Single parent traveling with child

[Princess Sleepy]

My cousin will be traveling with her son on our upcoming Dream cruise. Does she need permission from her son's father to take him out of the country, or is that just for minors traveling with neither parent?

 

[dyannac]

I've travelled alone with my daughter on 2 cruises (1 NCL and 1 DCL) and I never had a problem. I've also taken my daughter to Cancun, Mexico (via airplane) without her father and didn't have a problem. I always keep a copy of my divorce decree showing that I have full custody just in case, but I have never been asked for it yet. However.....she has a Passport and you have to either have a court order or a signature of both parents to even get a passport. So they may not bother me because she has a passport and I'm obviously permitted to travel with her. It may be different if you only have a birth certificate.

 

[sayhello]

I've travelled alone with my daughter on 2 cruises (1 NCL and 1 DCL) and I never had a problem. I've also taken my daughter to Cancun, Mexico (via airplane) without her father and didn't have a problem. I always keep a copy of my divorce decree showing that I have full custody just in case, but I have never been asked for it yet. However.....she has a Passport and you have to either have a court order or a signature of both parents to even get a passport. So they may not bother me because she has a passport and I'm obviously permitted to travel with her. It may be different if you only have a birth certificate.

The fact that you also have full custody may make a difference. If they share custody, I'm pretty sure the OP's cousin needs written permission from the father. Whether anyone is going to check or not is another issue, but I wouldn't want to go there without it, have it questioned, and be denied boarding.

Sayhello

 

[kcashner]

DCL requires the "minor authorization" form only if NEITHER parent is traveling with the child, and it needs to be signed by only one parent.

A single parent traveling with their child needs no documentation from another parent (although it is always a good idea.) I have traveled with my DD as a single parent on DCL since 1998. Sorry, but I'd have to look up how many of those trips were when she was a minor...maybe 16 or so....and was NEVER asked for anything other than the birth certificate or passport. I was never asked about her father at all.

I'll even take it one step farther--when I took a minor child of divorced parents as part of DD's high school graduation group, I needed the minor authorization form signed only by the mother. There was no documentation from the father involved at all. The issue of custody does not come into play.

 

[sayhello]

I guess it depends on where you travel. If they were taking a MR cruise, this is what travel.state.gov says:

Mexican law requires that any non-Mexican citizen under the age of 18 departing Mexico must carry notarized written permission from any parent or guardian not traveling with the child to or from Mexico. This permission must include the name of the parent, the name of the child, the name of anyone traveling with the child, and the notarized signature(s) of the absent parent(s).

It also says this about divorced parents:

A well-written custody decree is an important line of defense against international parental child abduction. In your custody decree, it may be advisable to include a statement that prohibits your child from traveling abroad without your permission or that of the court. Ask your attorney if you should obtain a decree of sole custody or a decree that prohibits the travel of your child without your permission or that of the court. If you have or would prefer to have a joint custody decree, you may want to make certain that it prohibits your child from traveling abroad without your permission or that of the court.

So it also depends on how the cousin's divorce decree was written.

But, in general, it does seem you're correct, kcashner. The USA does not specifically have any controls for one parent exiting the country with a minor child, beyond the passport requirements.

Sayhello

 

[Princess Sleepy]

Thank you. There is no divorce decree since they were never married and I'm afraid I don't know the custody agreement. We are not going to Mexico, only Nassau and Castaway Cay. They are both traveling with birth certificates instead of passports. If they wanted to be on the safe side, what should I recommend she bring with her? Just a written statement from the dad saying the son has permission to travel?

 

[FigmentGal96]

There's another reason you may want to obtain some documentation from a child's other parent if you are traveling alone: in some countries (including some of those located in the Caribbean) medical facilities can refuse to provide medical treatment for a child if both parents are not present and some kind of authorization from the missing parent is not provided. So, if you have a medical emergency and your child needs to be treated abroad, you would want to have a notarized document from the other parent indicating not only are you have that parent's consent to travel to those specific destinations with that child, but that you also have that parent's consent to obtain any necessary medical treatment for that child while traveling.

I know, this is easier said than done in many cases, and I hope no one ever has to worry about such a thing. I'm just putting it out there. There's a quick template for a letter here: http://www.lovetripper.com/caribbean/permission-forms.html

 

[redheadtove]

I'm a single parent who travels with her 2 children all the time.. My husband passed away and I have been asked many times for a letter or where their father is. I always have to provide a death certificate. I am Canadian but I have been asked by the USA Customs along with Canadian Customs. If you could travel with a letter stating you have permission to travel with the child, it would better to be safe then sorry.

