Parental permission required?

[Katgoesonholiday]

We plan to take our niece on a south east Asia cruise with us. She will be 17 at the time. She is estranged from her mother, has no contact with her genetic father, and lives with her step-grandparents.

 

Legal guardians are her mother and maternal grandfather.

 

Do we need written permission to bring her with us on this cruise?

Edited January 7, 2017 by Katgoesonholiday

[wallie5446]

You need to call Celebrity on this. Do not chance an incorrect answer from someone that does not know the requirements in New Zealand.

Edited January 7, 2017 by wallie5446

[Katgoesonholiday]

You need to call Celebrity on this. Do not chance an incorrect answer from someone that does not know the requirements in New Zealand.

 

Thanks!

[wallie5446]

FYI

 

Here in the States, years ago, my ex had custody, I had visitation. When we took my Son ( who was under 18 ) we had to get a noterised statement from her allowing me to take him out of the country.

 

I would assume :eek: ( ya know wat dat means ) the same would be true there.

[donaldsc]

In addition to whatever "permission to travel" documentation you need to have, you should also get a notarized legal statement "permission to treat medically" document just in case she needs to have medical treatment on the cruise. Also copies of any important medical information such as prescriptions that she might be taking and names of her doctors.

 

DON

[DrivesLikeMario]

You absolutely do need notarized permission. It's not just the cruise line. I know people that were stopped by the airline from taking their daughter's friend (without the kids' legal guardians) out of the country.

 

Do not put this off or a wonderful trip could be ruined. Get it IN WRITING from Celebrity as to what they want. Their requirements change from year to year. Make sure you follow it exactly. Also, get any Visas as far in advance as possible.

[gold1953]

Each country has it's own regulations . We took our grandson on trips and the age was different in the US and Canada. Cover all your bases.

We took him to Dominican Republic and they required papers only obtainable through their embassy here in Canada. As we found out too late we ignored the law and took him as his official ID has the same address as ours and he had the same last name.. plus we were young enough to be his parents . It worked

We still needed legal papers until he was 18 although customs agents laughed since he was much bigger than I am and they said he wouldn't be going with someone he didn't want to be with

[Fish Lover]

The following is from Celebrity's FAQs. I know this ti be true ancd corect because I had to show my divorce papers to travel on Celebrity with my minor daughter.

 

FAMILY LEGAL DOCUMENTS

Should the last names of the parent and minor child traveling with them differ, the parent is required to present the child's valid passport and visa (if required) and the child's birth certificate (original, a notarized copy or a certified copy). The name of the parent(s) and the child must be linked through legal documentation.

 

Adults who are not the parent or Legal Guardian of any minor child traveling with them are required to present the child's valid passport and visa or the child's birth certificate (original, a notarized copy or a certified copy) and an original notarized letter signed by at least one of the child's parents. The notarized letter from the child's parent must authorize the traveling adult to take the child on the specific cruise, must authorize guardian to sign legal documentation/waivers for participation in any activities requiring them and must authorize the traveling adult to supervise the child and permit any medical treatment that must be administered to the child. If a non-parent adult is a Legal Guardian, the adult must present a certified certificate of Guardianship with respect to the child.

 

She is still a minor. So you will have to have a copy of the guardianship papers and a signed notarized letter from the grandfather permitting you to travel with her. The letter should be as specific as possible (ie: ship name, sail dates, other before and after travel itinerary details etc). That should suffice.

 

if you are told anything to the contrary by customer service, DO NOT rely on it. Be prepared with what I described above. This should also be sufficient if you Are visiting anywhere outside the country. Also, do NOT give anyone original documents. Be prepared with multiple copies. This policy is also driven by the sensitivity of kidnapping and trafficking in minor children and is often required traveling by any means outside the country.

[Katgoesonholiday]

Thank you so much for the awesome and prompt advice.

 

Guardianship may be changing in the next few months which will make obtaining permission much easier. Otherwise we will look at deferring the trip till she is 18 (six months later) as I don't trust her mother not to cause trouble at the last minute.

[okieyankee]

We plan to take our niece on a south east Asia cruise with us. She will be 17 at the time. She is estranged from her mother, has no contact with her genetic father, and lives with her step-grandparents.

 

Legal guardians are her mother and maternal grandfather.

 

Do we need written permission to bring her with us on this cruise?

Celebrity.com has the requirements for this. We cruised with our 12 year old grandson last summer and had to have a "parental consent to travel" signed and notarized by one of the parents. It didn't matter if it was the custodial parent or not. Best to contact Celebrity.

 

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk

[Fish Lover]

Thank you so much for the awesome and prompt advice.

 

Guardianship may be changing in the next few months which will make obtaining permission much easier. Otherwise we will look at deferring the trip till she is 18 (six months later) as I don't trust her mother not to cause trouble at the last minute.

 

If the grandfather has legal guardianship (even if shared with the mother) and he gives written permission, then you are ok legally. If you really think she may try to prevent her from going, and for example get a court order to try and revoke permission or change guardianship, then it may be best to wait. However, if all the mother is going to do is spew threats etc... then the grandfather's permission is all you need. You know best how to judge the situation and the person's involved. Whenever you do go, I'm sure it will be the trip of her lifetime!

[dkjretired]

If the grandfather has legal guardianship (even if shared with the mother) and he gives written permission, then you are ok legally. If you really think she may try to prevent her from going, and for example get a court order to try and revoke permission or change guardianship, then it may be best to wait. However, if all the mother is going to do is spew threats etc... then the grandfather's permission is all you need. You know best how to judge the situation and the person's involved. Whenever you do go, I'm sure it will be the trip of her lifetime!

