Certified letter from Spouse to take kids on cruise without spouse?

[Vacation2010]

I am taking my two kids (aged 3 & 4) on a HAL cruise to Alaska. It is a multi-generation trip, with grandparents, kids, and grandkids going. However, my husband may not be able to make it. My mom (who is planning the trip) recently told me that I would need to bring a notarized letter from my husband authorizing me to take the kids. This sounds fishy to me, but I thought I would ask here to see if anyone had ever heard of this requirement. Anyone? Is this really a requirement? Thanks!

[Arwenmark]

I am taking my two kids (aged 3 & 4) on a HAL cruise to Alaska. It is a multi-generation trip, with grandparents, kids, and grandkids going. However, my husband may not be able to make it. My mom (who is planning the trip) recently told me that I would need to bring a notarized letter from my husband authorizing me to take the kids. This sounds fishy to me, but I thought I would ask here to see if anyone had ever heard of this requirement. Anyone? Is this really a requirement? Thanks!

 

Yes it absolutely is, and there is a specific form for it so contact your particular cruiseline.

[KSCPA]

Yes it absolutely is, and there is a specific form for it so contact your particular cruiseline.

You have got to be kidding me....I have to get my EX to sign a form??

No one told me that...Not the TA...I have a passport for him...that better be good enough !!??:confused:

[scubagirrl]

You have got to be kidding me....I have to get my EX to sign a form??

No one told me that...Not the TA...I have a passport for him...that better be good enough !!??:confused:

 

Not good enough.. the Child Protection Services make it mandatory. They want to make sure you are not absconding away with you kids.

[JudyOh]

In the Princess Brochure under "General Information": "Several countries require special documentation for children traveling without both parents, these requirements are subject to change without notice. It is your responsibility to ensure that you possess the proper documents for all of the countries that you will visit. Please verify requirements with the immigration offices prior to your cruise."

 

The HAL brochure did not make any reference to this. I would advice both to call respective cruiselines and ask to speak to Customer Service, not reservations, and write down the full name, the date and the time you spoke to them.

[KSCPA]

In the Princess Brochure under "General Information": "Several countries require special documentation for children traveling without both parents, these requirements are subject to change without notice. It is your responsibility to ensure that you possess the proper documents for all of the countries that you will visit. Please verify requirements with the immigration offices prior to your cruise."

 

The HAL brochure did not make any reference to this. I would advice both to call respective cruiselines and ask to speak to Customer Service, not reservations, and write down the full name, the date and the time you spoke to them.

I just called Princess (TA did)...they no longer require this form...they used to...they noted on my reservation I would be traveling with son and I will not have any problems...I told him (TA-Manager) about the Section "Passenger Obligations" and he said it no longer applies...(Must just be outdated).....Hope this eases everyones mind...I know I was a bit upset when I read this thread!!

[*Kendra*]

I recently read about this on here. I am having a hard time finding it on the Costa site and our booking number is through an Italian TA so to call Costa I would have to call the Italian line and my Italian is not good enough to speak to someone on the phone.... I am going to talk to my TA tomorrow to see if she can be of any assistance. I really hope I dont need it. I went ahead and typed a form and sent it to her dad. Who knows if he is going to take care of it. It took four times just to get the passport paper filled out properly, the idiot spelt his own daughters name wrong twice and got her birthday wrong the third time.

[KSCPA]

I got my sons passport without his signature...just wrote he was unavailable...not able to get in touch with...on the special circumstances section...they wanted more detail so I gave it to them...BS...ya know!!!

Try not to worry....I could see if you were getting a one way ticket...but on a cruise your coming back!!

[Kerry's Girls]

I just called Princess (TA did)...they no longer require this form...they used to...they noted on my reservation I would be traveling with son and I will not have any problems...I told him (TA-Manager) about the Section "Passenger Obligations" and he said it no longer applies...(Must just be outdated).....Hope this eases everyones mind...I know I was a bit upset when I read this thread!!

 

Just FYI - the cruise line is not the only entity you need to be concerned about. I was asked for this documentation at immigration on my way back into the U.S. after one of our cruises. If I didn't have it and had a flight to catch, I could have been in trouble time-wise. Personally, if I'm travelling alone with my kids, I wouldn't go without it if at all possible.

