traveling with a toddler on my own - do I really need a consent letter?

[Anonymous]

We have had to do it on several occasions. Since I have a different last name than my child we have always prepared a letter. I have not had it notarized. 3 out of 6 times they have asked for the letter. It wasn't a big problem at all but I was glad I had it - especially having to deal with the consequences if I didn't when you are tired and jet lagged would have been tough.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know how this is handled for single parents? My DD's birth father is not involved in her life and not listed on her birth certificate. Can I just bring the birth certificate or would I need some kind of notarized letter?

[Anonymous]

I Live overseas and have travelled alone with my children many times internationally. I have never had a letter and it has never come up although we do have diplomatic passports and have the same Last name.

[Anonymous]

23:08 That's tricky. A know a widow who brings her husband's death certificate when she travels. (And is asked for it.) Do you have zero contact with him?


7:56 Diplomatic passports. Different ballgame altogether. Folks in the diplomatic community tend not to engage in international kidnapping!

[Anonymous]

I am a single mom with two kids - kids last name is diff than mine. I always have carried notarized letters of consent. It was tough to get the most one from my kid's father, as he is not involved in our lives in many years. It is intentionally written so that it doesn't expire. For the dozen or so times I've traveled with my kids as a tourist, I've been asked for a letter once - on a trip to Mexico. They were super hardcore about it- having several different employees read it and ask me about it. I doubt we would have flown that day if I hadn't had it. So whenever we travel, the letters remain tucked in the kids passports, just in case. I have noticed that now that the kids are old enough to speak for themselves, the airline employees now sometimes ask my kids questions about why we're traveling and who they're traveling with and whether they look forward to coming home. They seem like odd questions, but I assume they are just checking to make sure that everything is on the up-and-up.

And I think the PP about dip passports was right. I have a set of those too - we use them when we're going somewhere for my work - and I have never been questioned or asked for a letter on those occasions. That's surprising because those are the times we look kinda like run-aways - often traveling with a ton of luggage and pets in tow.

[Anonymous]

I've always been asked when traveling to Canada by air. Once I didn't have it and they just asked me to remember for next time. Other times I've had it and not been asked.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely. I've traveled alone, abroad twice. Once they didn't ask and once they did. It's very serious if you dont have it and you could be rejected. Besides paying for the next flight home you'll always have to answer "have you ever been rejected" customs question yes and get extra screening...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've always been asked when traveling to Canada by air. Once I didn't have it and they just asked me to remember for next time. Other times I've had it and not been asked.

Us, too. My in-laws live in Canada and we've taken a few trips where my husband and I have traveled separately. Whoever has the baby gets asked for a letter. My brother-in-law also got grilled at the airport last year with his 5-year-old when he didn't have a letter from his wife and their son misheard a question from the guy at Immigration and gave a "suspicious" answer.

It takes three minutes to write, so we always figure it's easier to have one and not need it than to not have one and somehow have trouble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP,

It applies to everyone -- any parent traveling alone. Yes you need to do it! I've shown mine when traveling solo with my child. (Mexico, Costa Rica, etc.)

what if you're traveling domestic? I'm meeting my mom in TX next month and it'll be just me and the kids. Do I still need a consent letter from DH? I've never heard of this since I read this thread.

[Anonymous]

Not for domestic flights!

[Anonymous]

The only time we traveled internationally I had a letter for each parent, in case we somehow got separated while traveling. How's that for being overprepared?!

[Anonymous]

Do these consent letters need to be specific to a trip, or can they be general letters stating that I have permission to travel abroad with my child?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do these consent letters need to be specific to a trip, or can they be general letters stating that I have permission to travel abroad with my child?

I think you should play it safe and be specific. I just had one for a trip to the Middle East. Nobody ever asked me for anything like it -- on four separate flights and three countries. We're getting ready to go to Canada, though (without my husband), and I've heard Canada is pretty strict about it. I am just updating the previous letter (and of course getting it signed and notarized).

[Anonymous]

This is so strange to me. I've flown at least a dozen times from the US to the UK alone with my 2 year old since she was only a few months old and this has never once come up. DD's last name is different than mine too.

Reading this thread, I am definitely doing some more research before our next trip. I hate to think we were taking a huge risk and weren't even aware of it. FWIW, we both have US and UK passports so either way, we always have the "local" passport for our destination. I don't know if that has been what's made the difference or not. In the UK, especially, I feel like immigration barely looks at our passports but I know questioning for non-citizens can be relentless and quite extensive at times.

OP, I think you are doing the right thing by being prepared. No harm done if you don't end up needing it.

[Anonymous]

You should get it to avoid problems. I have been on Caribbean cruises where I have seen a parent with children barred from boarding the ship at the point of departure without proof of consent. Fortunately, they were just boarding at different times and the mother and children had to wait in the terminal a couple of hours for the father to meet them rather than waiting more comfortably on ship. I also once saw in an international airport a woman traveling with her children and her children were removed from her custody (separated from her) because they were a different last name and she had no proof she was their mother or that she had the consent of the father. Part of that was that the mother was being uncooperative and using abusive language on the airport staff. I never saw the end result of that as I had to move on, but everyone around knew what was going on as loud as the mother was yelling.

Be safe, get the consent.

FYI--from the Department of State's "Tips when Traveling abroad" web-site: http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/tips_1232.html

Some countries require that a traveler’s U.S. passport be valid at least six months or longer beyond the dates of the trip. In addition, with the number of international child custody cases on the rise, several countries have instituted passport requirements to help prevent child abductions. (Mexican law, for example, requires a child traveling alone, or with only one parent, or in someone else's custody, to carry written, notarized consent from the absent parent or parents if the child is not in possession of a U.S. passport.) Contact the embassy of the foreign destination for more information. A listing of foreign embassies and consulates in the U.S. is available on the Department of State’s website at http://www.state.gov/s/cpr/rls/dpl/32122.htm. Foreign embassy and consulate contact information can also be found on the Country Specific Information for each country.

And from information about visiting Ireland. This isn't an official site, but it is specific to traveling in Ireland:
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel_and_recreation/travel_to_ireland/visas_for_tourists_visiting_ireland.html

If a child (under 18 years of age) is travelling alone, both parents/guardians must have given consent. If the child is travelling with one parent, the consent of the other parent is required. Where only one parent has total custody and access rights, you must provide official evidence of this.