Consent to Travel -- kids travelling w/o Mom

[SantaClaus]

Hi,

I am taking my 2 young girls to WDW this coming Tues. but we are going this time w/o their Mom who has to stay behind for work. (We are married).

I've just been reading up on "Consent to travel" when one parent alone takes the kids across the U.S. border. Has anybody had any issues with this scenario from U.S. Customs (esp. at Pearson airport)?

I did complete an online form at the Gov. Cda website. It suggested that you get the completed form notarized. Looking around it'll cost ~$50 to have someone witness my wife sign the document scared1.

Any suggestions or experiences to share about one parent taking kids across the border?

Thx,

 

[Ted in Halifax]

I would do the letter your referenced .... I don't think I would notarize it because I'm cheap .... but I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer

But read this thread
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2526414

 

[redrosesix]

Hi,

I am taking my 2 young girls to WDW this coming Tues. but we are going this time w/o their Mom who has to stay behind for work. (We are married).

I've just been reading up on "Consent to travel" when one parent alone takes the kids across the U.S. border. Has anybody had any issues with this scenario from U.S. Customs (esp. at Pearson airport)?

I did complete an online form at the Gov. Cda website. It suggested that you get the completed form notarized. Looking around it'll cost ~$50 to have someone witness my wife sign the document scared1.

Any suggestions or experiences to share about one parent taking kids across the border?

Thx,

Yuppers - I've traveled with my DD and without her dad several times (either because he can't go or is joining us later), and we're doing it again on Sunday. We always have that form filled out and notarized and they always look at it carefully when we go through immigration. They may also want to see it when you depart to go home. Basically, it accompanies DD's passport - wherever officials need to see that, they might ask for the consent to travel document as well.

The newer form now requires the accompanying person to sign the form too - the older one only required the person giving consent to sign. And we had to show our passports to the lawyer who notarized it for us.

You can customize the form somewhat - you don't need to keep every single line so long as the information required is there eg. we took out several lines and put in "(daughter's full name) has my consent to travel to the United States with (my full name) during the period of Feb 13th, 2011 to March 1st, 2011."

And yeah, it does cost about that much, but it is definitely worth it. You don't have to have it notarized but I think it definitely speeds up the process. They still ask my DD a few questions, but they obviously believe she is traveling with the consent of her dad. I actually don't know anybody who has tried to use the consent to travel document without having it notarized so I can't tell you what would happen if you didn't.

The other thing - everyone I know always gets 2 copies (we travel with the girls across the border every year for sports) - I don't know why 2, but my brother is a lawyer and he advised getting 2 as well.

 

[buzz2400]

A few years back my sister took her teenage daughter to Canada. They scrutinized the consent to travel. They even took my niece aside and talked to her to make sure that she was willing to go with her mother. I know they are getting stricter. I would definitely get it notarized. There are many places that do it for free, i.e. your bank, I believe AAA if you are a member. You also should also have it notarized just in case there is some health issue and they need to go to a doctor or hospital. I will say I have traveled about 15 years out of the country (but never to canada) with my son as a single parent. His father never would sign anything or let him get a passport but I did have his birth certificate. No one had ever questioned us. Went to bahamas and caribbean islands on cruises.

 

[Bonnie40]

duplicate!

 

[Bonnie40]

My SIL just flew from Pearson to the US on Wednesday with her young son. She had a notarized letter and was grilled by US Customs to the point that she should have reported him! She didn't want to rock the boat because she's a flight attendant for Air Canada and has to travel back and forth alot. Having the letter wasn't enough for this guy....he requested my nephew's long form birth certificate as well....? Luckily she thought to bring it along, but who would normally think to do that? I assumed that having a valid passport was sufficient documentation? Even after all that, he took my 6 yr old nephew around the desk and asked him questions in a really snarky tone and told him that it was a privilege to visit his country and that he had the power to deny him entry. Poor kid didn't even know what the heck he was talking about....he just wants to go to the beach!

So, before hearing this story, I would have said that a signed letter would be enough, but clearly it's not - get the letter notarized!

 

[redrosesix]

My SIL just flew from Pearson to the US on Wednesday with her young son. She had a notarized letter and was grilled by US Customs to the point that she should have reported him! She didn't want to rock the boat because she's a flight attendant for Air Canada and has to travel back and forth alot. Having the letter wasn't enough for this guy....he requested my nephew's long form birth certificate as well....? Luckily she thought to bring it along, but who would normally think to do that? I assumed that having a valid passport was sufficient documentation? Even after all that, he took my 6 yr old nephew around the desk and asked him questions in a really snarky tone and told him that it was a privilege to visit his country and that he had the power to deny him entry. Poor kid didn't even know what the heck he was talking about....he just wants to go to the beach!

So, before hearing this story, I would have said that a signed letter would be enough, but clearly it's not - get the letter notarized!

Holy Crow

Who does that to a kid?!

 

[RainbowsMist]

Our last two trips I took one for DD (16)..her dad and I are divorced. We never had them notorized.

This time we're also taking DD's (8) friend. Her parents are having it notorized. Their lawyer doesn't charge them.

