Consent letter for travelling - help needed please

[Disney Addicted]

Has anyone prepared a letter of consent for a child travelling with other relatives (no parent) outside of Canada/US?

I'm searching the 'net for samples and this keeps popping up:

http://www.voyage.gc.ca/preparation_information/consent-letter_lettre-consentement_web-eng.asp

But really - that looks quite daunting! Do I really need to put that much information in a letter? I just want to write something up that says my parents (DD's grandparents) have our permission to take DD with them to Cuba for March Break.

I also want to include permission in there that if anything happened to my parents, that my Uncle is also given permission to take charge & travel with our DD. He and his granddaughter (Jaimie's cousin) are meeting up & staying at the same resort.

I thought of writing the letter such that mentions both my parents & uncle at the beginning but he is not joining up with them until everyone reaches Cuba. (Departing from a different airport). I wondered if it might bring up questions of where he is as he won't be entering Cuba at the same time as my parents.

I would very much appreciate some advice and examples of possible wording I could use.

 

[fan1080]

I don't see anything daunting about that example.

The consent letter we had written up contained pretty much the same info.

What do you find daunting about it?

 

[Disney Addicted]

It looks more like an official form then letter. Which could be good.

But is it really necessary to include such information as DD's date of birth, place of birth, passport info, issuing authority of passport? And again for my parents? And then again for my uncle? Seems redundant as each person will already have their passports with them.

Right now my rough draft is:

This is to advise that we, * (parents & legal guardians) of our daughter *, have given permission to * (Disney Addicted’s parents and * 's grandparents) to bring * to Veradero, Cuba with them for March Break 2012. They will be flying from Toronto on * and returning * – assuming no delays or cancellations that force a change of flight dates.

Further, we authorize (uncle) to take care of *, including travelling back to Canada with him in the event that (grandparents) become unable to do so themselves.

In addition, we authorize * (grandparents) and/or * (uncle) to consent to any necessary routine or emergency medical treatment during the trip. *’s Ontario Health Card and extra Medical Insurance Coverage information are in *’s possession.

Ending with both of us signing & dating, complete with our address & telephone number.

Look good? Suggestions?

 

[minnie mum]

The information as described on the link that you have IS necessary. They need to be absolutely sure that there is sufficient information to positively identify all of the people involved. This is for the child's safety, and also for the protection of the adults, should any questions arise. It is a legal document that you are providing, and witness signatures are necessary as an anti-fraud measure, to assure someone thousands of miles away that it was, in fact, the parents who issued the document.

Really, it's only a matter of transcribing some of the relevant passport information. What's the big deal? I would hardly describe it as daunting. It's not like you would have to search for days to find the info. WAY better to give too information than to give too little and have a major drama at passport control, don't you think?

By the way, will you be having the letter notarized?

 

[Disney Addicted]

Oh yes - this will be notarized.

I do see your point but I also see it as another document to potentially get lost with sensitive information on it (passport info). It will have the names of all the people involved to match/check against the passports. Plus the letter has their destination listed, which will match/check against their travel documents from the package that was booked. Including the specific resort.

I'm going to discuss this with my parents & uncle tonight. Need to get this done & signed tomorrow as Friday is the only day my husband has off work before their flight. He needs to be there with me when I go to Town Hall to get this witnessed & signed. I'm glad they insist on both parties being there in person with photo ID. If DD had not had so much time off school this past month, I might have brought her with us and then driven her to school afterwards. Actually... the experience might be worth it...

Thank you for your input minnie mum and fan1080.

 

[dancin Disney style]

I'm in agreement with the others.....the info is totally neccessary. I've done these letters many times and it really is no big deal. If they don't have the proper documentation they could be denied boarding at the airport...on either end. That said, they could also be asked absolutely nothing....but better safe than sorry.

You can either fill in the blanks on the gov website and print it or just write your own letter containing all the same info.

If memory serves....when both parents are not traveling with the child it is required to be notarized. Good that you've already planned that.

 

[hockeymomNS]

I would have proper documentation.

If you get a growly customs officer, they can turn you right back around. Better to have it than wish that you did.

 

[lizabu]

I used this one when I travelled w/ my kids but its the same idea http://www.voyage.gc.ca/preparation....cms?doc=b766ce0b-f4b1-4069-9e8f-24d8a826eb5c
Better to have it that have the chance you could be turned away. They never even asked for it but I was ready just in case.

 

[3pletprincesses]

yep you need all that info and believe me you will be relieved to have it all when they ask to see the paper. I travel alot with my girls without DH and have been asked already twice for it. One of the time, they went as far as calling Dh on his cell phone, while he was waiting for us at the airport on the other side of the window sort of thing, to double check. The funny thing is we were returning home and it was our customs who asked for it. Never been asked by US customs yet. Doesn't hurt to have all the info!