 

[Gina]

It is apples and oranges to compare land or air-based travel requirements with those for a closed-loop cruise. If you are trying to cross the Mexican or Canadian border by land or air, they are VERY strict on having authorization from both parents because of kidnapping risks. But on a closed-loop cruise, as long as you and your child have the same last name then all you need is the same documentation everyone else boarding needs.

 

[mom2aidanNpiper]

While I always carry my custody papers and notarized letter from the state saying they can't locate my kids' father however have never been asked for it by DCL (we have been to the Bahamas and the MR).

Airlines however have questioned my kids (and I) about him and I have had them question my children even about who I am (they ask me to be quiet, then ask them to identify me). I have had to pull out papers (that they then barely look at) for air travel.

DCL has never asked me for papers, nor even questioned me about the other parent. My kids do have passports though (that I had to get without their fathers permission- big pain). They have told me directly that no such form is neccesary if one parent is traveling with the children.

 

[txwdwmom]

I would make sure you have a NOTARIZED statement from the father saying you are allowed to take the child out of the country. You may never need it, but in case you do you'll have it. Make sure you also have a passport or CERTIFIED birth certificate for the child (preferably a passport - I would never go out of the country without one, especially with a child!).

 

[Princess Sleepy]

Thank you for all the info. I will pass it along to her.

 

[kcashner]

My DD has been quizzed by the Customs agent when we were coming back INTO the US. That made no sense to me at all...you'd think they would worry about me taking her out. Fortunately, she gave them a straight answer that time; this is the same child who told them that she had her pet bird in her backpack. I almost died! "But Mom, they KNEW I was kidding."

 

[mom2aidanNpiper]

My DD has been quizzed by the Customs agent when we were coming back INTO the US. That made no sense to me at all...you'd think they would worry about me taking her out. Fortunately, she gave them a straight answer that time; this is the same child who told them that she had her pet bird in her backpack. I almost died! "But Mom, they KNEW I was kidding."

I was totally prepared on our MR cruise (knowing Mexico had stricter laws/concerns about kidnapping) to show my papers, explain our situation, etc and was so confused why they would let you off the boat without a word (nor security/customs) but they were present when coming back on the boat. So strange if they actually are concerned about kidnapping why they would do it in that order!

 

[Evan&Kimberly]

I am a single parent never been married my son does not have the same last name as mine and I have never once been asked for anything other than our Birth certificates. We have cruised and flown and not one time has there been a problem. I will say this it would not hurt a thing if you had some form of doccumentation it always better to be safe than sorry!

 

[nbrmommy2005]

The only time that I have ever been asked for papers was when I flew into Canada last summer. My son and I travel out of the country on a regular basis. I think it depends on where you are going and the immigration agent.

 

[luvmy2babies]

I'm a single parent who travels with her 2 children all the time.. My husband passed away and I have been asked many times for a letter or where their father is. I always have to provide a death certificate. I am Canadian but I have been asked by the USA Customs along with Canadian Customs. If you could travel with a letter stating you have permission to travel with the child, it would better to be safe then sorry.

You have to carry around the death certificate and passports? My husband passed away and I was planning to get us passports in April. We're booked on a cruise for July 2013, but I have also considered going other places like the Beaches Resort. I know I have to have the death certificate to get them passports, but I was hoping getting the passports would mean I would not have to have the death certificate with me when we go somewhere.

 

[kcashner]

Canadian laws are much more strict than US in this matter.

 

[redheadtove]

You have to carry around the death certificate and passports? My husband passed away and I was planning to get us passports in April. We're booked on a cruise for July 2013, but I have also considered going other places like the Beaches Resort. I know I have to have the death certificate to get them passports, but I was hoping getting the passports would mean I would not have to have the death certificate with me when we go somewhere.

I have always had to carry the death certificate along with passports when travelling out of the country with my daughters. Every country I have travelled to has asked me if I have permission to travel outside the country with my daughters.I say yes and thats when they ask for a letter or custody agreement. I just show them the death certificate and they ask no more questions. I understand why they ask because they want to make sure I'm not kidnapping children . I have not figured out any other easier way to travel with them without carrying a death certificate. I even asked my lawyer and he told me that there is no easier way.

 

[FigmentGal96]

I thought of one more thing. While you can travel with a birth certificate, if you need to return to the U.S. by air from another country (for example, Mexico or the Bahamas), you will not be permitted to reenter the U.S. with only a birth certificate; you must have a passport. This would come into play if you or one of your children needed to be flown to the U.S. for emergency medical treatment or if you had to cut your vacation short due to an emergency at home here.