Any single parents cruised to Alaska?

[sdjen]

We are flying into Vancouver pre cruise. I'm traveling with my 9 year old and I have full custody. I'm wondering if anyone at immigration in Vancouver has been asked for a notorized letter from the non custodial parent? I won't have a problem getting one but wonder if I will need it?

Thanks in advance!

 

[AAAG]

I haven't flown into Vancouver yet, but I have been asked flying into Toronto probably 50% of the time. I would get the letter just in case.

 

[JMHDisney]

I usually drive over to Vancouver rather than fly, but I've been asked every single time I've crossed the border. Canada is all over that.

 

[heywheresperry]

My 13 year old daughter and I flew into Vancouver last year and I was not asked to show a letter but I did take one with me just in case though.

 

[jetskigrl]

I traveled last year without my DH and I had the letter prepared, just in case. The customs agent didn't ask for it but I know it is recommended to have the letter when entering Canada (even if you are still married and just not traveling with your spouse).

 

[ctnurse]

We are flying into Vancouver pre cruise. I'm traveling with my 9 year old and I have full custody. I'm wondering if anyone at immigration in Vancouver has been asked for a notorized letter from the non custodial parent? I won't have a problem getting one but wonder if I will need it?

Thanks in advance!

If you have full legal custody and a court order saying such, do you still need the letter?

 

[KatieMill]

We have a family member that will be travelling with his child....he's gotten his passport and the other parent had to sign for the passport. No need for that letter with the passport, is there?

 

[TXTransplant]

It is my understanding, per the State Dept. website, that unless the other parent is not on the passport at all, then you MAY be asked to provide additional documentation.

Obviously, if there is no second parent at all, the child's passport will reflect this (ie, there will only be one parent's name). If the other parent on the passport is deceased, you may be asked to provide a death certificate.

To obtain a passport for a minor requires the signatures of both parents (unless you submitted a court order explaining why two signatures could not be obtained at the time you applied for the passport). Even if you have full legal custody, the court documents MAY not be sufficient. This is in part because states can have different definitions of sole custody. I was awarded joint legal custody and sole physical custody. My ex has visitation rights (which he would have been awarded even if I had received full legal custody), so we are traveling to Germany with a letter just to be safe.

In fact, the state dept recommends that you travel with the letter even if both parents are still married and one just isn't traveling. IMO, it's not worth the risk of being detained and missing your trip over this issue.

 

[TXTransplant]

We have a family member that will be travelling with his child....he's gotten his passport and the other parent had to sign for the passport. No need for that letter with the passport, is there?

Not true at all...see my previous post. This is the EXACT situation where they would ask for the notarized letter! Just because the other parent consented to a passport doesn't mean they consented to this particular trip (think child abductions where one parent went to "visit family" in a foreign country and never came back).

 

[ctnurse]

If you have sole LEGAL custody, according to the US State dept, as the sole legal custodian you can apply for your child's passport alone and it is not require the non custodial parent to sign.

 

[TXTransplant]

Not trying to argue, but the application form states that if only one parent appears, the other parent must submit "primary evidence of sole authority" to apply. The State Dept website also says that you may need "a court order specifically permitting the applying parent to apply for the child's passport" depending on how your specific custody arrangement is written. The custody order alone may or may not be sufficient to obtain the passport in the first place. Even if you have sole legal custody, it doesn't mean the other parent is out of the picture; there may still be visitation rights and/or restrictions on travel. Again, it all depends on how the agreement is written.

Again, I think the bigger issue when traveling is if BOTH parents' names are on the passport. If they are, and you do not have additional documentation that the child is allowed to travel internationally with just one parent at the time the travel occurs, then that COULD be a problem. Simply having a passport that both parents approved does not "prove" that the other parent gave consent for a specific trip. If it did, then married parents traveling separately wouldn't be asked for this documentation (yet, sometimes they are).

The bottom line is, if the other parent is available/involved at all, it is recommended that you get the letter. Better to be safe than sorry and have a vacation ruined.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

You have to have a passport to get into Canada, right, so what other situation would there be?

Last year DH worked for most of the year in Montreal. On some weekends, instead of him coming home, we would go to Montreal to visit him. So I would be traveling alone with my two children. They have passports which both of us sign for, of course. They would usually ask me why I was traveling etc. and I would tell them that my husband worked there and we were going to visit him. I never brought a letter because I knew my husband would always be just on the other side of security barricade if we needed any kind of verification. But I was never asked for one anyway.

Two years ago I did a one-way cruise from Boston to Quebec City. Afterwards we drove from Quebec City back to Boston. My husband was not with me and we were not asked for any paperwork in either direction. In retrospect, I should've brought some have paperwork with me.

I will say that I'm surprised at how thorough and tough the Canadians are at their checkpoints. I guess I expected to be a little more relaxed with US citizens going in and out of Canada. But they are very thorough and you should probably bring paperwork just in case. It doesn't take that much effort and it will save you a lot of trouble if something comes up.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

Oh I forgot to mention, they did do that thing where they addressed the children directly and asked them where they were going and if I was their mom etc. I always worry that my sons will try to be funny and make some kind of joke and We will end up in the back in some room talking to the TSA or something.