 

[Hockeyfan17]

Yes, you do need to have all of the information. When my wife travelled to the US with our children and her parents (without me), they asked her for the information, and looked at it with the passports in hand. It is not really that big of a deal, just means a little more time. Do you really want your parents to have an issue at the border or customs?

 

[ChisJo]

Oh yes....you need all that information. We took my step son to Florida 2 years ago - he was 15 at the time, and a VERY tall boy. He looked 20, easily. However, as soon as the customs agent saw his age, he asked my step son about 25 questions. He was not a nice man, and was basically a step away from accusing us of kidnapping him (seriously, he was a foot taller than me and a good 30 lbs heavier than me- but I was trying to kidnap him ). We even had the letter, notarized, and honestly, without that letter, I don't know if he would've granted us access. It was terrible. I will never travel without it again when we take him over the border. He's 17 now, and I'll still used that until he turns 18.

My brother, not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, did not even bring a letter handwritten by his ex-wife for permission to take their then 6 year old over the border. She no longer even had his last name at the time. It was fine going down, but they had a ton of problems coming back. They almost refused re-entry into Canada because of his choice to not to have some sort of protection.

So, long story short, just fill in the required information. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Celidh]

yep you need all that info and believe me you will be relieved to have it all when they ask to see the paper. I travel alot with my girls without DH and have been asked already twice for it. One of the time, they went as far as calling Dh on his cell phone, while he was waiting for us at the airport on the other side of the window sort of thing, to double check. The funny thing is we were returning home and it was our customs who asked for it. Never been asked by US customs yet. Doesn't hurt to have all the info!

I had the same issue this past September when my partner and I took my 3 kids to Disney. We weren't asked for anything going down but were asked on the way back. I offered to show him the Travel authorization but he only asked the kids questions about where they were going, where they had been at, whether their dad knew where they were. He told me that quite often if the kids are old enough to have a sensible conversation they will just talk to the kids unless they see a reason to go further.

As far as whether the info is needed or not, I would rather have too much info than not enough. I wanted to make my trip as smooth as possible. I kept all our important info in a large envelope so it was together and where I needed it. I had our passports, travel letters, boarding passes and anything else like that that we might need for the flight together in my carry on so it was handy.

Like I said, better to be safe than sorry. You don't want your trip ruined because of a border guard having a bad day.

 

[mkmommy]

Just got back from a Spring Break trip and at Pearson coming back home was asked for my letter. He even verified the passport numbers to the actual passports. I have been asked for it every time I fly out of Toronto alone with my kids,







I have never been asked for it going into the US, but this time when we returned to LA from our Mexican cruise my youngest was asked a lot of questions and I was glad I had the letter

 

[jakoky]

Right now my almost 19 year old son is in puerto Vallarta with a friend and his mom...I had to do a letter for him...i was gonna write myoen and the take it in, and then Found out it was only $10 more for the notary to write it instead of me and them taking it there for signature...I decided it was worth the 20 it cost to have it done right. I am betting that prices are similar in your area, and it took 10 min, very fast

Sharon!

 

[dancin Disney style]

Right now my almost 19 year old son is in puerto Vallarta with a friend and his mom...I had to do a letter for him...i was gonna write myoen and the take it in, and then Found out it was only $10 more for the notary to write it instead of me and them taking it there for signature...I decided it was worth the 20 it cost to have it done right. I am betting that prices are similar in your area, and it took 10 min, very fast

Sharon!

At the age of 18 you are a legal adult and no letter would be required.

 

[jakoky]

At the age of 18 you are a legal adult and no letter would be required.

That is what i totally thought...the mom taking him was advised by the travel agent that he "needed"a letter...i asked the notary and she said legally, yes, they need to have one as 19 is considered an adult...she said he would have no trouble getting into mexico, but coming home he runs the risk of not being allowed back in the country...it gave me peace of mind as it also allows the mom to make decisions if he was to get sick over there....I also believed it was 18 and was completely shocked to learn i was wrong...

 

[dancin Disney style]

That is what i totally thought...the mom taking him was advised by the travel agent that he "needed"a letter...i asked the notary and she said legally, yes, they need to have one as 19 is considered an adult...she said he would have no trouble getting into mexico, but coming home he runs the risk of not being allowed back in the country...it gave me peace of mind as it also allows the mom to make decisions if he was to get sick over there....I also believed it was 18 and was completely shocked to learn i was wrong...

nope...I just looked on the gov website. 18 is an adult.

http://www.voyage.gc.ca/preparation_information/children_enfants-eng