Are you kidding me??

[DisneyMama409]

I was lurking on cruise critic just reading threads to prepare for our experience when we sail...and i came across a thread stating that if you are a single parent there's a good chance you wont be able to board the ship without a notarized letter from the children's father that it is ok to take them out of the country....WHAT????! Please tell me this is a joke. Im a single mom and not only that but one of my children have a totally diffrent last name. Am I going to encounter problems ? Honestly my children's father has been MIA since thier birth! I refuse to contact him for anything . I just can not imagine writing him a letter to say hello deadbeat can i have your permission to take our kids on a cruise? He's such a jerk he would probaly say no or not even respond at all. I cant even say well I dont know who the father is because his name is on the birth certificates ... I hope Im stressing for no reason and this is not a requirement for single parents.

 

[ymchavez]

You should contact DCL and explain your situation. Good luck.

 

[Tami0220]

It is a requirement. However, I would think if you have court documents stating that you have sole custody it shouldnt be a problem. I did have to get a letter from my ex but he was semi involved in her life she also had a different last name than me so it was more obvious

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

I am not sure what DCL policy is, but I know that US customs can and does ask at ports of entry if there is a a notarized letter authorizing travel when it only one parent is present. Obviously their concern is parental abductions which sadly do happen.

I am sure you can go to the courts and have them list you as the sole guardian of your children which is different than having primary custody.

 

[steelek_29]

I was lurking on cruise critic just reading threads to prepare for our experience when we sail...and i came across a thread stating that if you are a single parent there's a good chance you wont be able to board the ship without a notarized letter from the children's father that it is ok to take them out of the country....WHAT????! Please tell me this is a joke. Im a single mom and not only that but one of my children have a totally diffrent last name. Am I going to encounter problems ? Honestly my children's father has been MIA since thier birth! I refuse to contact him for anything . I just can not imagine writing him a letter to say hello deadbeat can i have your permission to take our kids on a cruise? He's such a jerk he would probaly say no or not even respond at all. I cant even say well I dont know who the father is because his name is on the birth certificates ... I hope Im stressing for no reason and this is not a requirement for single parents.

Now I'm worried too because I'm going with my daughters and I am too a single mother. My situation is very similar to yours. Please tell me what is your outcome. (Excuse my mistakes, my first language is Spanish)

 

[clten]

Depends on where you are travelling to and what legal papers you have. A lot of time, people feel better about having these documents and not needing them. For typical DCL cruises, the one location that may be of concern is Mexico (if you are doing a western caribbean cruise). You would have to check with DCL about what is currently required.

Now, if you have full legal custody and can show that paperwork, you may just need a copy of that.

PS US customs would only check you coming back into the country so this would not be an issue. It is an issue with other countries' customs requirements.

 

[smb6]

If you have sole custody, documentation of that is all you need. I have joint custody and we have not seen him in over a year. As much as i didn't want to, I contacted him and he agreed to sign off for them to get passports. But I had to nag him for over a month before I got the paperwork. But it did work out in the end..... If he refuses you can go before the court and get approval.

 

[IngridRalph]

We recently took the EBTA cruise with my friend and her three year old. She didn't have to provide any sort of paperwork while traveling alone wih her child. The father of the baby did have to come with her to get the passport. DCL told me that as long as the child is traveling with one of their parents it is fine.

~Ingrid

 

[steelek_29]

If you have sole custody, documentation of that is all you need. I have joint custody and we have not seen him in over a year. As much as i didn't want to, I contacted him and he agreed to sign off for them to get passports. But I had to nag him for over a month before I got the paperwork. But it did work out in the end..... If he refuses you can go before the court and get approval.

Did you need a letter from him??? I already have her my daughter passport

 

[DisneyAnytime]

Yes, it is true that you will have to prove that you have the authority to take your children out of the country to get a passport. When DD and I planned our first cruise, I had to get a "permission slip" signed by her "eh hem" father in order to get her a passport. With that, we are able to travel whenever and wherever.

Just remember that these regulations are designed to protect us in the event that the non-custodial parent ever gets the bright idea to take our children and make a run for the border.

Talk to your TA and call the U.S. Customs and Immigration department (or maybe it's the TSA) and get the official word straight from the source on exactly what is required in your specific circumstance.

Good luck and don't let this one hiccup hamper your FABULOUS Disney Cruise!

 

[woodchuck]

When we went to DS's passport we were told that if one of us was going to take a trip out of the country that we would need a note from the other saying that the trip is ok. I would make some calls to make sure if you need a letter or if the court can give you something. Best of luck.......

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

When I traveled with my 2 oldest on a cruise in 2002 I had to have a notarized letter from their father that I had permission to take them out of the country. Back then we did not need passports so I just had their birth certificates with me.

