sure what info/id I need to book a seat & fly with our fd. We won't be leaving the US. Hopefully she will be adopted by then but it's not a guarantee. I thought maybe some of you have been in the situation before...

[bethy724]

You don't need anything for a minor child to book a flight-just name & b-day.

Ask the cw in writing for permission to take the child wherever your going-give dates, address & phone #. Get the response (in writing)-I think they just ask a supervisor or the judge if they have a hearing coming up. I travelled all the time when my son was in foster care & would get letters either fromt he judge or cw. The letter is good proof of ID for the child if you are a different race - I've been questioned when travelling w/ my son-I didn't have the birth certificate at the time.

Good luck & it is great that you are planning so far in advance - I've waited up to a month for a reply.

[Vitality08]

You don't need anything to book a flight for a foster child besides their name and birthday. No one at the airport is going to verify if the child is supposed to be with you or ask for any documentation that you are their foster child. Depending on the age of the child they won't even need I.D. fly. I'd take the birth certificate with me just to have on hand but if you aren't leaving the country, no questions will be asked.

I flew with my two very Vietnamese foster daughters and I'm very much NOT Vietnamese and no questions were asked.

[fredalina]

This is a different situation obviously but when i was a Big Sister with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, my "little" won a trip for us and her brother to go to California. Their grandmother (legal guardian) had to write a letter granting permission for me to take the children across state lines, and i needed their birth certificates. i remember the person checking us in did ask for their birth certificates and proof that i was allowed to take them out of state. They are AA and i am primarily (and appear) caucasian.

We didn't book the flights personally, though.

[mommytoEli]

if your fd is under 2 and is getting a special fare or will be flying on your lap, you will need a shot record or other form of id that will serve as a proof of age. otherwise, it is wise to carry with you proof that you are the foster parent and are allowed to travel with her on this trip. it will be an official looking document, most likely signed by a judge, that you will need to ask your social worker about. no one has ever asked me for it, but i wouldn't ever want to be caught without it. have fun on your trip!

[OakShannon]

We are traveling this month with our (soon to be adopted but not quite yet) son. We had to get something called an ex-parte. We gave our dates and flight info to the social worker along with the name and address of the person we'll be staying with. She got permission from the court for us to travel. They needed 30 days notice to make sure they got the ex-parte in time. We'll bring that form with us just in case someone asks questions, but I doubt they will. We didn't need that to buy the tickets though. Just to take him out of the state.

[Singlemom619]

I just flew with my foster son that's a completely different race than me - NO ONE Said a thing to us. Didn't ask for paperwork, who he was, name, ID, or anything for him.

I showed MY ID and that was it. I think one person said hi and asked which name was his (the tickets had his name and my other sons) but I think she was doing it to be friendly and not even checking anything.

[Boulderbabe]

It's a little more complicated than traveling with your own minor child. First of all, if she's still in the custody of CPS, you're going to need a court order in order for her to cross state lines. Let your SW know as soon as you can, so she can prepare a motion for the court to sign. You also need to find out if her Medicaid coverage is valid out of state. Here in Colorado, a kid on Medicaid who is not within the state lines is not covered. If, God Forbid, you were in an accident, you'd want to make sure you have health coverage. So if your state Medicaid doesn't cover her, you'll want to buy her a vacation insurance policy. Try AAA---they usually have cheap ones.

Good luck! Hope you have a great trip!

[Newshyde]

You've gotten some good answers. I'll just add my own experience.
I flew with my former FS last summer. He was under 2 and sat on my lap so I had to have his birth certificate when we got the tickets, but that was all as far as the plane was concerned. (He was almost 2 and looked almost 3 so I really had to prove he was under 2.) The lady at the front wondered about the very big difference between our names and noticed that his first named rhymed with my last name. I told her he was a foster child and she got really excited because she was a former foster parent who had adopted her kids through foster care, so it was kinda funny.
I talked to the CW about it before I booked the flight and she verbally oked it after talking to her supervisor. Once I had the tickets and knew exactly when we were leaving and coming back, she had the letter written up that allowed me to take him out of state. Nobody ever wanted to look at it, but I was glad I had it.
I'm taking both my current fosters out of state for Christmas. Same thing, CW approved it and I booked it. I'm hoping I get the letter tomorrow when she comes to visit as well as the birth certificates for both of them. The littlest is 3 months so I think it will be pretty obvious she is under 2, but I want the birth certificate just in case. All three of us have different last names so it could be interesting. We'll see.
Heidi

[snc2007]

I came to the right place! Thank you all so much for your input and suggestions.

[millie58]

I've traveled with 2 foster sons. We flew to Florida and took a cruise. I had a placement letter that I didn't need and both birth certificates. Believe it or not, my sons's sister who's been adopted by another family (different race) had a harder time getting her ears pierced!!

Originally Posted by snc2007

I'm planning a trip for March and I wanted to book the flights now. I'm not sure what info/id I need to book a seat & fly with our fd. We won't be leaving the US. Hopefully she will be adopted by then but it's not a guarantee. I thought maybe some of you have been in the situation before...

[hkolln]

When we flew twice with our daughter when she was our foster child we didn't need anything but her name and bithdate to book the airline tickets. We let the SW know of our plans and she gave us a travel letter just in case but we never needed it.

[ALfostermom]

not sure where you are from but my family took a trip from AL to WA this past summer and my SIL had to have birth certificates for my1.5 yr old and 4 yr old neice and nephew prooving she was the mother.

on the fostering side i did repite just a couple of months ago for a fp in a neigboring county. they had planned a trip to Texas with their soon to be adopted daughter (TPR already done) and had it approved through the sw months before. 3 weeks before the trip DHR contacted her and said if they wanted to travel by car the child could go but they could not put a foster child on a plane. So I would make sure you have something in writing from the agency, GAL, and judge stating it is okay to take the child on the trip before purchasing plane ticket. and you will also need to get a copy of shot records and birth certificate....and like someone mentioned earlier medicaid doesn't cover outside of state so you need to make sure with agency to get a permission to treat form stating they would be held responsible for what medicaid doesn't cover.