Do grandparents need notarized letter

TreesyB

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 27, 2006
Messages
772
to bring grandchild home?

I'm taking DS to meet grandparents down in FL. But they will be returning with him solely (I'll be leaving 2 days before hand). Do they need a notarized letter to say they can bring him back? He has a Canadian passport, is that enough?

TIA
 
I would play it safe and get a consent form. If you look at this government site, they suggest having one when travelling with just one parent. http://www.pptc.gc.ca/can/with_child.aspx?lang=e

Hi I am a Travel Agent and you will definately need a notorized letter from your grandchilds parent to take him to the states. They will not allow you to leave the country with out it ot they will kindly offer to get a lawyer for you at the airport at a cost of a 1000.00 bucks to you cash to get it there .
hope that helps .
 
I've heard that you need it even if travelling with just one of the two parents. You would definitely need it for grandparents.
 

I'm a grandparent and I always travel with a notarized letter. Our lawyer recommended we always travel with one when we have the grandchildren.
 
As many have stated.. they are easy to get and it costs virtually nothing.

Why risk it? Go ahead and get one.

J
 
I practice family law and get this question a fair bit. It's one of those things that is technically necessary however the reality is that it is rarely requested at the border crossing. I've notarized dozens of these letters and to date none have ever been requested. It's like insurance in the sense that if you have it you'll never need it. Like others have said, it's inexpensive to get done and it's one less glitch that can arise.

Lee
 
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Even though there are no custody issues in our family, when we fly down in May, we were doing it separately (Air Reward technicality). Because of this, it was suggested to us to carry a consent form (me giving my wife consent to travel with my daughter, and vice versa) just to be safe.

In the meantime, we've been able to switch flights so we are all travelling together, but if you can do it ahead of time, why not play it safe?

Mike in the Maritimes.
 
I travel with my two children to Florida in January almost yearly without my husband and always gets a letter done. I have been asked once if the children's father knew where they were. I just gave them the letter and we continued on, no problem. I just prepare the letter and have the Clerk at the municipal office sign it for me. There is no cost and I would rather be safe than sorry.
 
Yup - me too ! :) I go down to FL with my DD every year, and every year I get DH to have a letter written up. If I am not mistaken, there was only ONE year that I didn't have to pull it out and show the customs people.... so yes - absolutely get a letter written for the grandparents, and one for you if you are taking your child down to the grandparents on your own. :)
 
We travel with our grandchildren often and always get a notarized letter. The form I use also authorizes us to approve emergency medical procedures if they should become necessary. The only time I've been asked for it was when we were returning from a cruise and I had packed it in my checked baggage thinking that it would be unnecessary by that point. Wrong! :rolleyes1

Beth
 
We take our 14 yr old nephew with us, and he travels on his own passport...but I always have a letter:)

Consent to travel, and consent for medical treatment:thumbsup2

We've never been asked to show it, either.

:sunny:
 
A couple of years ago, we went down to Orlando on separate flights using areoplan points, just like Freddybeach. We had a friend who was a lawyer and notary who we'd asked to notarize a letter following the sample on the passport website. He wasn't impressed with the wording, so he made us up each a set of authorization letters that either of us can use any time we take either child across the border alone that also covers medical emergiencies and stuff.

If you are likely to take a grandchild, another child or even your own child (in the absence of the other parent) across the border frequently, you might want to consider getting a universal authorization document made up.

M.
 
i haven't received my passport yet but does it include the parents names on it. my daughter's would not have her father on it or should i just bring the long form of her birth certificate with me as well to show info not available
 














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