OT: Crossing the border with kids & no hubby

[Drivercan]

We (me and my 2 children and my mother) hope to go visit my elderly aunt in Detroit this summer. We would have to cross the border in Windsor and my husband won't be with us. We all have passports. Will I have trouble at the border? Do I need a letter of permission from my husband to cross with my children without him?

When I do a mapquest from Toronto to Detroit, it sends me through Sarnia. My mother grew up in Windsor and we have always gone through Windsor to get to Detroit in the past. What is the benefit of going through Sarnia?

Thanks!!

 

[dhluvsDisney]

Definately get a letter from your husband signed and preferably witnessed that allows you to take the children across the border. I have always done this, and presented it along with the passports. It expediates things.

 

[Disney_Mama]

I have gotten a letter from my DH the last two time I have crossed the border only because of things I have read here on the boards....but I have never been asked for it. I'll be crossing again in a couple of weeks and I'll be getting my DH to sign another one just to be on the safe side. We also have passports.

 

[pooksma]

I have gotten a letter from my DH the last two time I have crossed the border only because of things I have read here on the boards....but I have never been asked for it. I'll be crossing again in a couple of weeks and I'll be getting my DH to sign another one just to be on the safe side. We also have passports.

Same thing here. I took DS and my parents to St.Petersburg-was never asked for the letter. Having passports helped that I think.

 

[b-1]

We travel separately quite frequently. I have been asked for the letter on my way down and on my way back (!) It doesn't happen all the time but I sure am glad to have it when it does. In April we crossed at the Toronto airport and the US immigration officer asked DD5 where her father was and if he knew where she was going ( I had already given the officer the letter). The letter is part of our travel docs.

You can find a template of the letter at the government of canada site http://www.voyage.gc.ca/main/before/consent_letter-en.asp

HTH.

 

[MikeJ]

When I do a mapquest from Toronto to Detroit, it sends me through Sarnia. My mother grew up in Windsor and we have always gone through Windsor to get to Detroit in the past. What is the benefit of going through Sarnia?

We live in London and almost always cross at Sarnia. The border crossing is easy to get to as opposed to Windsor where you have to drive through the city to get to either the bridge or the tunnel. And once you're into Port Huron you just pick up I94 and head to Detroit. Coming off both the bridge and the tunnel in Windsor you need to know where you're going or you can very easily end up going the wrong way on the Interstate.

Speed limits in Michigan are higher than in Ontario (if that's important to you) and, personally, I hate driving the 401 between Chatham and Windsor. It's a dangerous and boring stretch of road - which can be a deadly combination.

- Mike

 

[jj1403]

We've recently had to do this as well. We were told that we needed to have a notray (lawyer) witness the letter that was signed by both my husband and myself.

 

[Ham Ham]

Have the letter notarized. If it is not notarized they may not accept it at the border.

Lots of folks will post they've never had a problem but on one of your trips someone goes by the book your travel plans may be delayed.

 

[chxray4]

Two years ago I took my daughter to North Dakota. I didn't get asked for anything crossing into the States, but they did want to see a notarized letter on the way back. In fact they kept it.

 

[SplashMountainMama]

I live in Windsor and cross the border frequently with my kids (6 of them) without DH. We use birth certificates, not passports, and we have never had a problem crossing in Windsor/Detroit. Usually they ask me if the kids are all mine and occasionally they poll the kids to see if their names match the birth certificates and often they make a snarky comment about needing good luck to shop with all the kids, but I think maybe once in 11 years has anyone asked about my DH when I crossed with them alone. Now, this past long weekend we were crossing back into Canada at Niagara Falls and the customs officer on the Canadian side gave me a bit of a hard time. I had been away with the kids for 2 days and I could tell she was unsure of my story. She looked over all my receipts and birth certificates over and over and this was the last bit of our conversation:

C.O. "I'm just trying to figure out why someone would do that?"
me "Do what?"
C.O. "Why would someone choose to take 6 kids away for the weekend without another adult? Why would anyone want to do that?"

This cracked me up because I do it all the time. DH stays home to work on the house and the kids and I go away to stay out of his way. I could tell she still didn't really believe me, but she finally sent me through.It doesn't really bother me too much because I know that they are just trying to keep the kids safe. It bothers me more when they send me through without even checking on the kids at all.

 

[jtdl]

I cross the US/Canadian border very frequently with my kids and without my husband and have done so all my childrens' lives. Not once have I ever been asked for a letter or why my husband is not with us. When my kids travel with friends I give them a letter - notarized if they are flying out of the US to somewhere else - but not notarized if just going on a day trip. It wouldn't hurt to have a letter from your husband but unless you are going to Mexico or catching a plane in the US to go out of country, I wouldn't really worry about getting it notarized. I guess I have done it so many times for so many years that it is just not something I even thought about!

 

[willise]

We are traveling with 5 other families in August, and two of the families are single parents as the husbands have sadly passed away (one just a few days ago). Both of these women have children under 8.

What kind of documents would these families have to carry? Would a death certificate be adequate?

 

[SplashMountainMama]

We are traveling with 5 other families in August, and two of the families are single parents as the husbands have sadly passed away (one just a few days ago). Both of these women have children under 8.

