Consent letter from spouse
June 27, 2010 1:10 PM Subscribe
One parent traveling abroad with child. What form of consent letter is required from spouse?
Spouse not coming on vacation but has given full consent for trip. Resident in Canada, Traveling to UK. Does a letter require a special notarization? Does the UK have different requirements on the way back?
Spouse not coming on vacation but has given full consent for trip. Resident in Canada, Traveling to UK. Does a letter require a special notarization? Does the UK have different requirements on the way back?
You don't need any letter.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 1:17 PM on June 27, 2010
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 1:17 PM on June 27, 2010
I've traveled overseas (to the UK, as well) with my daughter, and was never questioned about it, despite the fact that we have different surnames. Mrs. Deadmessenger and I did write and sign a notarized letter before leaving the US that said. in short, that I had full authorization to travel alone with our daughter, but I never had to show it to anyone. We were traveling on US passports, and entering the UK on a flight from the Netherlands.
posted by deadmessenger at 1:19 PM on June 27, 2010
posted by deadmessenger at 1:19 PM on June 27, 2010
Why would you need a letter at all? You're a legal guardian, that's all you need to be.
This may not apply to the OP, but in my case, we did a notarized letter just in case someone at immigration decided that an adult male traveling alone with a 12-year-old female with a different surname rasied a red flag and decided to press the issue. Passports do not say anything about a child's legal guardian, and we decided that it was better to have a letter clarifying that issue and not need it than need it and not have it.
Whether such a letter would have helped in the slightest if the issue arose remains unknown, though.
posted by deadmessenger at 1:25 PM on June 27, 2010
This may not apply to the OP, but in my case, we did a notarized letter just in case someone at immigration decided that an adult male traveling alone with a 12-year-old female with a different surname rasied a red flag and decided to press the issue. Passports do not say anything about a child's legal guardian, and we decided that it was better to have a letter clarifying that issue and not need it than need it and not have it.
Whether such a letter would have helped in the slightest if the issue arose remains unknown, though.
posted by deadmessenger at 1:25 PM on June 27, 2010
Actually it's not all that clear-cut. I am divorced and was the primary guardian of my two children and had legal custody. Whenever my ex-husband took the children to Canada or the Caribbean, he had to have a letter signed from me (with my phone # on it in case they wanted to call me at the border - this did happen once) saying he had my permission to leave the country with them.
I know this was probably more of a flag since it was divorced parents, though I don't know how they could possibly know this unless they ask, but I think it does get questioned more now that it used to be. Better to be safe than get stuck. I agree that if you are one of the legal guardians (i.e. custodial parents) of the child, this should really not be a problem. Just have some identification showing you are a legal guardian.
posted by garnetgirl at 1:26 PM on June 27, 2010
I know this was probably more of a flag since it was divorced parents, though I don't know how they could possibly know this unless they ask, but I think it does get questioned more now that it used to be. Better to be safe than get stuck. I agree that if you are one of the legal guardians (i.e. custodial parents) of the child, this should really not be a problem. Just have some identification showing you are a legal guardian.
posted by garnetgirl at 1:26 PM on June 27, 2010
I would recommend a letter of consent, there are samples here from Foreign Affairs Canada
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 1:44 PM on June 27, 2010
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 1:44 PM on June 27, 2010
And yes, my wife was asked by US customs when travelling from Canada. They wanted proof that she was the parent, and that she has authority to be travelling alone with the kids.
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 1:48 PM on June 27, 2010
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 1:48 PM on June 27, 2010
When I traveled from the US with my minor daughter in 1993, the airline required a notarized letter from her father. Immigration never asked though, an=t any border. (US, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala)
posted by SLC Mom at 2:31 PM on June 27, 2010
posted by SLC Mom at 2:31 PM on June 27, 2010
You absolutely need a notarized travel consent form to leave Canada. That took about 5 seconds to Google. You can print it yourself and take it to a notary.
When I traveled out of my country as a minor with one parent, I needed a notarized affidavit with the other parent's permission. I was asked to show it not just when leaving my country, but when entering the US as well (I needed permits from both parents every time when traveling on my own). My single mother friend was only able to cross the U.S.-Canada border with an official, court-issued child abandonment certificate (or something similar), proving that she is the only guardian.
posted by halogen at 2:33 PM on June 27, 2010
When I traveled out of my country as a minor with one parent, I needed a notarized affidavit with the other parent's permission. I was asked to show it not just when leaving my country, but when entering the US as well (I needed permits from both parents every time when traveling on my own). My single mother friend was only able to cross the U.S.-Canada border with an official, court-issued child abandonment certificate (or something similar), proving that she is the only guardian.
posted by halogen at 2:33 PM on June 27, 2010
I am a US citizen. My wife has traveled to France, Turkey, Mexico and Australia with our children without me. Never was there an issue. How do they (whomever is asking) even know if there is another living parent? Passports and visas were enough.
On the other hand, my son has traveled with friends and a group to Canada and we provided a notarized letter attesting to our authorization to do so. Not sure if it was ever used or asked for.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 2:37 PM on June 27, 2010
On the other hand, my son has traveled with friends and a group to Canada and we provided a notarized letter attesting to our authorization to do so. Not sure if it was ever used or asked for.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 2:37 PM on June 27, 2010
You need a letter and I suggest more. I have traveled through the UK a number of times with my niece and I have always been closely questioned.. See my answer to a similar question.
posted by Long Way To Go at 2:54 PM on June 27, 2010
posted by Long Way To Go at 2:54 PM on June 27, 2010
Yes, my most recent (U.S.) passport renewal came with a warning that parental kidnapping is a crime and fleeing the country with my minor children is prosecutable. It's always a good idea to have a letter from the other parent, if applicable.
