Travel Documents

For international travel, you usually need a passport and you often need a visa.  But there are other documents you may need as well, especially if you are pregnant.

Before we go on to the pregnancy-related ones, let me advise you to make color photocopies of your passport.  A valid passport is often a hot item on the street and many attempts may be made to steal yours.  Fake policemen, curious bank tellers and dishonest hotel employees have all been known to make off with passports in order to make a quick profit.  Once you have cleared customs and immigration, therefore, it is often best to put your passport away and use the copy for identification purposes.  And leave a copy at home with friends or family in case you lose yours.  A copy faxed to your embassy can save a lot of time in this circumstance.

Unless you are using electronic tickets, take a copy of your airline ticket as well.  If your ticket is stolen, only a photocopy will prevent you from having to buy a replacement.

We also advise that you carry some form of identification other than your passport.  You may find yourself in a situation where you do not want your nationality to be instantly known.  An international driver’s license, a student I.D., or any other photo identification will often suffice when you need identification far from home.

And don’t forget your “yellow book”.  Most foreign destinations nowadays do not legally require vaccinations before you can enter the country.  Yellow fever vaccination as well as cholera and meningitis are sometimes exceptions to this rule.  But it is always wise to carry with you anyway a record of the shots you have had.  And if it does become a legal issue, the only document recognized by the World Health Organization (and many governments) is the “Yellow Book” available from government offices or your travel medicine provider.

Then there are other documents that you may find helpful or essential if you are traveling while pregnant.

A copy of your prenatal record will save a lot of grief if you should have any medical problems during your trip.  It may even be necessary in order for you to travel.  All airlines and cruise lines have regulations regarding pregnancy and travel (see those chapters).  Your prenatal record or even a letter from your obstetrician may be needed as proof that you do indeed meet their requirements.

In some situations you may even need a copy of your marriage certificate or a note from your husband giving you permission to travel.  Some countries have had a real problem with couples carrying out custody battles across international borders.  Other nations, due to local customs, are very strict about pregnant women traveling without their spouses.  This may offend the sensibilities of some travelers from more liberal countries, but it is always best to check these things out in advance and, when on foreign soil, to follow the local customs.

Finally, it is becoming increasingly common for customs officials to question the carrying of prescription medications.  In some cases they will even confiscate them.  If you will be taking prescription medicines with you, keep them in your carry-on baggage, in their original containers, and take along a letter from your doctor, written on letterhead stationery and signed, indicating that you are taking these medicines under his or her direction.