Consent to travel does not have to be notarized anymore

[shipty2]

I have been having trouble finding one of the parents of my son's friend who is joining us on our Disney Dream cruise next month. I contacted Disney to determine if we would be denied boarding before we go trekking down to Florida from Canada.

 

I received a reply that states that notarized consent is no longer required for minors traveling with someone other than their parents. They do have a short form to fill out and be signed by the parents.

 

Now the only thing I need to know is if this a new Disney policy or if it is coming form customs and immigration as I still need to bring the child(17 1/2 years old) across the border. I can get one signature notarized no problem but the father cannot seem to be found so far.

[jhsieh]

Maybe a dumb question but, if you can't find the parent, how will they fill out and sign the form in the first place?

 

I'm sorry, I don't know what the rules are but I think you should definitely call customs/immigration so you can get a definitive answer out of the horse's mouth. It would be horrible to be told no at the last minute!

[shipty2]

The Disney form only requires one parent to sign not both. I know customs have always required both parents to sign (and to be notarized too) but I figure Disney cannot change these things so maybe the change actually comes from customs and immigration.

 

I called the state department and customs too and am waiting for a call back. I do want this info from the horses mouth.

 

I already consulted 2 lawyers one Canadian and the other American and have got conflicting advice.

[WeLoveDisneyAlways]

If the father is out of the picture I assume the mother has full custody? If she does then you don't require the father at all. Either way I would do the for sure thing and get a notorized letter. If the child needs medical attention they won't allow you to make decisions

[jhsieh]

The Disney form only requires one parent to sign not both. I know customs have always required both parents to sign (and to be notarized too) but I figure Disney cannot change these things so maybe the change actually comes from customs and immigration.

 

I called the state department and customs too and am waiting for a call back. I do want this info from the horses mouth.

 

I already consulted 2 lawyers one Canadian and the other American and have got conflicting advice.

 

Oh, I see. I hope it works out for you. If nothing else, maybe you can get a notarized statement from the custodial parent saying that he/she has full custody and has been unable to find the other parent. Good luck!

[shipty2]

Apparently custody has nothing to do with it as in this case there is no agreement just a mostly absent father.

Thank you for the good wishes. I do hope it all works out too.

[conandrob240]

Disney has always only required signature and notarization of ONE parent's signature. Never both. We have done this 4 times so far.

[dkjretired]

It is very difficult for anyone on this board to tell you exactly what you need. The requirements may change from cruise to cruise depending on the ports visited. The decision as to what is needed depends on the composite of all the countries you will be visiting. For that reason, the only ones who can tell you what is required is the cruise line.

 

Whatever you get from Disney make sure it is in writing, complete what they request and bring everything to the pier including the letter, email, etc, saying what to bring...

[kath00]

We have cruised with friends' children 5 times. We always have a notarized letter with both parents' signatures. Guess how many times they asked for the letter: 0.

 

Does that mean that the letter is not needed? NOPE. Just means that the agent checking you in may not care one bit or may not notice that the last names are different or whatever. The first 2 cruises I INSISTED that they make a copy and keep it in their files. After the 2nd time of someone looking at me like I lost my mind, I don't even offer the letter to them anymore. I just have it in my purse in case someone asks. So far, no one has bothered to...

 

Katherine

[Dundeelia]

I am having similar difficulty. My husband says "best to forget about the other parent" "Good chance they would only complicate matters"

[shipty2]

It is very difficult for anyone on this board to tell you exactly what you need. The requirements may change from cruise to cruise depending on the ports visited. The decision as to what is needed depends on the composite of all the countries you will be visiting. For that reason, the only ones who can tell you what is required is the cruise line.

 

Whatever you get from Disney make sure it is in writing, complete what they request and bring everything to the pier including the letter, email, etc, saying what to bring...

 

 

Notice I was not talking about the customs and immigration requirements for each country which are not decided by the cruiselne but the individual governments of each country. I was speaking to the requirement specifically of the cruiseline which has been problematic for some in the past and now has been relaxed to not include a notarized letter.

[fourel]

Maybe a dumb question but, if you can't find the parent, how will they fill out and sign the form in the first place?

 

I'm sorry, I don't know what the rules are but I think you should definitely call customs/immigration so you can get a definitive answer out of the horse's mouth. It would be horrible to be told no at the last minute!

 

My son's father has been missing for years so when we traveled out of the country I had a document from our lawyer stating I have full custody. After doing this twice I used the document to get my son his own passport. I hope this helps.:)

[dkjretired]

Notice I was not talking about the customs and immigration requirements for each country which are not decided by the cruiselne but the individual governments of each country. I was speaking to the requirement specifically of the cruiseline which has been problematic for some in the past and now has been relaxed to not include a notarized letter.

 

If you had read my post you would have noticed that Disney sets the requirements based upon what the countries you are visiting require. They may require a notarized letter on one cruise and not require one on another cruise based upon the various countries requirements..