Notarized letter for traveling with kids

[KateDrake]

Hey all!
I am going to be making my first solo trip back home to the States with my DD5 and DD 6 months. I'm slightly terrified by the prospect of international travel alone with two kids, but I'm sure we'll manage!

Since DH can't make the trip, I've heard its a good idea to have a notarized letter from him so immigration doesn't think I'm kidnapping the girls. I've never done this before, so does anyone have tips on what to do? Does it need to be on some sort of stationary, or is just regular printer paper OK? Do I need the dates, or can I have them make a general one since we'll be doing this trip a couple of times a year? Is there legal text I need to use?

Obviously I have no clue how this works! Any tips would be super helpful!

 

[GrtWtNorth]

If you search online, Canada customs and immigrating has a letter template you can download. The template is pretty simple and includes:
* name and passport information for child and accompanying adult
* travel dates
* travel location
* contact information for non-travelling parent(s)

There are blanks for signing and witnessing the document. If you don't have a reference for a lawyer or a notary public, call around and see what they propose for cost and availability. I found a local lawyer who does family law. He charges $40 for a single sitting, witnessing and authenticating a consent letter for each vacation (my ex wife and I usually have 2-4 separate vacations planned when we visit).

What happens with these letters? Most border agents will just scan them and hand them back. But they may check the credentials of the lawyer or notary, or (more likely) call the authorizing parent to confirm the travel plans.

I did try to do some cross-border shopping using a generic letter without specific travel dates and without a lawyer's stamp. I almost got turned back. (I wouldn't be surprised if my passport was flagged.) My saving grace was that my daughter could talk a bit and her answers satisfied the agent that I wasn't a nefarious villain.

 

[redrosesix]

ITA with all of the above points. We travel without my DH at least once each year and it's really important to have the right documentation.

We use the sample letters from this page...
http://travel.gc.ca/travelling/children/consent-letter

You should make two copies for each trip -- in case they decide to keep one. I fold them once and tuck them in my daughter's passport. Each one has to be an original copy but it can be on any kind of paper. The consent to travel is only valid for specific dates, but if you already know all of your travel dates there is no reason you can't have them all done and notarized at the same time.

I can't recommend strongly enough getting it notarized. One of the kids from our team was travelling without her parents in February. They had the right form but didn't have it notarized -- they almost didn't let her board in Montreal even though she's 13 and was able to explain why she was travelling with the team.

Btw, don't be surprised if after reading the form the US Immigration agent asks your child some questions about where they're going etc (in a nice way). They tend to talk to my daughter more than they talk to me, just to make sure I guess.

 

[bdoyledimou]

we get our letters notarized by municipal clerks at town hall for $5 each -- your mileage may vary

 

[KateDrake]

Thanks so much for all the great replies!

One thing I'm worried about: we're Americans, except my youngest DD, who is Canadian. But we live in Canada, just have US passports (except the baby, who has a Canadian one). Will the Canadian letter still work? Or will they try to keep me in the US on my way back?

Luckily DD5 is quite the chatter box, I'm sure if they ask her any questions, she'll tell them all about how she gets to visit Grammy and Papa and her cousins, but also how she'll be happy to head back to Edmonton to school ... and on and on and on!

 

[Tinkershelly]

If you are US citizens and living in Canada I'd make sure you have everything done perfectly including the notarization. We travelled last month with our nephew who is 16 but looks older than that and they asked to see the letter coming back into Canada.

I think the most common problem of travelling without all the proper documentation is that you will get delayed while they figure out your story. And those delays will almost certainly make you miss your flight. You also don't know what kind of notes they will put on your file which may make it a longer process every other time you try to cross the border. And if your family is in the US, I assume you are going to want to cross the border frequently.

 

[Disneyhabs]

Hey all!
I am going to be making my first solo trip back home to the States with my DD5 and DD 6 months. I'm slightly terrified by the prospect of international travel alone with two kids, but I'm sure we'll manage!

Since DH can't make the trip, I've heard its a good idea to have a notarized letter from him so immigration doesn't think I'm kidnapping the girls. I've never done this before, so does anyone have tips on what to do? Does it need to be on some sort of stationary, or is just regular printer paper OK? Do I need the dates, or can I have them make a general one since we'll be doing this trip a couple of times a year? Is there legal text I need to use?

Obviously I have no clue how this works! Any tips would be super helpful!

I have made MANY trips over since my divorce with the kids and never once needed a letter for the kids. I did take just a hand written letter signed from their mom the first two times but never ever needed it.

 

[moejoe]

So Glad I saw this post. Im leaving with DD in May without my DW. Never even crossed my mind. Just filled out the paper work.. EASY-PEASY. Thanks.

 

[KateDrake]

Thanks so much for the replies everyone! I really do love living in Canada, everyone is so friendly! I feel like I have 30 million next door neighbors, and I love it!

I just found out that a woman at my church is a notary, and it sounds like I can trade her a bag of baby clothes (which I was going to give her anyway, her DD is 4 months younger than mine) for a couple of notarized letters, so that should be perfect!

Anyway, thanks again for all the help. I am still trying to figure out life here in Canada (and how to get my Disney fix!), so I really appreciate everyone on this board! You have all been so helpful with some of the silly questions I've had. Thank you!