What kind of documents would these families have to carry? Would a death certificate be adequate?

That's so sad. My heart goes out to them.I doubt anyone would insist on seeing a death certificate. (seems pretty cruel to me), but if it makes them more comfortable to have it when crossing the border I guess it wouldn't hurt. Most of the time it seems to be fathers travelling alone with their kids that get questioned more, if at all.

 

[misslissa]

That's so sad. My heart goes out to them.I doubt anyone would insist on seeing a death certificate. (seems pretty cruel to me), but if it makes them more comfortable to have it when crossing the border I guess it wouldn't hurt. Most of the time it seems to be fathers travelling alone with their kids that get questioned more, if at all.

I have a sister who is 41 with Downs Syndrome. My mom is her legal guardian and my father passed away last year. Just recently, they asked to see my father's Death Certificate as my sister does have to have both parents as her guardian, just like a child.

On the other hand, we took my husband's little brother (who was 13 at the time) to WDW last year and brought a notarized letter and they didn't ask for it. The Passport Canada and Customs websites both say that the letter has to be notarized. We were also advised to also have a photocopy of both parents' driver's licenses attached to the letter and their cell phone number on hand just in case we had any problems. We definitely didn't want any flight delays...

 

[jtdl]

When my daughter travelled to Mexico with her friend's family via Detroit I sent a copy of her father's death certificate (my first DH) along with the notarized letter even though my lawyer had put in the letter that her biological father was deceased. Nobody asked to see it that time, but better safe than sorry. If the children were travelling with anyone other than their mother for more than a day trip to the US, I would send the letter and death certificate. I just travelled husbandless with my children and a friend of my daughter's in January, flying out of Detroit and it did not even occur to me to get a letter, as I have never been asked for one when travelling alone with my kids. The customs officer at Port Huron did ask what our relationships' were, because my daughter and her friend both had different last names than my son and I, but he was satisfied with my answer and didn't ask for any letters or anything else.

 

[canadianmommyof2]

We (me and my 2 children and my mother) hope to go visit my elderly aunt in Detroit this summer. We would have to cross the border in Windsor and my husband won't be with us. We all have passports. Will I have trouble at the border? Do I need a letter of permission from my husband to cross with my children without him?

When I do a mapquest from Toronto to Detroit, it sends me through Sarnia. My mother grew up in Windsor and we have always gone through Windsor to get to Detroit in the past. What is the benefit of going through Sarnia?

Thanks!!

We just returned from our trip to DL, we crossed the border at sweetgrass, I believe it was called in Montana and they asked to see a letter from my husband. It was myself, my 4 year old daughter, 2 year old son and my mom. Myself and the kids have passports but they asked for a letter after they realized that my husband wasn't with us. We didn't get asked when we were returning to Canada, just leaving. HTH

 

[momo64]

My son will be 18 when we go away. Am I right to assume that he would be considered an adult and that I wouldn't need anything filled out by my husband? We went away 6 years ago without my husband and had no idea that I might need a letter. Good thing I wasn't asked for one.

 

[joeymac]

We are traveling with 5 other families in August, and two of the families are single parents as the husbands have sadly passed away (one just a few days ago). Both of these women have children under 8.

What kind of documents would these families have to carry? Would a death certificate be adequate?

My husband passed away 5 years ago, my boys are now 6 & 11. We have travelled numerous times to Mexico, Cuba, and US since then. We live 1 hr from the border and travel to the US frequently.

I am often asked verbally where their father is when crossing the border, and usually my response is fine, with no papers required. However, yesterday I was asked for the death certificate, which I had with me, and I was then asked what my husbands name was. That is the most I have ever been questioned in the past five years, and that last question took me a little by surprise.

I have heard of cases when travelling to the Carribean for futher proof, ie birth certificates with fathers full name showing that he was the father...I travel with all this paperwork and keep it with the passports, just to avoid any hassles. The only thing I have ever been asked for is the death certificate though.

It is a tough subject and often the border guards just let me through when I reply as they are visibly uncomfortable with the situation. However, after pondering it for a while, it would be very easy for one parent to abduct their children and say the other parent was dead to cross the border if questions were not asked. So, even though it is a hard one, I applaud the guards for following it through, as long as they use some empathy and tact when asking the questions, they are making sure our children are safe.

Hope you all have a great trip in August! Those families will surely appreciate getting away.

 

[braydensmom]

yikes! I am taking my son in october, we just sent away for Passports, but my son is a dual citizen (his dad is american, im just canadian), he has my last name (unmarried), I have full custody (not legalized).
Now with my son having my last name am I still going to have to have his fathers signature and everything to go over....its not a problem getting it, but now im worried that the whole dual citizen thing is going to be an issue.
Hes only 12 months old, so he cant really vouch for himself

 

[joeymac]

I would get a notarized letter just to be safe! Especially if you know it won't be a problem to get from the father...A little bit of a hassle now may well be worth avoiding a huge one if asked at the border.

I think that it is becoming more common for them to ask for some paperwork. Over the past two years, I have been asked about 50% of the time to show the paperwork.

Have a great trip!