Paperwork needed to bring my teen's friend

For our Alaskan cruise next year, we are bringing my 12 YO daughter's 14 YO friend. The girl lives with her mother and stepfather, and there is no father shown on the birth certificate (boy, was THAT an awkward subject to bring up!). The stepfather has not adopted her. Am I correct in thinking that we only need a signed/notarized statement from the mother giving the girl permission to travel with us, since there is no legal father? The girl does not have a passport - would it make anything easier if she got one? (Unless something changes again, we won't NEED passports for this cruise - I know they're a good idea to have.) She will be 15 at the time of the cruise, if that matters.

I'm not that familiar with Alaskan cruising. Do you actually leave the U.S.? I always thought those travel letters were for travel leaving the U.S.

Anyway, if you do need a letter, it will have to be notarized from the mother stating she is the sole legal guardian of the subject child and that you and your husband are authorized to take said child with you on the trip. The letter should state there is no other legal guardian. Attach a copy of the friend's birth certificate.

Passports are always useful but I don't think necessary if you are not leaving the U.S. Again, I don't know that much about your itinerary.

The cruise will dock in Canada, and while in one of the Alaskan ports (Skagway) we will be driving into Canada. My understanding of the crazy passport rules is that a passport is only needed if you are FLYING into Canada/Mexico at the time of our cruise (June/July 2007).

Thanks for your suggestion that the letter state that her mother is the sole legal guardian. That will save us from having to explain why only one parent signed the letter to everyone who asks for it.

I would encourage the friend's mother to get the child a passport. It really is the safest I.D. But bring the birth certificate too showing there is no legal father.

I would also bring a copy of the child's medical insurance card, just in case.

For our Alaskan cruise next year, we are bringing my 12 YO daughter's 14 YO friend. The girl lives with her mother and stepfather, and there is no father shown on the birth certificate (boy, was THAT an awkward subject to bring up!). The stepfather has not adopted her. Am I correct in thinking that we only need a signed/notarized statement from the mother giving the girl permission to travel with us, since there is no legal father? The girl does not have a passport - would it make anything easier if she got one? (Unless something changes again, we won't NEED passports for this cruise - I know they're a good idea to have.) She will be 15 at the time of the cruise, if that matters.

Having traveled in Europe with my daughter's friend when they were both 15, my suggestion is that you might feel more comfortable with a passport, a notarized statement that the girl could travel with you and that you are authorized to seek medical care with all her medical insurance information. I might also suggest you take out the travel insurance to include her as if she got hurt or sick, it would alleviate any worries about medical care if she got hurt or injured. My daughter's friends parents and our family felt more comfortable covering all the bases. Her friends parents paid the cost of her travel insurance which was not too prohibitive.

make sure ANY letter you recieve from the other parents should be notorized just to make it legal, i leanred this from a lawyer friend when we took my daughters friend to canada. and still if the friend has a passport take it, thats the best picture id you could have!!