I'm thinking I will get my DD's (16) notorized this time because I'm afraid it may look suspicous having one that's not. I'll be so glad when she's 18 and we don't have to do this anymore! Last year when we left Halifax she was also subjected to additional screening. She had the pat down after the "walk through thing" then was told either a FULL BODY SEARCH in the room OR the full body scan. She chose the scan. I told told afterwards it was because her name was "suspicous" (her bording pass had "SSSSSSS" all along the bottom of it which apparently means "security security security".....poor thing.

Back in 2007 we drove to Boston to fly out. We never had the letter or passports. The border guard just looked at our birth certificates and never asked any questions! It was so easy!

 

[mbb]

You can check with your local insurance brokers...ours notarized our letters for us....and no charge.

Real Estate Agents are sometimes notarys as well.

Definitely get the letters, and get them notarized.
I drove to the US with one son, and then flew.
DH flew from YHZ with the other son.

DH was asked for the letter at Pearson, coming and going.
I was asked at the airport PWM, but not at the border.

HTH!!

 

[LittleFlounder]

A little OT, ... I'm bringing my 2 nephews to Disney at the end of the month(flying), without their parents. Their parents and I have written up consent letters for both kids, as well as letters giving permission for me to allow them to have medical treatment. We will be having the letters notarized, by a lawyer I'm assuming. I hope we don't have any trouble going through customs....

Anyone else have experience traveling with children who are not your own?

 

[Tinkershelly]

Anyone else have experience traveling with children who are not your own?

DH and I took my brother's two kids to WDW in 2006. We had passports (new ones with current pictures), and the notarized letter. We travelled by plane, crossing the border in Newark on the way down and Halifax on the way back. The kids were 9 and 12 at the time. We also had their health cards and had taken out travel health insurance for them, as their parents didn't have that coverage for them at that time.

We didn't have any problems and weren't asked to produce the documents but there is no way I'd do it again without them. For the sake of a little money (relative to the amount of money spent on the whole trip!) and a little preparation the potential is there to ruin the whole trip.

The border and security agents are able to ask any questions, including some that might seem odd, to the adults and the kids if they want to test whether or not the situation seems ok. The kids and I have the same last name, which is different from DH, and we look like we all come from the same genetic stock so I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it. As an aside, the agent in Newark was a bit preoccupied with my last name being Acadian and recommended that we visit New Orleans sometime!

We only have to think about recent events in the news to remember why flags go up when children travel without both custodial parents, so I will always advise following all guidelines. We want to make it impossible for abductions while at the same time not inconveniencing legitimate travellers. IMHO, anyway.

 

[TPNaida]

We generally go skiing for our March break in New Hampshire. Timing has me at a convention every year in the states. So I end up flying into Bangor, ME where my wife meets me with our two boys or one boy in the early days. She has never had a problem getting across at Calais, ME. Strange. Now I am starting to get paranoid reading all these stories. This will be our 1st trip to DW so I might just the forms done to cover our backside.

Cheers all

 

[twinmum]

I definitely recommend having the letter prepared and notarized. I took our twin sons and their shared best friend to WDW last February. I knew I'd need documentation for their friend, and thought we'd do all the right things and have a letter from my hubby as well. Getting into the US was a breeze - agent just wanted to know what the boys were interested in doing at WDW! Having overcome that hurdle, I had filed the letters away...thankfully not too deep down, because coming back into Canada, I needed the letters, they asked each of the boys questions etc etc.

Better safe than sorry!
Have a great trip!

 

[Gigi22]

From what my DSis says, based on her travels alone with her DD across the border for dance competitions, it is standard for U.S. Customs agents at land crossings to ask for documentation (passports and notarized letters) for minors. They also interview children separately from adults in order to validate the documents.

 

[pigletto]

Hmmmmm... I have always had the letter, but only notarized for travel to countries other than the United States.
Basically dd's biological dad is ridiculously hard to pin down to sign the form, never mind having it notarized. It would never happen. He hasn't even bothered to call or visit in over a year I wasn't going to bother this time, she's 14 and we are crossing at Buffalo where we have never had an issue. But now I'm worried.
I am pretty sure the website "suggests" having it notarized but it is not required. I'll look into it all again

 

[My 2 princesses]

I would highly recommend a notorized letter. I took both my girls alone end January and I was asked for the letter both ways. Even with it being notorized, the guy at the US customs took a long hard look at it.

If you have a notory or commisioner of oath in your city/town office, they can do it for cheap. I did find a lawyer for $25 in my town, the cheapest I was finding before him was 40 bucks. I was happy to pay the 25 for peace of mind.

 

[dancin Disney style]

IIf you have a notory or commisioner of oath in your city/town office, they can do it for cheap. .

They typically charge between $15-$25.

 

[My 2 princesses]

They typically charge between $15-$25.

That's about right. Ours was $21, but since I was in a hurry and the lawyer was prepared to do it for $25, I just sent DH to the lawyer. In and out in 15 minutes. Now to keep that guys number for the next trip

 

[jory29]

Yes, notarized for sure I would say... we took our son's 13 year old friend to Disneyland with us last March and yes, the form was certainly looked at, as was the long form birth certif... it was well worth it for peace of mind to know we had followed the proper desired protocol, and certainly made it easier.