Single mom traveling with DD to the UK. Do I need written permission from ex?

[Anonymous]

UK border control would be impressed that you even had such a letter. The English are less uptight about this issue than Americans and definitely do not get the letter notarized, unless you've got time and $$$ to spare.

[Anonymous]

I think it's best to have one, because they can ask for some kind of proof that the father is aware of his daughter's international travel and consents to it. If you don't have any, then they can hold you until they're able to reach him and confirm. Some European countries are on high alert for trafficking issues.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Yes, he is on the birth certificate so I wanted to make sure I covered all of my bases. Custody has never been an issue because he travels nearly all of the time for his job and could never take care of our DD. She is 14 so I am not going to court for custody. It would be a waste of time and money.

[Anonymous]

Heathrow is terrible. My wife and I ( gay couple) flew with DD last summer ( she is AA and we are white). She has a passport and her last name is the same as my wifes, her middle name is my last name.
The Immigration person asked us for ger adoption certificate, I told him we didnt have it but she was our daughter, has passport etc. He said because she was a different race hes allowed to ask questions.
I was tired and hate flying so basically told him he was racist and that he should get a supervisor. I was livid.
He said that human traffiking is a problem, and i said "really, you have a lot of traffickers on flights from Washington with children with valid US passports" He couldnt really answer that.
uughh

[Anonymous]

It's not valid if it's not notarized. Have your ex bring it to his bank. They all have notaries that will sign it for free. The person granting the permission for you to travel with DD is the one who has to have it notarized (not you).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Yes, he is on the birth certificate so I wanted to make sure I covered all of my bases. Custody has never been an issue because he travels nearly all of the time for his job and could never take care of our DD. She is 14 so I am not going to court for custody. It would be a waste of time and money.

FWIW, this is lot different than bringing a baby across a border. Mine is 13, and I've crossed borders with him before starting at about age 6 with just his passport (Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland), and nobody so much as blinked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Yes, he is on the birth certificate so I wanted to make sure I covered all of my bases. Custody has never been an issue because he travels nearly all of the time for his job and could never take care of our DD. She is 14 so I am not going to court for custody. It would be a waste of time and money.

FWIW, this is lot different than bringing a baby across a border. Mine is 13, and I've crossed borders with him before starting at about age 6 with just his passport (Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland), and nobody so much as blinked.

...which may in part be due to being incessantly "Mom!"ed in the airport by said child, now that I think about it.

[Anonymous]

I assume your child is a US citizen. Get the letter anway just to be safe. You can get a notary done at a UPS Store for $2-5 (call to make sure they have a notary on hand.. most do). It's worth the minor effort to avoid any potential hassle when traveling.

[Anonymous]

i just got back from Canada and was asked for the letter from my ex - not sure what would have happened if I hadn't had it.

[Anonymous]

FYI - I did go to Canada once without a letter. Customs asked for it and only then did I realize I hadn't gotten one for that trip. I provided my exes contact information, fax number, etc. and they let me go through without contacting him. I'm sure that it might have been a completely different story with a different customs agent.

It's just so easy to get a letter and it takes all the stress away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Heathrow is terrible. My wife and I ( gay couple) flew with DD last summer ( she is AA and we are white). She has a passport and her last name is the same as my wifes, her middle name is my last name.
The Immigration person asked us for ger adoption certificate, I told him we didnt have it but she was our daughter, has passport etc. He said because she was a different race hes allowed to ask questions.
I was tired and hate flying so basically told him he was racist and that he should get a supervisor. I was livid.
He said that human traffiking is a problem, and i said "really, you have a lot of traffickers on flights from Washington with children with valid US passports" He couldnt really answer that.
uughh

I agree, UK immigration reps at the airport or train stations are rigid and crazy. I recently took the Eurostar from Paris to London, you go through immigration before you get on the train in Paris, I was refused twice to get through for bogus reasons, finally I asked for a supervisor. They said it was sketchy I was only going for 24 hours, they accused me of wanting to seek asylum. But they let the rest of my family through?! I said, you have US citizens seeking asylum in UK?! What? Final,y after my kids screaming crying they let me through, it was crazy. All you need is one nutso agent, who is hard pressed to go against you on a technicality. Get the letter, better safe than sorry.

[Anonymous]

Yes you definitely need the notarized letter, especially if the country to which you are traveling is a party to the Hague Convention on Child Abduction. PPs are correct that it's not always asked for, but if it is, and you don't have it, it's a huge problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes you definitely need the notarized letter, especially if the country to which you are traveling is a party to the Hague Convention on Child Abduction. PPs are correct that it's not always asked for, but if it is, and you don't have it, it's a huge problem.

+1 Some countries are very strict about this.