 

Best,

Mia

[richwmn]

I got my sons passport without his signature...just wrote he was unavailable...not able to get in touch with...on the special circumstances section...they wanted more detail so I gave it to them...BS...ya know!!!

Try not to worry....I could see if you were getting a one way ticket...but on a cruise your coming back!!

Since your son now has a passport, how would you feel if your ex took him on a cruise and "missed the ship" in Jamaca?

[SaySumthing]

I agree. You may have a big problem with customs going into foreign countries or returning if you do not have the form.

 

If you have sole legal and physical custody of your child you should bring that paperwork with you and you may be ok since the dad doesn't have any rights anyway, if you don't, then you should speak with your family law attorney before proceeding.

[Arwenmark]

I got my sons passport without his signature...just wrote he was unavailable...not able to get in touch with...on the special circumstances section...they wanted more detail so I gave it to them...BS...ya know!!!

Try not to worry....I could see if you were getting a one way ticket...but on a cruise your coming back!!

 

I am afraid that you are asking for trouble. DO contact your lawyer. The cruiseline is not the one that requires it by law. Though I am surprised anyone told you they didn't need it.

[KSCPA]

I might need it if I was traveling to another country...I could see that. If my ex were taking him on a cruise I would be quite thrilled!! I dont see that!! LOL

[vavasmom]

I agree. You may have a big problem with customs going into foreign countries or returning if you do not have the form.

 

If you have sole legal and physical custody of your child you should bring that paperwork with you and you may be ok since the dad doesn't have any rights anyway, if you don't, then you should speak with your family law attorney before proceeding.

 

If you have sole physical and legal custody you are ok as long as you have a certified copy of your custody order. You also use your sole legal and physical order to obtain a passport w/o the other parent. I have sole physical and legal custody of DD.

 

I can tell you that Canadian Immigration will most likely check and there is a possibility that US Immigration may also check.

[richwmn]

Since your son now has a passport, how would you feel if your ex took him on a cruise and "missed the ship" in Jamaca?

 

I might need it if I was traveling to another country...I could see that. If my ex were taking him on a cruise I would be quite thrilled!! I dont see that!! LOL

 

I think you missed where I said "missed the ship", in other words kept your son. By not requiring a permission letter you are setting yourself up for that. Also, all the islands are "another country"

[lumpkin8]

Hi, I was just reading this and am confused. My husband can't go on our cruise, so i am just taking our daughters. How would anyone (cruise line or immigration, or another country) know that I even have a husband or that my kids have a father? There are plenty of single-parent-by-choice households, and there are no 2nd parents to get permission from! How could this be required?

[CeleBrat]

It seems to be very loosely enforced (if at all) policy.

 

I have sailed several times with the kids, but no DH, and have not taken a letter, nor been asked for it.

 

And, while at each port, you simply walk off the ship. You do not go through customs, so no one is aware who you are traveling with.

 

I DID have a friend who had to provide a notarized letter for her daughter b/c she was not traveling in the same cabin as her daughter on the ship. Actually, she was, but she booked her daughter in her mother's cabin to avoid her mother having to pay a single supplement. (Yes, she was a good daughter took the hit on the single supplement in her cabin.) None-the-less, she was a little frustrated about needing to get that letter authorizing permission for the daughter to "stay" in a separate cabin on the same ship. Interestingly, she did not have to provide a letter from DH (who was not with her that trip) authorizing travel. Rather, they were just concerned about her being separate from the traveling parent on the ship. And, she was upfront about DH not being there either.

 

CeleBrat

[CC Help Michell]

Since your son now has a passport, how would you feel if your ex took him on a cruise and "missed the ship" in Jamaca?

 

Or, say... Brazil... a country with no extradition treaty with the US? This isn't some "OMG! How STUPID!" requirement like some posts on this thread imply. Spouses and ex-spouses really DO abscond with children to countries in an attempt to keep the other parent from seeing the child.

 

I do agree that enforcement in this regard is somewhat spotty, but I think most countries' immigration officials do their best to make sure they aren't admitting a parental kidnapper (how do they know if it's just for a day off a cruise ship, or for a day off a cruise ship followed immediately by vanishing into the local economy and never re-boarding the ship?).