I also forgot to mention that my last name is not the same as my children's as they have their father's last name and I kept my maiden name. So I was actually surprised that they didn't require more for me.

 

[TXTransplant]

I have not heard of very many people actually being asked for the letter. In fact, the only story is have heard is of a co-worker attempting to visit Mexico with her kids. She was married at the time (and is still married), but she was initially denied entry into Mexico because her husband was not traveling with them, and she did not have written permission from him to take the children to Mexico. The situation was resolved pretty quickly (I can't remember if they called him, or if he was already in Mexico and came to meet them, or what). But, again, when I'm spending thousands on a vacation, it's not worth the risk to travel without the letter.

I imagine it's not as much of an issue in Canada because Canada and the U.S. have a history of respecting each other's laws. Remember that story a few years back about the dad who married and divorced a Brazilian woman? She took their son to "visit family" in Brazil and never came back. She filed for divorce in Brazil and the courts there completely ignored the fact that the dad wanted to be involved (and he was granted custody in the U.S. after he filed for divorce here). The mom remarried in Brazil and then passed away, and the Brazilian courts STILL wouldn't return the son to his dad. After years of battling in court, I think they were finally reunited, but it was a huge ordeal.

 

[squirrel]

I'm Canadian and have taken my niece's many times into the US. I find it quite funny that they rarely even notice or care that I'm taking them out of the country but when I come back to return them to their parents I get asked lots of questions. I always get a letter from my sister and BIL (use to have it notarized) but now they don't bother getting it notarized. You would think they would want all the information when I'm taking them out of the country, not when I'm returning!

 

[KatieMill]

There won't be a problem getting it...I just feel bad that we didn't realize this before...they could have gotten the passport paperwork and this document signed at same time. We don't have easy access to a notary. And I do recognize the significance and importance of it all...and makes us even more aware of how grateful both sides should be that things are amicable and they don't have to worry about the other parent abducting.

 

[TXTransplant]

If you have access to a bank, you should be able to get it notarized pretty easily. If it's a bank you do business with, it should be free of charge.

 

[MousseauMob]

I have sole legal and sole physical custody, and when we renew our passports (done it twice now) I have to send in the divorce decree (court document) that has been certified by the judge(has a seal and signature). I had to go to the courthouse and get a certified copy, can't recall how much it cost now. I always travel with this document for proof, and with it we don't need a letter. Which for us is good, because we would not be able to obtain a letter, so the cost of the judge certification was worth every penny. When we crossed the border into Canada they asked where "dad" was, I told them I had sole legal and sole physical custody and I had the document to show them. The guy replied, "nah, it's alright". So, if you have sole legal custody and can get the certified court document you will never need the notarized parental letter again. Otherwise if it's obtainable, I'd definitely get one to avoid any hassles.

 

[divabydisney]

I'm going in August and am slightly nervous myself. My son who is 9 has his own passport. I am the only parent listed on the birth cert and have never had a problem getting a passport. His dad for the most part is out of the picture and we've never had any reason to get custody established as he's always been gone. He was absent the first 8 yrs, met him for the first time last year and he's seen him a few times last summer. He has now chosen to not continue to be part of his life. This is where it gets interesting. We don't communicate much at all and honestly I don't even want to ask him for a letter. I have heard they ask kids questions when they go over the border. My son DESPERATELY wants his dad in his life and makes stuff up. For instance he's told his teacher that his dad is a veteran in the military and creates these elaborate stories that are completely false. I plan on carrying the birth cert showing I'm the only parent, but if they ask him questions I'm sure it can get crazy. I will try to prep him ahead of time but I'm not sure what will come out. Sorry to throw this all out here but I've tried calling the Canadian border patrol and really got no definitive answer about my specific situation and was told just to prepare for my son to be detained and ask questions. I guess this could get crazy if he makes something up.

 

[MelSpees]

I'm going in August and am slightly nervous myself. My son who is 9 has his own passport. I am the only parent listed on the birth cert and have never had a problem getting a passport. His dad for the most part is out of the picture and we've never had any reason to get custody established as he's always been gone. He was absent the first 8 yrs, met him for the first time last year and he's seen him a few times last summer. He has now chosen to not continue to be part of his life. This is where it gets interesting. We don't communicate much at all and honestly I don't even want to ask him for a letter. I have heard they ask kids questions when they go over the border. My son DESPERATELY wants his dad in his life and makes stuff up. For instance he's told his teacher that his dad is a veteran in the military and creates these elaborate stories that are completely false. I plan on carrying the birth cert showing I'm the only parent, but if they ask him questions I'm sure it can get crazy. I will try to prep him ahead of time but I'm not sure what will come out. Sorry to throw this all out here but I've tried calling the Canadian border patrol and really got no definitive answer about my specific situation and was told just to prepare for my son to be detained and ask questions. I guess this could get crazy if he makes something up.

Wow! I hope you can get the importance of the situation through to him. It could get downright nasty if he tells stories. Hoping everything goes well for you.