One parent traveling with a child

[Cbear1973]

I'm going on the Enchantment in March with my 7 year old. My husband will not be traveling this time. My child and I have the same last name. We both have passports.

 

Question is, do I need a written, notarized letter from my hubby stating it's ok to take our child without him?

 

The RCCL website basically sucks, and I am having an impossible time finding out anything on the site.

[cb at sea]

Yep...just in case...have it!

[emory2001]

In the absence of a court order or custody dispute, you each have equal rights to take the child anywhere. You don't need a permission slip.

 

I'm taking my two kids on Enchantment in July without my husband.

 

EDITED: While that is true within the U.S., I guess U.S. Customs has a "recommendation" to have it if you're traveling abroad, "in case" customs asks for it, but "the U.S. does not require this documentation." That's about clear as mud. If you'd feel more comfortable with it, go for it.

 

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/268/~/children---child-traveling-with-one-parent-or-someone-who-is-not-a-parent-or

Edited January 8, 2016 by emory2001

[cruisecraze96]

I always being a notarized form stating that I can cruise with the kids without him. He hates cruises so those I take without him.

[TwoJ'smommy]

I have never sailed with RCCL, however, I haved sailed on three Carnival cruises with the kids, without my husband and I've never taken a note. No one has ever asked for one either. Is this something new?

[Llmtax2000]

I always take the adoption decree and birth certificate showing my DD was a single parent adoption, just in case -- but no one has ever asked for them.

[brillohead]

I always take it, but I've never been asked for it, either.

 

I wouldn't have thought of it, but a girlfriend had trouble flying out of Canada to the USA with her toddler son a while back.

 

Her husband had died the previous year, and she didn't have a copy of his death certificate with her (seriously, who walks around with their spouse's death certificate on them all the time???), and they weren't going to let her leave the country with her son in case she was fleeing a custody situation. They were able to confirm her husband's death, and they did let her travel, but it was a significant delay and she could have missed her flight.

 

I now always get a letter showing travel dates / places to be visited, just in case. Better safe than sorry!

[Ricky H]

I'm going on the Enchantment in March with my 7 year old. My husband will not be traveling this time. My child and I have the same last name. We both have passports.

 

Question is, do I need a written, notarized letter from my hubby stating it's ok to take our child without him?

 

The RCCL website basically sucks, and I am having an impossible time finding out anything on the site.

 

I hear this brought up all the time some say yes ,some say no ,some said it was checked ,and some not . But I would not take the chance of not having every document I could with me as to not have to wave bye to the ship and miss the cruise .

[emory2001]

I always take it, but I've never been asked for it, either.

 

I wouldn't have thought of it, but a girlfriend had trouble flying out of Canada to the USA with her toddler son a while back.

 

Her husband had died the previous year, and she didn't have a copy of his death certificate with her (seriously, who walks around with their spouse's death certificate on them all the time???), and they weren't going to let her leave the country with her son in case she was fleeing a custody situation. They were able to confirm her husband's death, and they did let her travel, but it was a significant delay and she could have missed her flight.

 

I now always get a letter showing travel dates / places to be visited, just in case. Better safe than sorry!

 

As I was reading up on this subject last night, I found out Canada is much more strict about it than the U.S. So Canadian cruisers should be aware of it.

[CheerMom15]

I would just get the letter anyway. My DH is deployed and we had to go to Canada for a sports event that my 12 year old was participating in. I had a notarized letter and the guy still wasn't happy because he couldn't contact him to verify his whereabouts... I can't either! It was a total pain in the rear but I honestly do not think that agent would have let us into Canada without it! The American side didn't ask for it at all when we came back. The letter is simple and cheap. Better to have and not need than to need and not have.

[gerif]

There is a frequent poster on the family board who travels extensively with her twins. She is a widow and always carries her late husband's death certificate. I fly with my show cats and am required to have health and rabies certificates and have been asked for them maybe 3-4 times over some 30 years but I still always have them. You just never know when rules will be enforced.

[eme]

I would just get the letter anyway. My DH is deployed and we had to go to Canada for a sports event that my 12 year old was participating in. I had a notarized letter and the guy still wasn't happy because he couldn't contact him to verify his whereabouts... I can't either! It was a total pain in the rear but I honestly do not think that agent would have let us into Canada without it! The American side didn't ask for it at all when we came back. The letter is simple and cheap. Better to have and not need than to need and not have.

Canadian border agents are horrible. I was coming back in to Canada (we are Canadian) with our son and had all the appropriate documents and I still got a hard time.

 

If I was doing something bad, why would I be bringing him back?

[Canadian Tyler]

In the absence of a court order or custody dispute, you each have equal rights to take the child anywhere. You don't need a permission slip.

 

True, but how does customs and officials know that there isn't a custody dispute or court order and that the couple is together? I would get a letter to be safe. It would be pretty easy for anyone to just say they are travelling without their spouse.

Chances are they won't ask for it, but I wouldn't want to risk it.

[CheerMom15]

Canadian border agents are horrible. I was coming back in to Canada (we are Canadian) with our son and had all the appropriate documents and I still got a hard time.

 

If I was doing something bad, why would I be bringing him back?

 

Right?? He asked what we were doing there and I said "going to a competition. We are only staying over night." He insisted that I show him a picture ID for my daughter and when I told him she didn't have one as she was 12 and is only required to have a birth certificate, he gave me a hard time and said "how am I supposed to know that is actually her??" Ummm ask her? What a nightmare!

