I have 2 friends, married to each other. The Girl is taiwanese, the Guy is american. Last year, their marriage started to fall apart, and they started divorce proceedings. It got unpleasant.
In October, he took advantage of her being out-of-town. He lied to AIT about a ‘family emergency’ and managed to renew their daughter’s US passport (she’s 7). Then he left Taipei and took her back to his hometown in Iowa, where he’s been ever since.
He’s now barely communicating with his wife or any of his friends (me included). His wife has spoken to her daughter only a few times since, and he monitors the conversation. She’s going to a local elementary school.
She has spoken to a few people: a Taipei lawyer, AIT, a Taiwanese office in the US. The latter seemed to think the FBI could get involved, but who knows? It’s very messy. Is this kidnapping? Does anyone have any advice?
With no intention to doubt your sincerity, brother @Nuit , are you dead certain that’s how it went down?
Because for the last 10 years or so, The US has had a hard and fast law, strictly enforced by the AIT, stating that no new/replacement passport can be issued for a kid without the signed consent of both parents, precisely to prevent this type of scenario.
They are especially wary in cases like the one you mention, where one parent claims extraordinary circumstances.
This is absolutely the case in Manila for first-issue passports; there’s an interview process to verify the claims of parentage and whatnot. As @tempogain mentioned, I’m 99% certain both of us have to be there when we renew. And there’s definitely dual consent. Maybe they play fast and loose over here, but I can’t leave the PIs with the kid without my wife’s approval, and I’m not even sure how that works. “Family emergency” wouldn’t fly over there, but that’s a real-deal embassy. Shrug.
Moreover, I was thinking: wouldn’t the kid have left the country on her Taiwan passport? I just went through the routine with my dual passport kid, and that’s how it goes. He couldn’t leave on his U.S. passport. (Not sure if the reason is obvious.)
On the other hand, I could easily see the guy breezing through immigration at TPE with the kid in tow and hardly a second glance from the folks behind the glass. The whole thing sounds weird.
[quote=“super_lucky, post:6, topic:158728, full:true”]On the other hand, I could easily see the guy breezing through immigration at TPE with the kid in tow and hardly a second glance from the folks behind the glass. The whole thing sounds weird.
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If you have an emergency travel need and can provide proof of a paid itinerary for travel in less than one week, you may request for a limited validity emergency passport. Emergency passports are usually valid for three months (but could be valid for up to one year, depending on the individual circumstances) and cannot be extended. They should be replaced with regular validity passports as soon as possible. Pages cannot be added to emergency passports.
If you have an emergency travel need and can provide proof of a paid itinerary for travel in less than one week, you may request for a limited validity emergency passport. Emergency passports are usually valid for three months (but could be valid for up to one year, depending on the individual circumstances) and cannot be extended. They should be replaced with regular validity passports as soon as possible. Pages cannot be added to emergency passports.
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No need to doubt me, just trying to pick up the threads myself. Ok, he def made an application at AIT and got a travel document for her (he claimed one of his relatives was dying). So sounds like it was an emergency passport.