 

You need to get what is needed in writing from the cruiseline. Your needs are not set by the cruise line but the countries you will visit on your trip. Remember other countries have no obligation to accept a court order from a US court. With that being said you usually have no problem with closed loop cruises. Your best bet is to ignore everything you have read except the advice to contact the cruise line.

[wilmingtech]

We travel alot and sometimes we bring our kids friends with us. In our case to travel over the border to Mexico or Canada we have a document similar to this filled out, signed by the childs legal parent and notorized.

https://photos.state.gov/libraries/unitedkingdom/164203/cons-acs/sample_letter_of_consent_to_travel.pdf

 

Another document that isn't required but good to have is a Medical Consent form. This allows you to make decisions for the child's care should anything happen.

 

You should check the rules of the cruiseline and the country you are traveling to because it is different in each place.

 

Have a great trip!

 

-Sean

[Fish Lover]

You need to get what is needed in writing from the cruiseline. Your needs are not set by the cruise line but the countries you will visit on your trip. Remember other countries have no obligation to accept a court order from a US court. With that being said you usually have no problem with closed loop cruises. Your best bet is to ignore everything you have read except the advice to contact the cruise line.

 

Celebrity customer service is notoriously wrong ... often. I would not count on some untrained cs representative earning minimum wage with such important information. They will, at best, repeat what is in the FAQ. Furthermore, if a person has a copy of the court ordered guardianship papers and notarized permission from the guardian, it will be honored in almost (I hesitate to say all, since I am not familiar with every countries requirements) all countries, especially a sailing (as you say) which begins and ends in the US. It is far better to be over prepared than under prepared.

 

Also, your earlier comment regarding a notarized statement to obtain medical care and make emergency medical decisions is an excellent one (including medications list, allergies list and doctor contact info).

[DavidYYC]

We travelled with our then-15 year old daughter, and her 16 year old friend, to the Med in 2010. Celebrity would not let us board in Rome until we had produced the notarized letter of permission from her parents.

 

It would have been a disaster if we had not had one.

[rjg41]

Here as some great forms you can use. They provide both travel permission and medical. I was a TA for 10 years and and were used by my clients. http://www.freewebs.com/docdiva/Minor%20Travel%20Consent.pdf

[GUT2407]

We plan to take our niece on a south east Asia cruise with us. She will be 17 at the time. She is estranged from her mother, has no contact with her genetic father, and lives with her step-grandparents.

 

Legal guardians are her mother and maternal grandfather.

 

Do we need written permission to bring her with us on this cruise?

 

I believe so.

[GUT2407]

Here as some great forms you can use. They provide both travel permission and medical. I was a TA for 10 years and and were used by my clients. http://www.freewebs.com/docdiva/Minor%20Travel%20Consent.pdf

 

But are they USA or NZ.

[GUT2407]

If the grandfather has legal guardianship (even if shared with the mother) and he gives written permission, then you are ok legally. If you really think she may try to prevent her from going, and for example get a court order to try and revoke permission or change guardianship, then it may be best to wait. However, if all the mother is going to do is spew threats etc... then the grandfather's permission is all you need. You know best how to judge the situation and the person's involved. Whenever you do go, I'm sure it will be the trip of her lifetime!

 

Not strictly true I'm sorry, it will depend on the precise wording of the orders.

[dkjretired]

Celebrity customer service is notoriously wrong ... often. I would not count on some untrained cs representative earning minimum wage with such important information. They will, at best, repeat what is in the FAQ. Furthermore, if a person has a copy of the court ordered guardianship papers and notarized permission from the guardian, it will be honored in almost (I hesitate to say all, since I am not familiar with every countries requirements) all countries, especially a sailing (as you say) which begins and ends in the US. It is far better to be over prepared than under prepared.

 

Also, your earlier comment regarding a notarized statement to obtain medical care and make emergency medical decisions is an excellent one (including medications list, allergies list and doctor contact info).

 

That's why I said get it in writing and also said generally it is not a problem on closed loop cruises. The cruise line is the one who knows the requirements of each country on the itinerary, not the people on this board.

 

This topic becomes a problem with land vacations in a country for more than 24 hours, than it becomes complicated. In those cases they usually want signatures from both parents irregardless of who has custody but that's not relevant here.

Edited January 8, 2017 by dkjretired

[Fish Lover]

Not strictly true I'm sorry, it will depend on the precise wording of the orders.

 

It is, if he is listed as a guardian without restriction.

[Fish Lover]

Here as some great forms you can use. They provide both travel permission and medical. I was a TA for 10 years and and were used by my clients. http://www.freewebs.com/docdiva/Minor%20Travel%20Consent.pdf

 

Excellent form and explains in greater detail the exact process I out lined earlier. If the poster is very concerned, then rather than call Celebrity, call a family law attorney. You may find one who will answer the question over the phone or give you a free consultation.

[dkjretired]

Excellent form and explains in greater detail the exact process I out lined earlier. If the poster is very concerned, then rather than call Celebrity, call a family law attorney. You may find one who will answer the question over the phone or give you a free consultation.

 

This has come up before, family attorney can't answer the question, he does not know the requirements of the countries you are visiting.

[GUT2407]

This has come up before, family attorney can't answer the question, he does not know the requirements of the countries you are visiting.

 

Well actually he should be able to find out quick smart.

 

Or hand in his practicing certificate.

[dkjretired]

Well actually he should be able to find out quick smart.

 

Or hand in his practicing certificate.

 

In the ops case, they need a lawyer to see who can sign and the cruise line to tell them what their rules are.