Form for divorced parents

[houdmorg87]

I was curious about this, My travel agent spoke with DCL and they said as long as my name was on the birth certificate, NOTHING was needed from the father, but I just want to be extra sure. Has anyone had an issue without one?

 

[JMHDisney]

As someone earlier mentioned, this is less about DCL and more about customs officials. I am divorced with primary custody and my son and I both have passports (and the same last name). I always bring a notarized letter from my ex giving permission when traveling internationally and I have actually been asked for it multiple times.

If my ex ever doesn't sign a letter, I will go to court and get a court order confirming I can go before I show up for an expensive international trip without it.

 

[kiford]

Notarized letters from non-traveling parents are a good thing.

I've a friend who is married with one son. When her mother died, she flew with her son to the US from Canada to attend the funeral. Her husband stayed behind at home. She didn't get a letter from him - didn't even think about it as she's was only thinking about the funeral. She got grilled at the border and they even asked her son who she was and why they were going to the US without his father. Her son, who was about 8 at the time finally said that they were going to his grandmother's funeral and starting crying. That's was when he let them through after first giving her a lecture about needing to get a letter in future from her husband. She visits family in the US and now always gets a letter from her husband just in case although she's never been asked since.

 

[Patinmn]

My brother went through a contentious divorce and his ex did not want to sign the papers he needed to be able to get a passport for his son. He had to get the judge handling their divorce to order her to do it. It is always better to have too much documentation then not enough.

 

[livie1205]

We have never had a issue with DCL, I have taken my son a few times and he does not have my last name. We used his BC and no one even asked about it, just checked in and sailed. He was 15 and 16 each time.

 

[Tay N Evie's Mom]

In my DSIL divorce papers it states that either parent cannot take the minor children out of the country without written consent of the other parent. So, it also depends how the divorce papers are written.

 

[livie1205]

We have never taken my divorce papers with us either, used BC and his name is different then mine is now and his BC had my first married name. They did not blink an eye. Also just for a heads up I was concerned about my ex taking my son on carnival ( he did not have overnights) and I called carnival and explained my concern and they told me that as long as he had my sons BC and his ID showing he was his dad they would not prevent him from boarding and that was something that had to be taken up with the court system.
I don't know how someone else has dealt with this issue I just know with us we have never had any issues at the port with DCL.

 

[Sotong]

I took a letter from my ex husband authorising that I could take my daughter to the US and will also get one to go to Spain and a Disney cruise this summer.
it said he had given permission and gave his contact details if customs or anyone wanted to check.
I also don't think you need both parents to authorise obtaining a passport in the UK, so that wouldn't necessarily work.
better to be safe than sorry and who wants delays at customs when you are arriving at your holiday destination,
Gillian

 

[tvguy]

As someone earlier mentioned, this is less about DCL and more about customs officials. I am divorced with primary custody and my son and I both have passports (and the same last name). I always bring a notarized letter from my ex giving permission when traveling internationally and I have actually been asked for it multiple times.

If my ex ever doesn't sign a letter, I will go to court and get a court order confirming I can go before I show up for an expensive international trip without it.

It is entirely about immigration. They rarely ask best I can tell, but it is the law. I suspect enforcement might increase after a well publicized case of a parent abducting a child and taking them to a foreign country. But as has been discussed her frequently in the past, someone looking to do that isn't likely to take a cruise and then abduct a child, they are going to look for the quickest, most direct way out of the U.S.

 

[Tiffylv]

.

 

[bumbershoot]

We have never had a issue with DCL, I have taken my son a few times and he does not have my last name. We used his BC and no one even asked about it, just checked in and sailed. He was 15 and 16 each time.

They could have asked, however. That's why people are saying that having all the documentation, just in case, is better than not having it.

In my DSIL divorce papers it states that either parent cannot take the minor children out of the country without written consent of the other parent. So, it also depends how the divorce papers are written.

And of course you would need to bring that paperwork with you, to prove that you don't need specific permission.

 

[George4]

It is an issue in certain countries (Mexico for one), and is a much bigger deal if your last names are different for the parent and child. We have traveled with my daughter (who has a different last name than me), and we have been asked for the passport and the letter on multiple occasions, whereas her mother has never been asked for the letter. I think the last name difference may be the trigger for extra scrutiny.