transportation

[Unregistered]

im 15 and needing to run away. I have $400 for a one way plane ticket probably going to Guatemala, but do I need a passport? would I have to be over 18? if I got caught by the police would they take me to jail? or even worse back home?

[ccsmod3]

Re: transportation

Hello and thanks for reaching out on our forum.

You raise a lot of great questions as far as traveling as a 15 year-old. Please keep in mind we aren’t legal experts; however, we can go over in general how things might go. Our understanding is all travelers (adults and minors) need a passport to travel abroad. Air travel may have different requirements than land borders or sea ports. For more information you’re welcome to check out the U.S. Passports & International Travel section of the U.S. Department of State’s website here: https://travel.state.gov/content/pas...Qs.html#Minors. From what we found, it looks like you would need to have your parent/guardian’s consent to apply for a passport under the age of 16. We recognize this might not be what you were hoping to hear, but also want to say it’s great you’re trying to figure all of this out before you leave.

We aren’t here to tell you whether or not to run away, although we can go over pros and cons. As for your other questions, if you are picked up by the police sometimes they detain runaways temporarily (if no other crimes have been committed.) Other times they just take you straight home. In cases of abuse or neglect they might take you to a local shelter or contact your local Child Protective Services (CPS.) Hopefully this answers your questions and we’ll be here if you want to further discuss any of these options. Good luck!