 

If a traveler is a single guardian for an accompanying child (no matter the reason -- divorce, single parent by choice, whatever), it's wise to make sure you have the documents to support that. Birth certificate with "unknown," for instance. If a traveler is one of two parents for an accompanying child, but both parents aren't traveling (no matter the reason -- divorce, business needs, whatever), it's wise to make sure you have the documents to support that the other parent has consented to the trip (the notarized statement, for example).

 

You MIGHT not ever be asked about any of it -- but you MIGHT be denied boarding without it. There was a lengthy thread on these boards about a year ago when a mom and her teen daughter (age 17 -- she'd lived with mom as sole custodial parent since she was 10 or so, if I recall) were DENIED BOARDING on a cruise because the daughter's birth certificate showed a father's name, the child wasn't 18, and there was no notarized letter.

[tandrsmom]

Anyway, why take chances? Agree with it or not, just do it and save yourself potential heartache...

[whimseysgirl]

I live in Canada but travel to the US with my son a lot. I always bring a letter from my husband, and we get asked for it at least 50% of the time, most often coming back into Canada, but regularly enough going south as well... Even if you're sailing an Alaskan cruise, departing from and arriving in a US port, you're still going though foreign waters, and it's just one more safeguard should anything go awry (getting stuck in Victoria, or another CDN port, needing to be airlifted by CDN coast guard). I'd get the letter - it's pretty easy to track down a notary, and it's better for peace of mind, IMO.

[Pete'sMom]

I just booked today for a Monday sailing. I'm a single mom with joint custody. Carnival did recommend the notarized letter. My ex-husband immediately took care of it for me. How lucky was I not to fight for a change. If you have the time and can do it it may make your life easier.

[CeleBrat]

Just thinking about this more last night as I was drifting off to sleep....

 

Earlier this year, as we were returning from our Mediterranean cruise, DH had to leave a day early due to work. So, the kids and I (and extended family) flew out from Barcelona to the US, and the were no problems at all checking in at the airport sans DH. The notarized letter really seems to be something that hasn't seemed to be a trip-stopping issue for us. Maybe were just lucky?

 

CeleBrat

[6rugrats]

There are several different issues being discussed on this thread.

 

1. OP, if you live in the US and are traveling on an Alaska cruise, you probably do not need a notarized letter. However, it never hurts to have one.

 

2. KSCPA - A passport is not the same as a permission to travel letter. An ex or other parent may give permission for a child to obtain a passport (or you can get one without their permission), but that doesn't mean the child may travel out-of-the country. It appears your cruise is only going to the Caribbean, so you will probably be o.k. w/o this letter, but there is always the possibly you will be asked for it by immigration. If you were going to Mexico, you absolutely would need it.

 

3. lumpkin8 - Appears your cruise is to Canada. Advise you to have your husband complete a notarized permission to travel letter. You will probably never be asked for it but if you are, and you don't have it, it will be messy. All children have a father! No time for a debate as to why it's required.

 

4. Celebrat - Letter is usually not an issue for a return from Europe to the US.

[lovesublime]

I've read through this thread and I'm more confused than ever. I've traveled all over the world with my son (since he was an infant) to places including the U.K. Germany, France, Belgium and Mexico without my husband and have never once been asked to produce a letter or permission from anyone. Never, not once!

 

I have to agree with the poster who asked how does anyone even know if there is another parent or not. So many people are raising children alone these days. Singles are adopting children. People are having children without a spouse or even a father's name on the birth certificate. I understand that all children have a father, but what if he's just an anonymous sperm donor or maybe a deadbeat who disappeared? What then?

[nothriver]

There are several different issues being discussed on this thread.

 

1. OP, if you live in the US and are traveling on an Alaska cruise, you probably do not need a notarized letter. However, it never hurts to have one.

 

See post 20, almost all Alaska cruises are at some point, in either Canadian or international waters, even if they do not dock in Canada.

 

I'm divorced with joint custody and will be having my ex sign a notarized letter. Just in case. It is free to have a document notarized, only takes a few minutes to avoid a potential delay/hassle.

 

I think these laws are important to protect children and I'm really glad they are taken seriously. While I'm fortunate to have a unusually agreeable relationship with my former spouse, many divorced parents have, um, "issues", and are not able to put their differences aside for the well being of the children. :(