Hi, I’m Marie Drake of the Drake Law Firm. And today I’m going to talk to you about traveling internationally after a divorce with your children. Now, exposing your kids to a completely new culture, possibly a new language, and a bunch of new activities in a foreign country s such a cool thing to do. And I know this from my own experience because my dad was in the military. And so in my childhood, I went to some really interesting places like Japan, and the Philippines, born in Germany. These were all just great experiences for all of the kids in my family, and I recommend travel if you can do it. But it’s more complicated once you’re divorced. It just is. And I’m going to talk to you about that. Now, in order to travel internationally, you have to make sure you have the correct papers, not just for yourself, but for the kiddos. And by that I mean make sure the passports are valid and up to date, they’re not going to expire while you’re traveling overseas. And second, check the State Department website and make sure you’re not planning travel, not that you would, into an area that’s become dangerous or is historically dangerous for Americans and hasn’t improved.
So just make sure and check those things. Make sure you understand what the visa requirements are, if any, for the particular country you would like to go to. And finally make sure that if that country has requirements around immunization, that everybody has had the shots they need to go to where they need to go. So those are some things to think about and just make sure you’re organized and that you’re planning this well. The last thing you need to consider, and maybe it’s the first, is what does your parenting plan say about international travel or any travel? And also, just in terms of common sense, make sure you’re communicating with your ex-spouse. Make sure your ex-spouse has a written copy of the itinerary and knows exactly where everybody’s going to be, what the contact information is for the hotel or the resort, what the flight numbers are, and all of it. Just think about if your ex-spouse was traveling with the kids internationally, what information would you want and reciprocate? It’s just sort of a basic thing to do for that human being who’s going to be in your life while you have those kids with him or her. So I recommend checking the parenting plan.
Most parenting plans require written authorization from the other parent to do any international travel. So make sure you have that and have it with you because you may need it to get on the plane, who knows? At any rate, these are the things to think about. If you are going to be traveling internationally with your kids after a divorce. If you’re lucky enough to be planning some international travel with your children and you don’t quite understand how to do all of that with your ex and your parenting plan, give us a call here at the Drake Law Firm. We’re standing by and happy to answer your questions.