Incidentally, there was a BIG case local to me a few years ago -- it was even on Dr. Phil -- where a divorced father had joined an ultra-conservative Christian cultish group, and kidnapped his two daughters and fled with them to somewhere in South America. It was like five years before the wife saw her daughters again, who had been pretty comprehensively brainwashed by then. Had they checked whether the daughters had permission to travel from the non-present parent, the kidnapping could have been discovered on U.S. soil.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 3:50 PM on June 27, 2010
Incidentally, there was a BIG case local to me a few years ago -- it was even on Dr. Phil -- where a divorced father had joined an ultra-conservative Christian cultish group, and kidnapped his two daughters and fled with them to somewhere in South America. It was like five years before the wife saw her daughters again, who had been pretty comprehensively brainwashed by then. Had they checked whether the daughters had permission to travel from the non-present parent, the kidnapping could have been discovered on U.S. soil.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 3:50 PM on June 27, 2010
Response by poster: Quite a mixture of answers here. I think I will take one just in case. Does it need to be signed by a notary or just witnessed. Can a professor serve as a notary?
Thanks so far everyone.
posted by SueDenim at 5:00 PM on June 27, 2010
Thanks so far everyone.
posted by SueDenim at 5:00 PM on June 27, 2010
Just a note, I have found massive inconsistencies during my international travel. Not just among different countries, but even among different immigration officials and airline staff of the same country / airline. My suggestion is to take the most risk free path, ie: if someone at some point needed a letter get it.
posted by bindasj at 5:41 PM on June 27, 2010
posted by bindasj at 5:41 PM on June 27, 2010
I am not a Canadian, but I am a notary in the U.S. A notary is a specific, licensed thing; I am licensed by the state, I am bonded, and I am therefore able to notarize various documents. Rules in the US vary from state to state, and in Canada probably therefore from province to province (and are ALMOST CERTAINLY different in Quebec than in the rest of Canada; civil law jurisdictions treat notaries different than common law jurisdictions, and the word "notary" has a different meaning in Romance languages than in English -- there are specific laws relating to how I'd be allowed to advertise in Spanish to prevent confusion).
In the U.S., anyone who wants to get the license can be a notary, so a professor certainly COULD be a notary. But it's a little unclear whether you mean "my professor says he's a notary, is that possible?" or "can my professor WITNESS my document" (which he certainly could, but would not be the same as a notary).
In the U.S., most banks have a notary and you can usually go to your bank to get something notarized. You can call ahead and make sure. Sometimes (in the U.S.) you may have to pay a nominal fee (in my state limited to $1) if you're not a member of the bank but it's almost always free for members.
Wikipedia knows a little about it.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:07 PM on June 27, 2010
In the U.S., anyone who wants to get the license can be a notary, so a professor certainly COULD be a notary. But it's a little unclear whether you mean "my professor says he's a notary, is that possible?" or "can my professor WITNESS my document" (which he certainly could, but would not be the same as a notary).
In the U.S., most banks have a notary and you can usually go to your bank to get something notarized. You can call ahead and make sure. Sometimes (in the U.S.) you may have to pay a nominal fee (in my state limited to $1) if you're not a member of the bank but it's almost always free for members.
Wikipedia knows a little about it.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:07 PM on June 27, 2010
Does it need to be signed by a notary or just witnessed. Can a professor serve as a notary?
From the link to Foreign Affairs I gave previously:
Although anyone can witness/sign these letters, it is advisable to have the consent letter certified, stamped or sealed by an official who has the authority to administer an oath or solemn declaration (i.e., a commissioner for oaths, notary public, lawyer, etc.) so that the validity of the letter will not be questioned. It is up to each official/individual who witnesses such a letter to decide what proof he/she needs to see to be able to witness/sign the letter. Officials should only witness/sign a letter of consent if he/she is convinced that the individual requesting the letter is who he/she claims to be and that adequate proof has been provided.
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 6:58 PM on June 27, 2010
From the link to Foreign Affairs I gave previously:
Although anyone can witness/sign these letters, it is advisable to have the consent letter certified, stamped or sealed by an official who has the authority to administer an oath or solemn declaration (i.e., a commissioner for oaths, notary public, lawyer, etc.) so that the validity of the letter will not be questioned. It is up to each official/individual who witnesses such a letter to decide what proof he/she needs to see to be able to witness/sign the letter. Officials should only witness/sign a letter of consent if he/she is convinced that the individual requesting the letter is who he/she claims to be and that adequate proof has been provided.
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 6:58 PM on June 27, 2010
I would be safe and get one.
Although implemented more in the continental EU countriesthan the UK (now there's a surprise!) , there is an initiative to stop spouses "alienating " their children across state lines that you may fall foul of especially as the travelllers have different surnames.
posted by Wilder at 12:48 AM on June 28, 2010
Although implemented more in the continental EU countriesthan the UK (now there's a surprise!) , there is an initiative to stop spouses "alienating " their children across state lines that you may fall foul of especially as the travelllers have different surnames.
posted by Wilder at 12:48 AM on June 28, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 1:15 PM on June 27, 2010