Requirements for travel with minors

[Chirimoya]

Up till now, when I've left the country on my own with my son a notarised letter from my husband has been enough. Now we need a permit from Migracion, which they retain when you go through passport control. If I'd known this I would have had it photocopied first.

[rellosk]

Last Xmas I flew down with my daughter, and she flew back by herself.

They stopped her in immigration and asked her some questions (I forgot to tell her that if they asked, she should say that she entered the country by herself). They wanted to detain her until she obtained the proper authorization (I'm not sure how that could be done, being that she and her passport were in the DR, and her mother and I were in the US).

They finally relented and let her leave the country, after she paid a negotiated fee.

[windeguy]

We are about to get a visa for my step daughter to allow her to enter the US. She has been approved and hopefully the issuance of the visa will just be a formality next month. Her mother and father are Dominican. Her mother is my wife.

Her mother (my wife) already has her visa for the US and will be going with us. (Mother, myself and my stepdaughter, but not her father).

Since the father, who's name is on my step daughter's birth certificate, will not be going so I understand we need some paperwork from him. I think I found the correct information on HB's first post, which is item 5 below but I want to make sure it is up to date and ask some additional questions which are A, B and C at the bottom of this post:


5. If the minor (s) is/are going to travel with just one of the parents, the other parent must issue a notarized and legalized authorization. The Immigration office must also authorize the minor's exit. All this must be accompanied by two photo copies of the authorizing parent's cédula or passport)

We are on the North Coast, the father is in Santo Domingo, so minimizing trips to Santo Domingo for us would be of help to us. Here are my questions:

Number 5 states we need the following to happen:
1- A notarized and legalized authorization from the parent not travelling with the minor
2- The Immigration office must also authorize the minor's exit
3- Two copies of the father's cedula.

We are on the North Coast, the father is in Santo Domingo, so minimizing trips to Santo Domingo for us would be of help to us.


A. Number 1 is pretty clear, any notary here in the DR should be able to draw that up for her father to sign. Is that notarized document from her father, the Immigration office authorizing the minor's exit and 2 copies of the father's cedula all that we need from the father?

B. What exactly is number 2 which states that "The Immigration office must also authorize the minor's exit"? Here is where I need clarification. Is it a form that he has to fill out? What is the name of this form, where do I get it, and what is the procedure for authorizing it at the Immigration office?

C. Do I actually need any of these documents at the US Visa Interview for my step daughter or do I just need them as we are leaving the DR?