Traveling w/minors who aren't mine. Looking for experiences

[Aftastic]

I also travel with copies of the parent's passports. It is a "necessary" part of travel, in my opinion.

 

How exactly?

[Budget Queen]

How exactly?

 

Because, it is further confirmation that my documents are accurate and give more information for verification.

 

I've had a lot of problems with Canada, over many years. Get searched and hauled in way too often. :) I've been interviewed in Europe. I travel frequently all over. Some people are talking about single trips. I've been doing this for over 10 years. :)

Edited March 27, 2014 by Budget Queen

[loxley]

My sister is in this situation. Her ex is not signing anything and she just filed a motion to travel with the courts. Problem is, we sail in about 7 weeks and she has no clue if it will be granted or not, so she has not booked yet. She just wants an inside guarantee, so I doubt it will be a problem to book...depending how far down to the wire it comes. The kids are 17 & 14 with a different last name from her. She and the 17 yo has just gotten their passports but the 14 yo doesn't. Saddest part is that this cruise was FOR their graduations (12th and 8th grades) and the ex still won't budge or and refuses to even acknowledge her request for the signed (and notarized) paperwork. She just found out this week that because his child support is in the arrears HE was denied his passport application for himself. So my sister hopes IF they go to court she can also point out that he is disgruntled b/c he can not obtain a passport from himself to travel and is taking it out on the kids. Such a shame!!

 

To the OP-I would 100% make sure you have all the documentation everyone mentioned here. It is alot easier to get the parents to sign a bunch of paperwork now rather then YOU having a headache later for being so kind as to allow the child to join you on the vacation!

 

A letter is not needed. you can read the official word here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYXCC9o1zuw or you can read it on the carnival web site which has recently been reworded to make it clearer that you only need said letter if you are debarking as in ending your cruise in mexico.

 

Land vacations yes, cruise no.

 

It still makes me wonder about the customs people. I am wondering if it is the same misguided one. The US does not require the letter and never has. Why would it even be asked for when RETURNING from a cruise?

[Budget Queen]

The US does not require the letter and never has. Why would it even be asked for when RETURNING from a cruise?

 

They did in my case. In 2012, I did have to show the written permission documents to immigration when I boarded a ship in Vancouver.

[hftmrock]

A letter is not needed. you can read the official word here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYXCC9o1zuw or you can read it on the carnival web site which has recently been reworded to make it clearer that you only need said letter if you are debarking as in ending your cruise in mexico.

 

Land vacations yes, cruise no.

 

It still makes me wonder about the customs people. I am wondering if it is the same misguided one. The US does not require the letter and never has. Why would it even be asked for when RETURNING from a cruise?

 

 

it has never been required except Mexico but they HIGHLY recommend it as it states in their FAQ

 

 

With the wording I have heard here... I would say its not REQUIRED... but definitely needed to avoid potential delay

 

When traveling with a minor and both parents/legal guardians are not cruising, we strongly recommend bringing an original, signed letter from the absent parent/legal guardian authorizing the minor to travel with you. This will expedite processing by the Department of Homeland Security. Please note that a notarized letter to this effect is required if debarking with children in Mexico.

 

Customs can stop you and ask for these papers and if you dont have them they will ask your child questions and depending on what they believe can detain you until they believe the child was allowed in your keep. that is why they recommend it. will you go to jail? no. Will you eventually get where you are going... yes but it could be a big hassle and thats why its STRONGLY recommended.

Edited March 28, 2014 by hftmrock

[loxley]

it has never been required except Mexico but they HIGHLY recommend it as it states in their FAQ

 

 

With the wording I have heard here... I would say its not REQUIRED... but definitely needed to avoid potential delay

 

When traveling with a minor and both parents/legal guardians are not cruising, we strongly recommend bringing an original, signed letter from the absent parent/legal guardian authorizing the minor to travel with you. This will expedite processing by the Department of Homeland Security. Please note that a notarized letter to this effect is required if debarking with children in Mexico.

 

Customs can stop you and ask for these papers and if you dont have them they will ask your child questions and depending on what they believe can detain you until they believe the child was allowed in your keep. that is why they recommend it. will you go to jail? no. Will you eventually get where you are going... yes but it could be a big hassle and thats why its STRONGLY recommended.

 

Opps, posted the wrong link before. https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/268/kw/minor%20child%20travel/session/L3NpZC9HUjQ3Qy10bA%3D%3D

 

Yes it is strongly reccommended but so is having a passport. But it is not required.

 

Why would anyone put themselves thru hell, added expense, weeks of worry and possibly danger for something that is not REQUIRED?

[mousey]

We brought DD's 16 yo BFF with us on a cruise. We had her passport and a notorized letter from her parents authorizing her to travel with us and for us to seek medical attention as necessary and a copy of her insurance card. The only thing asked for at check in was her passport. I never had to show the letter to anyone. I set her up with our credit card like I did our kids. She never spent a dime.

 

Same thing with us, we brought the DS's friend on two cruises. I held onto the friend's passport but when we checked in he had it in his own hand as did my DS. We were never asked for documentation regarding the friend at any time on either cruise. However, I would never have taken one of the DS's friends with us without the proper documents. As far as charges. The DS has always had a set limit of $10 a day with the understanding that if he wanted or needed to charge more all he had to do was ask. We extended that courtesy to the DS's friend. Neither of them ever went over $10 and only one day on one cruise did they ask for more (they wanted to get some temporary tattoos). No problem, permission was given.

 

Just remember that it is a big responsibility to take your child's friend on vacation with you, or even to the movies where you live. I don't take just any friend with us. I only would take a kid that I felt was capable of behaving responsibly. Of course, you never know, the DS and friend broke curfew on the first cruise and paid the consequences for it. :eek: They had to be back in their cabin early the next night...trust me they never did it again. Two teenagers having to be back to their room at 11p:eek: LOL!

Edited March 28, 2014 by mousey

[maurinsky2]

I talked to a lawyer yesterday and she said as long as I could show I made a reasonable attempt to seek approval from my ex-husband (and I did send him an e-mail about 6 months ago, so I'll send a follow-up today), it should be sufficient, but that since my daughter is 16, she didn't think anyone would even ask for it. Still, better to have it, than not.

[meatloafsfan]

Eek.. we're taking our nephew and niece on a cruise this coming summer. I gave their dad (my ex-brother-in-law) a form to fill out and get notarized giving us permission to have them, medical, sign them up for things, excursions, safety, everything i could possibly think of, and we'll have their original birth certificates..

 

He has full custody.. so do you all think I'm good with what I have? Their mom (my sister) is now remarried with a different last name, and honestly, I'd rather not get her involved if I don't have too. :(

 

As long as he has full custody, it is fine (though you may want to carry a copy of his custody papers with you).

 

I took my 16-turning-17-on-the-last-day-of-the-cruise Goddaughter on back to back Caribbean cruises. Her mother had full custody so I had th custody papers and a notorized document giving me care and custody of her for the period of the vacation (it included the right to make medical and legal decisions for her).

 

I didn't need it:

 

driving across crossing the Canadian border

boarding the flight from Buffalo to Orlando

Boarding or debarking the Eastern Caribbean cruise

 

I did need it embarking on the Western Caribbean cruise (with stops in Cozumel and Costa Maya).

 

It was just by fluke that I'd grabbed it from the drawer in our cabin before getting off the ship (we spent the morning in Port Canaveral before gettign back on the ship). I hadn't needed it up to that point so I almost didn't grab it. The lady checking me in had done everything and went to hand me our 2 sign and sail cards when she realized that they had different last names. She pulled back the cards and asked if I had a form authorizing me to take Jenna out of the country. Thankfully, I did.

 

I think the point is better to be safe than sorry (and denied boarding).

[loxley]

I talked to a lawyer yesterday and she said as long as I could show I made a reasonable attempt to seek approval from my ex-husband (and I did send him an e-mail about 6 months ago, so I'll send a follow-up today), it should be sufficient, but that since my daughter is 16, she didn't think anyone would even ask for it. Still, better to have it, than not.

 

I can tell you if such a letter was required, that advice would have you standing on the dock as the ship pulled out.

 

I hope you are not using that lawyer for anything that is really serious.

[ShipsAhoy425]

As long as he has full custody, it is fine (though you may want to carry a copy of his custody papers with you).

 

I was afraid someone was going to say that. He's giving me a notarized letter and their original Birth Certificates (they never go anywhere, so they don't have passports) but for some reason, in the past, when talking to him or my sister about the divorce, child support, anything even remotely related to all of that, it's like some top secret mission that we aren't allowed access to. I am REALLY dreading having to ask. I have told him that the day we board, he needs to be by his phone and a fax machine just in case.. but part of me (the part that is always prepared and usually over prepared) just wants the dang copy, but I'm hesitant that he'll just say forget the whole thing and go to Disney World (that was our other choice)

 

Ahh, decisions, decisions! :eek:

[BeagleOne]

Thanks everyone. I'm taking 2 17 yo and 1 18 yo that aren't mine.

The 18 year old isn't a problem (I assume since she's an adult, she's traveling with a birth certificate). So I'm not worried there.

 

I would double-check just to be sure she is okay to travel with you, since most cruise lines won't allow 18 y.o.'s to book by themselves and they might require some proof that she is allowed to travel with you. What would you do if you went to check in and everyone's paperwork was okay but hers and they denied her boarding?

[asalligo]

Can you tell me how the check in went and what permission documents you brought?

Did you set up a cash account for them to spend $ on the cruise?

 

I want to be sure I have everything in order for our trip.

Thanks!

 

 

We just sailed we my daughters best friend and she is 17. She had a valid passport and we got the carnival parental consent letter notarized. We did have to show the letter at check in and they made a copy and then returned the original letter to me. Check in was maybe 30 seconds longer.

 

On the boat I treated her as my own children. I told them all that they had $40 on their sail and sign accounts and they should let me know when they want more. I did not actually restrict their account in any way and I just checked the balance on the TV daily. We had no trouble at all, it was a smooth sailing.

