Reply to Do I need letter from ex to take kids out of country?

Forum Index » Parenting -- Special Concerns

Reply to "Do I need letter from ex to take kids out of country?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP here. Cruise is going to St B, St Martin and the Bahamas. Not Mexico.

Thanks for the advice.[/quote]

St Thomas (British Virgin Islands) and St Martin (French West Indies) do not have any specific laws, but comply with all international child abduction laws.  If they suspect that you have brought your child there without the consent of the other parent, they can and will detain your family until they have proof that you are authorized to travel with the child.  This rarely happens, but if it does, you will miss your ship and will be responsible for finding your own way home.  I took one Southern Caribbean cruise and there was one family who had a problem with this.  They ended up clearing the matter up after we departed, but the family was responsible for paying for airfare for three (parent and two children) to the next port of call.  They arrived the next day in time to catch us before debarking, but they missed the entire day in the port of call, so they lost all excursions and plans, and had to pay airfare and one night's lodging in the previous port.  I overheard the mother ranting about this later in the week.

However, the Bahamas has this from the US State Dept web-site (which is very similar to Mexico, which I posted above):  [url]http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_989.html[/url]
[quote][b]Minors traveling unaccompanied or accompanied by a guardian or chaperone: [/b]What is required to enter The Bahamas may vary greatly from what is required to re-enter the country of origin. In general, a child under 16 years of age may travel into the Bahamas merely with proof of citizenship. Proof of citizenship can be a raised seal birth certificate and preferably a government issued photo ID if on a closed loop cruise or a U.S. passport if entering by air or private vessel.

The Bahamas requires compliance with regulations to divert child abduction.[u] Any child traveling without one of the parents listed upon the birth certificate must have a letter from the absent parent granting permission for the child to travel. This should be sworn before a notary public and signed by the absent parent(s).[/u] If the parent is deceased, a certified death certificate may be necessary.

It is advisable to have the minor carry a written notarized consent letter from both parents (if both are listed on the child’s certificate of birth) before sending your child to travel as a minor with a guardian or chaperone.[/quote]

If you don't plan to debark in the Bahamas and will stay on board, you can risk forgoing the above-mentioned letter, but I would get it just in case.  It's pretty easy to draft the letter, have your ex- take it to a bank or credit union and have their signature notarized.  Definitely worth spending that time rather than risking some sort of problem while on vacation.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics