[HenrysMom401]

Does my son need any papers/ID to travel within the US? All I have is the COC and Guatemalan passport (we're in process to readopt). He is 26 months.

[dac_cincy]

You need his Guatemalan BC showing you as the parents- no the adoption papers. You might not even be asked for them, but I would take the following:
1. Guatemalan BC
2. Guatemalan Passport with the visa paperwork still attached.

[DeeVee]

We fly fairly frequently wth our kiddos (well, we did until this past year when our budget got tight!)

I have always carried my bio and adopted kiddos' BCs with me, but the only time I have ever been asked for a BC is if one of the kiddos is flying as a lap child (and therefore for free). They look to make sure the child is really under 2 years old and doesn't have to pay for a seat. Other than that, no one has ever asked for any ID for any of them. I'm not saying it never happens, but I've never encountered it. We've flown out of NYC, Nashville, Seattle, Houston, Denver, Atlanta, Orlando, and Charlotte.

[ej-momtobe]

I have travelled frequently with DS and have never been asked for any doco (and he definately does not look like me). I have also called the airlines and asked and they said no papwework would be required.

I always carry a copy of DS's birth certificate with me at all times...and I can't even explain what sort of situation i think that would be useful for, I just feel better carrying it...."just in case."

[sak9645]

Technically, you don't, if you are not going to cross national borders.

HOWEVER, the U.S. government is on a major campaign to reduce international abductions -- particularly situations involving one spouse in a nasty divorce taking the child of the marriage overseas to avoid custody and visitation orders. The government has focused on heightening the awareness of employees in settings where an abducting parent might be found, such as airports, train stations, border checkpoints, and so on.

While employees are cautioned not to use racial profiling -- for example, assuming that all people of a certain ethnicity are potential abductors -- it is very common for these employees to focus on people who do not fit the traditional portrait of a traveling family. As an example, it may raise red flags in their minds if a Black woman is traveling with a White baby, if a man is traveling with a young child (especially if that child is having a tantrum) and no spouse, if two men are traveling with a child, etc.

In areas where transracial adoption is not common, it IS more likely that someone will stop you and ask you to prove that you are the legal parent of the child who does not look like you, or at least that you have authorization to travel with the child. YOU may think that it's not unusual to see two Caucasian parents with a Chinese baby, but it IS unusual to some people -- unusual enough that it may raise red flags for them.

While it is a pain in the neck to be stopped and questioned, and while it may seem racist, you have to understand that someone is simply trying to protect your child from harm. If you try to look at the event in that context, it won't seem so terrible.

And if you are prepared, the event won't inconvenience you too much. It is a relatively simple matter to travel with the child's birth certificate and adoption decree, and with a photo or two of you and the child, obviously taken at different points in time -- making it clear that you have been together for years or months. These items will usually prove that you are a legitimate family, and you will usually be allowed to go on your way without delay.

While the likelihood that you will be stopped is small, just remember that it's better to be prepared. If you DON'T have proof of parentage, you could wind up missing a flight or being late for an important family event.

Sharon

[susy...patience]

I used to carry her Guatemalan passport with me to prove her ID and last name is same as mine....but I was never asked for it.

On my last trip, I worried because I left it at home....on 1 leg of trip she was even booked separately from me & paid with separate credit card since I was traveling for business. I had no issues at all in not having ID with me..I was just asked if her last name was the same as mine.

So my answer is no Doc's required for in US travel.

[mommytoEli]

i have never been asked for anything for eli either....but the last time i flew, the security personnel that check the tickets before you go to xray stopped us and pointed to eli and asked him, "what's your name?" he said eli. she said, "how old are you?" he said 2. it was a little odd...i don't know if she was just being conversational, or if she was just feeling out the situation...bc he was obviously not flying on my lap as he had his own ticket. but it did make me glad that i was carrying his docs with me. funny enough, those docs came in handy on that trip several times as eli wasn't quite 3, and so he got in free to the zoo and theme park. both times i was questioned, and each time i just stared the ticket taker down and said, "i have his passport, would you like to see it?" lol...and then had no problems. so i have become accustomed to carrying his docs.....and often all the kids docs whenever we travel for differing reasons, and i have never regreted bringing too much documentation. better safe than sorry.