[seguincruiser]

The young lady I'm taking with me has never know her father due to his having drug issues. A few years ago they heard that he had died. My question is since she only has a mom who will supply all the paperwork, do I need to prove the father's death? This might be difficult due to the family not having any contact with him for at least 10 years before his death.

[Breadman54]

I know that you are discussing minor non custodial children, but just wondering what documents you would need for your own children, ages 9 and 6. Only reason I'm asking is because my daughter is talking about taking her kids on a cruise. Just curious!

[cruzinfamilyof4]

We just got back from a cruise out of Long Beach, CA that we took DS's 16 year old girlfriend. With us we took her driver's license, birth certificate, a notarized letter from her mom giving us permission to take her and treat her medically if needed, and her father's death certificate. They only looked at her birth cert and id. But I wanted to make sure we had the other stuff just incase!

[ShipsAhoy425]

We just sailed we my daughters best friend and she is 17. She had a valid passport and we got the carnival parental consent letter notarized. We did have to show the letter at check in and they made a copy and then returned the original letter to me. Check in was maybe 30 seconds longer.

 

On the boat I treated her as my own children. I told them all that they had $40 on their sail and sign accounts and they should let me know when they want more. I did not actually restrict their account in any way and I just checked the balance on the TV daily. We had no trouble at all, it was a smooth sailing.

 

Where did you find the Carnival parental consent letter? I called and they told me to just make my own :confused:

[hftmrock]

here is a thread with a copy of the letter

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1998507

[norcalcruiser40]

Just off the Imagination today (and already suffering cruise withdrawal). My nieces (13 and 16) travelled with just their mom, my sister, and only had to show birth certificates and 16 yr old also showed CA ID card, no note from their dad. My daughter and grandchildren were also with us and we were a little worried about their situation. Kids (ages 10 and 17 months) have different fathers and different last names from my daughter. She wasn't able to get signed letters from either dad...long story... Anyways, no problem boarding, just presented birth certificates for kids and passport for herself. On our return through Customs/Homeland Security, again just showed birth certificates and was never asked for letters. They did however ask my 10 year old granddaughter a few questions: Do you know who these ladies behind you are? What are their names? What is the baby's name? How are you related to him?. Thankfully she answered correctly and without hesitation. Not sure what would have happened if she hadn't...

All in all, really easy embarkation and debarkation. We were only on a 4 day to Catalina and Ensenada so not sure if that's why it was so easy.

[ShipsAhoy425]

So glad to hear that! :cool:

[hftmrock]

Just off the Imagination today (and already suffering cruise withdrawal). My nieces (13 and 16) travelled with just their mom, my sister, and only had to show birth certificates and 16 yr old also showed CA ID card, no note from their dad. My daughter and grandchildren were also with us and we were a little worried about their situation. Kids (ages 10 and 17 months) have different fathers and different last names from my daughter. She wasn't able to get signed letters from either dad...long story... Anyways, no problem boarding, just presented birth certificates for kids and passport for herself. On our return through Customs/Homeland Security, again just showed birth certificates and was never asked for letters. They did however ask my 10 year old granddaughter a few questions: Do you know who these ladies behind you are? What are their names? What is the baby's name? How are you related to him?. Thankfully she answered correctly and without hesitation. Not sure what would have happened if she hadn't...

All in all, really easy embarkation and debarkation. We were only on a 4 day to Catalina and Ensenada so not sure if that's why it was so easy.

 

if she hadnt answered correctly you might have been asked for the letter at minimum

[cwestpvb]

Three in our group on our Glory cruise last month weren't ours, haha! But what we did was have their parents sign a travel consent form that gets signed by someone at the bank. On embarkation day, everything was like how it always is. They did not even look at the forms, but its always good to have them if they do want to look at them.

[ShipsAhoy425]

Well you guys are making me feel a lot better about it.. I was getting worried that I would need to ask for a copy of their divorce papers and custody papers and all that, and I REALLY didn't want too! :)

[tammi0916]

Well you guys are making me feel a lot better about it.. I was getting worried that I would need to ask for a copy of their divorce papers and custody papers and all that, and I REALLY didn't want too! :)

 

 

We traveled on the Pride with my daughters BFF (14) and they asked for my letter, as well as a copy of the divorce decree showing that her father had full custody since he was the only one that signed the letter. I had all the documents that they requested and they even took a copy of them for their records - so just be careful, you never know who will ask and they are within their policy to ask and expect to see them. The women who checked us in said that the last cruise they had to send to minors (groups) home because the traveling adult did not have all the paperwork.

 

However, when we took her with us on NCL last year they did not ask for anything at all.

 

This year we are again traveling on Carnival (Freedom) and will have all the document just in case.

 

Good luck!

 

Tammi

[Webecruzen]

We traveled over spring break we brought along my DS's friend both 16. We made sure to have a signed and notarized travel release/permission form as well as a medical release form along with his passport. We chose to allow both boys to charge and on the last night we printed out the friends sail and sign page and gave to his parents we arrived home and received a check. His parents gave him his spending limits. Check in went well with no questions asked. Never had an issue at any port Cozumel included. Customs never asked any questions back in Miami. We would absolutely take this young man again.