Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
US Passport and Families Coming Home
Hello,
This is to give a heads up on getting a US passport ASAP when you get home. Do not wait too long.
When we first went through customs coming from Russia, the guy said "make sure to get his US passport in the next couple of months". I was like ok, no big deal, he is a US citizen. Isn't that the whole point of those papers?
Okay, so we went to travel December and at the United desk, she said to us, "I'm sorry he can't travel with you, he does not have a US passport." We said, no, he has a temporary sticker in his Russian passport that allows him to travel until June with us until we get the US passport. She said, "That's not true. He needs his green card." We said, that is his green card, temporary one. She said, "No, it isn't" We almost missed our plane and Michael was not leaving until she went to customs.
Needless to say she did and they said it was okay for now. So, we went through, then got to customs and the agent was like, "I need to clear this as I do not think you can travel with him." OMG OMG OMG lol, u know how u get frustrated when things are just so fricken complicated and yet we were in the right.
So his boss told him to let us through for now but we would need his US passport before that expires or he would have to go through and apply for a whole new green card, yada, yada.
We got through. On the way back into the US, they said, "he can't come through". We said OMG, yes he can. Had to go through it all over again. I kid u not. I am being so fricken arse serious. This has been the ultimate pain the arse. They, anyone agency customs needs to be more clear with us, then just get their US passports when they get home. They don't tell u why.
Okay, so we get back in the US and I go to the postal service today and say, I need to get a US passport for my son. He said, "You need citizenship for him, the parents, both parents need to be here unless one gives consent with this formalized paper etc." I said, "Do I need anything else because he is adopted from Russia, but he is a US citizen"
The guy said, "Yes, you need his US citizenship, the adoption papers both in Russian and English, and we need his green card." I said, "Right, the green card is a temporary sticker in his passport." The guy said, "No, I need his green card or no passport." I said, "No, adoptive children get a temporary sticker to travel in their passport and that is their green card for now." He said, "We'll see about that, I have not heard of anything like that."
He said, "Make sure you have his passport as we will be taking that in exchange for the US passport." I said, "You can't take his Russian passport. He needs that until 18. You can't have it permanently." He said, "Yes, that is an exchange for his US passport."
I AM NOT giving up his Russian passport. That totally sounds wrong to me. I am so furious as we have been through so much with this silly ordeal. I just want to get him a US Passport and be done with it but oh no, I have to jump through major hoops still to do this.
We need to be more informed of the new laws and understand them completely as this is a lot of work and things I am not comfortable with doing. The US citizenship papers should be enough and the adoptive papers.
This is basically to let you know what I've been told over and over and that we highly recommend to just get it over with and do it, however I may contact customs to make sure about his Russian passport as I do not want to give that up.
This is to give a heads up on getting a US passport ASAP when you get home. Do not wait too long.
When we first went through customs coming from Russia, the guy said "make sure to get his US passport in the next couple of months". I was like ok, no big deal, he is a US citizen. Isn't that the whole point of those papers?
Okay, so we went to travel December and at the United desk, she said to us, "I'm sorry he can't travel with you, he does not have a US passport." We said, no, he has a temporary sticker in his Russian passport that allows him to travel until June with us until we get the US passport. She said, "That's not true. He needs his green card." We said, that is his green card, temporary one. She said, "No, it isn't" We almost missed our plane and Michael was not leaving until she went to customs.
Needless to say she did and they said it was okay for now. So, we went through, then got to customs and the agent was like, "I need to clear this as I do not think you can travel with him." OMG OMG OMG lol, u know how u get frustrated when things are just so fricken complicated and yet we were in the right.
So his boss told him to let us through for now but we would need his US passport before that expires or he would have to go through and apply for a whole new green card, yada, yada.
We got through. On the way back into the US, they said, "he can't come through". We said OMG, yes he can. Had to go through it all over again. I kid u not. I am being so fricken arse serious. This has been the ultimate pain the arse. They, anyone agency customs needs to be more clear with us, then just get their US passports when they get home. They don't tell u why.
Okay, so we get back in the US and I go to the postal service today and say, I need to get a US passport for my son. He said, "You need citizenship for him, the parents, both parents need to be here unless one gives consent with this formalized paper etc." I said, "Do I need anything else because he is adopted from Russia, but he is a US citizen"
The guy said, "Yes, you need his US citizenship, the adoption papers both in Russian and English, and we need his green card." I said, "Right, the green card is a temporary sticker in his passport." The guy said, "No, I need his green card or no passport." I said, "No, adoptive children get a temporary sticker to travel in their passport and that is their green card for now." He said, "We'll see about that, I have not heard of anything like that."
He said, "Make sure you have his passport as we will be taking that in exchange for the US passport." I said, "You can't take his Russian passport. He needs that until 18. You can't have it permanently." He said, "Yes, that is an exchange for his US passport."
I AM NOT giving up his Russian passport. That totally sounds wrong to me. I am so furious as we have been through so much with this silly ordeal. I just want to get him a US Passport and be done with it but oh no, I have to jump through major hoops still to do this.
We need to be more informed of the new laws and understand them completely as this is a lot of work and things I am not comfortable with doing. The US citizenship papers should be enough and the adoptive papers.
This is basically to let you know what I've been told over and over and that we highly recommend to just get it over with and do it, however I may contact customs to make sure about his Russian passport as I do not want to give that up.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
My hockey boys
Boy, oh boy do I have serious hockey boys. My husband and 20 month old have been going weekly to the hockey games and Alexei sits for a good three hours in his own chair cheering on our local WHL team, the Everett Silvertips (which have won 14 games in a row).
Currently, they are watching the Toronto Maple Leafs against the New Jersey Devils and I hear Alexei yelling, "Go, go go!" while waving his hand in the air and looking around to see who is watching him. Oh and he is wearing his Toronto Maple Lead Pajamas too and his Papa is wearing his TML shirt too.
I share this as I am still in awe over a 20 month old having the patience to sit for 3 hours. Now, if mom goes I am going to bet, he will not have the incredible patience he has with Papa. We shall see this weekend.
A couple of new photos are here from this week.
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