[Clarea]

Right?? He asked what we were doing there and I said "going to a competition. We are only staying over night." He insisted that I show him a picture ID for my daughter and when I told him she didn't have one as she was 12 and is only required to have a birth certificate, he gave me a hard time and said "how am I supposed to know that is actually her??" Ummm ask her? What a nightmare!

Catch 22.

 

Similar thing used to happen to us when flying with our daughter. Back then, you didn't need an ID if you were under 16. Our daughter was tall for her age, so we were always asked for her ID. We would say she was under 16, but they still would ask for proof.

[CheerMom15]

Catch 22.

 

Similar thing used to happen to us when flying with our daughter. Back then, you didn't need an ID if you were under 16. Our daughter was tall for her age, so we were always asked for her ID. We would say she was under 16, but they still would ask for proof.

 

Its still a rule that they only need a birth certificate to cross under 16. She is very much 12 (my older daughter who wasn't with us definitely looks like an adult so I could see if it was her). The only reason I had an ID for her was because I had an old school ID from when she was 8 or so. But what if she was home schooled? We have kids on the team that are and they don't have picture IDs... He was a very angry man. Other parents were traveling without fathers/spouses and had kids with different last names the their agents didn't ask a thing. I did the right thing and got the 3rd degree! lol

[emory2001]

True, but how does customs and officials know that there isn't a custody dispute or court order and that the couple is together? I would get a letter to be safe. It would be pretty easy for anyone to just say they are travelling without their spouse.

Chances are they won't ask for it, but I wouldn't want to risk it.

 

I get that, but if it's so important then the rules should be much more clear and consistently enforced.

[Camlott]

I'm going on the Enchantment in March with my 7 year old. My husband will not be traveling this time. My child and I have the same last name. We both have passports.

 

Question is, do I need a written, notarized letter from my hubby stating it's ok to take our child without him?

 

The RCCL website basically sucks, and I am having an impossible time finding out anything on the site.

 

I gave my wife a week off without kids (or husband) this past year and I took my kids on a cruise. Although I ended up not needing it and both of my kids have their own passport, I still used this form just in case. I didn't volunteer it, but had it ready at check-in and when going through customs.

 

http://www.freewebs.com/thedocxpert/Minor%20Travel%20Consent.pdf

[6rugrats]

Suggest you get the notarized form. It's better then being denied boarding.

 

I took my DD and her friend to the UK. At passport control, I had to show my husband's death certificate and the permission letter from the friend's parents. I always have to show this documentation when traveling to Canada.

 

We are traveling to South Africa next summer, and they require not only the death certificate, but a certified copy of my DD's birth certificate.

 

Check for entry requirements to any country you are planning to visit and never rely on what a TA or a cruise line employee tells you. They are not immigration officers.

[HeidiHo]

I would have a notarized letter, "just in case." This is not exactly the same thing but here is an example of something that recently happened to someone I know. My friend had relatives from S Korea coming to the USA for a visit. They were bringing their 7 y/o grandson with them. US immigrations almost denied them entry into the because they had no written permission from the boys parents to bring him into the US. They were almost put on a plane right back to S Korea. In the end they were let in but it was a close call. Like I said, this is not the same thing, especially since they were trying to bring someone INTO the US rather than out of but you just never know. Actually, I think they should have been stopped from boarding the plane in S Korea in the first place but that is something else.

[mollyeilis]

I'm going on the Enchantment in March with my 7 year old. My husband will not be traveling this time. My child and I have the same last name. We both have passports.

 

Question is, do I need a written, notarized letter from my hubby stating it's ok to take our child without him?

 

Just do it. It takes no time. Go to your bank, ask for a notary, and have it signed. Easy and very likely free.

 

 

In the absence of a court order or custody dispute, you each have equal rights to take the child anywhere. You don't need a permission slip.

 

Since customs agents don't live in my house, and therefore do not know what sort of custody arrangements might be current, I'd rather bring something showing that it's all cool.

 

 

Canadian border agents are horrible. I was coming back in to Canada (we are Canadian) with our son and had all the appropriate documents and I still got a hard time.

 

If I was doing something bad, why would I be bringing him back?

 

He night not have been the son in the documents. He might have been someone else.

 

Catch 22.

 

Similar thing used to happen to us when flying with our daughter. Back then, you didn't need an ID if you were under 16.

 

You still don't need an ID for domestic flights for that age range. And you don't need a passport for land border crossings into Canada.

 

 

 

All that said, did I bring anything when DS and I flew seperately from DH to Europe? Of course I didn't.

 

If I were a more stressy person the conversation with the agents at Heathrow would have bothered me more; or perhaps it was the whopping 40 minutes of fractured sleep I had had, or the fact that 2 hours for landing to taking off to fly to Dublin is NOT enough at Heathrow...but instead I found it frustrating but funny.

 

"Who is this?" "My son." "Why is his name different?" "Because we hyphenated his but husband and I kept our names." "What is your job?" "I'm an at home mom and I homeschool my son." "If you don't have a job, how did you pay for this trip?"

 

At that point I *nearly* said something snarky and untruthful along the lines of doing illegal activities to get the money, but I refrained. Whew. I DID say, while feeling rather humiliated, "uh, my husband works."

 

At that point it was "Where is his father?" The answer was "he flew in about 12 hours ago and is already in Ireland."

 

And that's when the dude let us continue on.

 

Holy moly.

 

Get the notarized letter. :)

[marycat33]

Better to be safe than sorry. We have always gotten one but have never been asked to show it. Not worth the risk of not having it though.