expired passports

Carolina066 · #1 06-01-2002, 09:31 PM

I work for the US department of state in passport services. I would like to let everyone know what to do if they live in the Dominican Republic and discover that their passport has expired. You CANNOT give it to someone to renew it for you in the USA. You must go to the USA consulate in Santo Domingo. Bring 2 photos, $40 US (price to increase on 08/19/02). The consulate takes the expired passport, the renewal form (which you can get at the consulate) your 2 new photos and your $40 and overnight mails them to the US consular office in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Since April, 2002 all renewal passports for everyone overseas are being done in New Hampshire, because back in the USA we have the technology to do photodigitized passports. Photos are no longer glued on and then laminated. Children age
14 to 17 have to come into the consulate with one of their parents and the kids age 14 to 17 sign their own applications along with the parent. For kids UNDER 14, both parents must sign. If only one of the parents is in the Dominican Republic, the other parent must send a letter of consent IN ENGLISH allowing the parent who is present in the DR to apply for the passport. If the child is under 14 and getting a passport for the 2nd or 3rd time, the birth certificate, which names the parents MUST also be submitted with the application, photos and previous passport. DO
NOT send or take a US passport to the USA to be renewed if the child or adult named on the passport is NOT in the USA. It will be rejected and then the parent will have to take the passport back to the consulate in Santo Domingo: very costly and time consuming. The passport should always be where its owner is located. Over the years I have seen many kids get stranded overseas, just becuase the parent had taken passport back to the US to renew it and left the child behind with a relative.

El Jefe · #2 06-01-2002, 10:18 PM

Interesting info but one question. What if the child under 14 only has one parent due to either death or court ordered termination of parental rights?

Carolina066 · #3 06-01-2002, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Carolina066
I work for the US department of state in passport services. I would like to let everyone know what to do if they live in the Dominican Republic and discover that their passport has expired. You CANNOT give it to someone to renew it for you in the USA. You must go to the USA consulate in Santo Domingo. Bring 2 photos, $40 US (price to increase on 08/19/02). The consulate takes the expired passport, the renewal form (which you can get at the consulate) your 2 new photos and your $40 and overnight mails them to the US consular office in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Since April, 2002 all renewal passports for everyone overseas are being done in New Hampshire, because back in the USA we have the technology to do photodigitized passports. Photos are no longer glued on and then laminated. Children age
14 to 17 have to come into the consulate with one of their parents and the kids age 14 to 17 sign their own applications along with the parent. For kids UNDER 14, both parents must sign. If only one of the parents is in the Dominican Republic, the other parent must send a letter of consent IN ENGLISH allowing the parent who is present in the DR to apply for the passport. If the child is under 14 and getting a passport for the 2nd or 3rd time, the birth certificate, which names the parents MUST also be submitted with the application, photos and previous passport. DO
NOT send or take a US passport to the USA to be renewed if the child or adult named on the passport is NOT in the USA. It will be rejected and then the parent will have to take the passport back to the consulate in Santo Domingo: very costly and time consuming. The passport should always be where its owner is located. Over the years I have seen many kids get stranded overseas, just becuase the parent had taken passport back to the US to renew it and left the child behind with a relative.

Carolina066 · #4 06-01-2002, 10:34 PM

The applying parent would have to present the death certificate of the other parent, or a divorce decree giving the applying parent sole legal and physical custody. If the other parent was not named on the birth certificate, then none of these documents need to be submitted. If the non-applying parent simply had taken off to parts unknown, then the applying parent would have to state that in a notarized letter. This change in the law, which was enacted by Congress in July, 2001, was designed to prevent parental kidnapping.
All of this can sometimes be a problem in Latin American culture, where the kids are passed around among relatives and the concept of "legal custody" is relatively unknown. Until quite recently, assignment of custody was NOT part of divorce decrees in the Dominican Republic. Now, Dominican divorce decrees do state who has legal custody of the child. Thanks for asking for that clarification. I am available for any and all passport questions. Just don't ask me any INS questions. We do have some overlap, but that is NOT my area of expertise.