WILLEMSTAD - Everyone in Curaçao who will be traveling with a minor child from July 1 onwards needs to pay close attention: The rules have changed.
A letter written by one of the parents giving permission to travel with the child is no longer valid. And this has caused panic among many parents, especially just before the summer vacation.
After it was reported earlier this month that these rules will change as of July 1st, panic broke out among parents on social media. "What a hassle. What exactly do I need to apply for? We're going on vacation in two weeks! It's really inconvenient that this is being implemented just before the summer vacation," a mother writes on social media.
Not only is it unclear for parents what the new rules entail, but many parents also learn about this news through social media. "Isn't this something the government should announce?" a mother asks on Facebook.
Not informed
It has also been revealed that the staff at Kranshi (Civil Registry Office) and the Joint Court of Curaçao and Sint Maarten (where the certificate of parental authority needs to be requested) are not fully aware of the new rules.
"On the day I read the news, I immediately went to Kranshi. There, I was redirected to a completely different location. But that's not correct, I really had to go to Kranshi," a mother explains. Another mother also mentions receiving conflicting information from different government entities.
New rules
Daniella Victorina is a legal expert at the Ministry of Justice. In the past few days, she has been trying to inform the public as effectively as possible about the new procedure by giving as many interviews as possible to the media.
"The minister signed this decision last week, but we have been working on it for a year. The reason for this change is because it was unclear what documents people needed to bring when traveling with a minor child. Some people had letters, while others had nothing at all. These new rules have been established to structure this procedure."
According to Victorina, many children were traveling without a parent who has parental authority or without permission from the other parent, resulting in consequences such as child abduction.
Waiting for the website
The issue is not the intention behind implementing the new rules, but rather their execution. There is actually no information available online about the procedure, making it unclear for many people which documents they need to apply for, in what order, and what they need to bring for their specific situation.
"We hope that this week the website can be launched, where all this information will be provided. Until then, we are providing information through Facebook and the media." According to Victorina, the information can be found online, but one must search within the government's website using keywords such as 'travel' or 'minor.'
When asked why this information was not ready before implementing the new procedure, Victorina acknowledges that "it would indeed have been more convenient, but it was not possible." Victorina states that the information will be available on the website of the Curaçao Immigration Service by Monday (June 26) at the latest.
Systems not integrated
Regarding why people now have to visit Kranshi and the Joint Court twice to obtain the necessary documents, Victorina explains that the systems between these institutions and the immigration service are not integrated. "Currently, the registers are not yet connected. It is something we aim to achieve in the future, but at the moment, it is not the case."
It is also not currently possible to apply for the documents online because this feature still needs to be built into the existing systems. "At the Court, it is possible to request these documents via email, but not at Kranshi."
For those who were unable to apply for the correct documents on time or do not have the necessary papers, a transition period has been established. "The new rules will come into effect on July 1st, but there is a transition period until August 1st. Until then, people can travel with the documents they have."
However, parents must be able to prove parenthood and, depending on the situation, demonstrate parental authority during this interim period. "I still recommend everyone to use the new consent form."