For our cruise next year we will need to get passports and will need the other parent's permission to obtain passports for the children.

 

[tvguy]

Just remember that these regulations are designed to protect us in the event that the non-custodial parent ever gets the bright idea to take our children and make a run for the border.

This is why, and is has been a problem.

I was lurking on cruise critic just reading threads to prepare for our experience when we sail...and i came across a thread stating that if you are a single parent there's a good chance you wont be able to board the ship without a notarized letter from the children's father that it is ok to take them out of the country....WHAT????! Please tell me this is a joke. .

Off topic, but you need to see an attorney and get this straightened out. Not for travel reasons. This can cause you HUGE headaches if you get sick or die, if your children gets sick , if they apply for financial aid for college. Without a custody agreement, either voluntary, or by court order, your children's father will always have parental rights until each child turns 18.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Off topic, but you need to see an attorney and get this straightened out. Not for travel reasons. This can cause you HUGE headaches if you get sick or die, if your children gets sick , if they apply for financial aid for college.

Agreed! OP, what would happen to your children if something happened to you? As a parent you need to make sure all of that is taken care of so that your children are properly cared for in case the worst happens. See an attorney and either have rights terminated and have a will drawn up naming a guardian for your children - that way you have the final answer in where your kids go and who cares for them.

Sadly, I have seen the worst scenario where an absent parent has returned into the picture when something happened to the custodial parent and taken custody of the children (which is their legal right!) so that they could collect the SSI checks that the children would receive.

Also as other posters have said - no you don't NEED a passport if everything goes fine but in case of an emergency where you have to fly back home from a foreign country then you will save yourself and your children a ton of headaches by simply having passports in hand.

 

[kcashner]

There is a huge amount of mis-information in this post. I am a single parent. I have cruised with my daughter since she was 4. I believe she has done 22 cruises on DCL and 2 on another line; part of the time with a passport, part of the time with a birth certificate. I purposefully delayed getting her a passport until after the age where we would not encounter the father issue for that.

At NO time was I ever required to provide ANYTHING other than the passport or birth certificate.

Nothing--no custody papers, no adoption decree, no nothing! The only time there was anything was on one cruise when we came back IN thru Customs and the agent asked her who "that lady" is. DD replied, "My Mom" and we went on our way.

The "Minor Authorization form" is required when you are taking a child who is not your child. We certainly had and needed this when we took a friend with us.

It's always a good idea to check with DCL to be sure the policy has not changed before you cruise (policies are always subject to change), but for 11 years, DCL has asked no questions.

 

[DisneyMama409]

I have no court papers. The father just skipped out he doesnt care about the kids so i never had to file for sole custody. I do get child support and its taken directly out of his check but that's it as far as interaction. I really never want to see his face or communicate with him ever again unless were in a court room terminating his rights (which I plan to do sometime this or next year).

 

[smb6]

Did you need a letter from him??? I already have her my daughter passport

It depends on your passport. Some children's passport specifically dictate that a child can only leave the country with both parent's written permission. In that case you need a letter. But if that stipulation was not put on the passport then you do not need a letter. My x-dh put stipulations on certain countries that they could not travel like Africa. I didn't argue, since he was atleast giving me the paperwork and we don't plan to travel to the 1 or 2 places he put down in the near future.....

 

[kcashner]

I have no court papers. The father just skipped out he doesnt care about the kids so i never had to file for sole custody. I do get child support and its taken directly out of his check but that's it as far as interaction. I really never want to see his face or communicate with him ever again unless were in a court room terminating his rights (which I plan to do sometime this or next year).

I really don't expect that you'll have ANY problems with DCL. I adopted my daughter as a single mom. I was terrified that they'd say something about her birth certificate the first time--it has A LOT of blanks on it, and most of what is filled in is a lie!

All I can say is that they have never asked for anything other than the birth certificate (or later, when I got her one, the passport). No one has EVER questioned us.

 

[DisneyMama409]

I really don't expect that you'll have ANY problems with DCL. I adopted my daughter as a single mom. I was terrified that they'd say something about her birth certificate the first time--it has A LOT of blanks on it, and most of what is filled in is a lie!

All I can say is that they have never asked for anything other than the birth certificate (or later, when I got her one, the passport). No one has EVER questioned us.

Great! I have no worries than ...hopefully!

 

[Fatima1922]

My daughter and I have different last names. When I was planning a trip to Dominican Republic, I was told by the resort that I had to bring a notarized letter from her father. Ever since I have gotten a notarized letter but on three cruises I have done with my daughter (one being DCL) I was never asked for them but they were to the Bahamas and Bermuda so the location may play a part. Good luck! I know it is a pain. If you had sole custody, I would suggest bringing those documents.

I would also suggest contacting US Custom to see if they have any suggestions on what to do because you want to be able to travel with your children without worrying about such issues.