Unaccompanied minor

PVP said it won't be a problem as long as the child has a birth certificate.

 

Also, it was never my intention to start a three page argument about the responsibilities of separated parents. Please note that this issues crosses several state and national borders. Some countries do not recognize divorces that are granted in other countries.

There have been posters here that have said they were stopped with birth certificates and they were interrogated if they don't have the right parental documentation.

while I am not sure there is any documentation you can bring in this case, just having a birth certificate does not prove you are divorced and the father has rights and is refusing to allow you to bring the child out of the country. That is one of the situations they are looking for and a birth certificate doesn't do anything.

But the divorce is automatically granted after attempts to find them!

 

As far as the proper documentation goes. I am a single mom and we took our first cruise in feb. I called carnival and they said that you don't have to have a notarized letter from the other parent but they recommend it. I had to bit the bullet and ask my ex husband to do so. Let me tell you this was not a easy task. He is pretty much absent from their lives. Went on our cruise and they did not ask me once for the letter. Now I don't know if it is because I have the same last name as my kids.

 

I have also heard that if your last name is not the same as your birth certificate you need to bring in your marriage lisc. So I even had a copy of that.

 

I have heard more then once people that were denied boarding because of improper documentation......I did everything I could to avoid that.

My daughter, 12, and I have different last names...never married to her father.

We have been on 9 cruises without him. Our 10th is next month. Never ever questioned about anything. I am her mother, have her birth certificate showing that (and a passport card for her). This letter that people talk about is completely useless. How would any one else know who actually wrote that letter? Outside of an actual court document, there is nothing that any letter says that can be proven to be from the actual absent parent.

People "hear" a lot of things. There are tons of stories all over the place that are false.

My daughter, 12, and I have different last names...never married to her father.

 

We have been on 9 cruises without him. Our 10th is next month. Never ever questioned about anything. I am her mother, have her birth certificate showing that (and a passport card for her). This letter that people talk about is completely useless. How would any one else know who actually wrote that letter? Outside of an actual court document, there is nothing that any letter says that can be proven to be from the actual absent parent.

 

People "hear" a lot of things. There are tons of stories all over the place that are false.

I guess the U.S Customs and Border Patrol website is a place that is false

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/3643/kw/single%20parent%20travelling%20with%20children/session/L3RpbWUvMTUzMjk2ODQzMC9zaWQva3lDWS1aU24%3D

Who would have guessed?? :rolleyes: :eek:

This is on the FAQ page. It doesn't say it's required but it's strongly encouraged

traveling

travel

With that being said. I had one from my ex but lost it before our last vacation. We flew to Seattle, boarded the ship, got off in Alaska, drove over to Canada so actually had to go through customs and didn't have any problems/questions whatsoever until we got back to Seattle and went to board the plane home. They then took my 9 year old aside at the airport and asked him what his name was, how old he was, what his address was, where he was flying to and who he was flying with.

This is on the FAQ page. It doesn't say it's required but it's strongly encouraged

 

When

traveling

with a minor where one parent or both parents or legal guardians are not cruising, we strongly recommend bringing an original signed letter from the absent parent(s) or legal guardians authorizing the minor to

travel

with you. This will expedite processing by the Department of Homeland Security.

 

 

With that being said. I had one from my ex but lost it before our last vacation. We flew to Seattle, boarded the ship, got off in Alaska, drove over to Canada so actually had to go through customs and didn't have any problems/questions whatsoever until we got back to Seattle and went to board the plane home. They then took my 9 year old aside at the airport and asked him what his name was, how old he was, what his address was, where he was flying to and who he was flying with.

don't say you were stopped.... now bingomamma19 is going to call you a fake story... ;)

I guess the U.S Customs and Border Patrol website is a place that is false

 

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/3643/kw/single%20parent%20travelling%20with%20children/session/L3RpbWUvMTUzMjk2ODQzMC9zaWQva3lDWS1aU24%3D

 

 

Who would have guessed?? :rolleyes: :eek:

yeah.. ok...let me just write that letter now from her dad....My child has permission to leave the country with her mother...yeah that sounds very protective :):)

don't say you were stopped.... now bingomamma19 is going to call you a fake story... ;)

Ok....so you get stopped and asked some questions going home (or boarding the ship). Sounds fine. What are they going to do...keep your child from going with you?

I would not mind at all if I was asked for her proper ID, our relationship, address etc. She is 12, she can also answer any questions. That is logical. (however nobody has yet to do that anywhere to us)

I am saying you wont be stopped from doing your legal business of traveling with your child just because you don't have some worthless letter (that you could just write yourself and sign as the absent parent)..real legit

Ok....so you get stopped and asked some questions going home (or boarding the ship). Sounds fine. What are they going to do...keep your child from going with you?

 

I would not mind at all if I was asked for her proper ID, our relationship, address etc. She is 12, she can also answer any questions. That is logical. (however nobody has yet to do that anywhere to us)

 

I am saying you wont be stopped from doing your legal business of traveling with your child just because you don't have some worthless letter (that you could just write yourself and sign as the absent parent)..real legit

all that is being said here is that you can be delayed if you don't have the letter. if you have it (and notarized), then then don't ask as much and move you on your way quicker.

I am not sure what fake stuff you think people have said... without letter, delays... with letter, less delays

that's it... nothing fake here and its recommended by Carnival and the CBT

yeah.. ok...let me just write that letter now from her dad....My child has permission to leave the country with her mother...yeah that sounds very protective :):)

notarized... (it proves who wrote it)

What should a parental consent/permission letter look like? Is there a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) form?

There is not a CBP Form letter but this is a letter you create. The "Parental Consent Letter" should include the following elements:

• Who
  
• What
  
• Where
  
• When
  
• Why
  
• Contact information for the absent parent(s).
  

Having the letter notarized is not necessary but highly recommended.

For frequent border crossers, the letter should not exceed one year. It is recommended to have the letter in English.

If you wish to receive automatic updates to this Q&A, select "Subscribe to Updates" on the left side of this screen.

Adults traveling with children should also be aware that, while the U.S. does not require this documentation, other countries may have a requirement and failure to produce notarized permission letters and/or birth certificates could result in travelers being refused entry (Canada has very strict requirements in this regard).

notarized... (it proves who wrote it)

 

What should a parental consent/permission letter look like? Is there a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) form?

 

There is not a CBP Form letter but this is a letter you create. The "Parental Consent Letter" should include the following elements:

• Who
  
• What
  
• Where
  
• When
  
• Why
  
• Contact information for the absent parent(s).
  

Having the letter notarized is not necessary but highly recommended.

For frequent border crossers, the letter should not exceed one year. It is recommended to have the letter in English.

If you wish to receive automatic updates to this Q&A, select "Subscribe to Updates" on the left side of this screen.

 

 

Adults traveling with children should also be aware that, while the U.S. does not require this documentation, other countries may have a requirement and failure to produce notarized permission letters and/or birth certificates could result in travelers being refused entry (Canada has very strict requirements in this regard).

Really?? If you think a notarized letter is proof of authenticity, ok. I know many notaries (including my sister) , in the end, they have a stamp to stamp a piece of paper. (also whats to say you don't alter said letter after its notarized) Not exactly fool proof by far, but ok. It also says is it not necessary, so unless you are super suspicious in your travels, I would not even worry about that. But everyone can do as they feel comfortable.

You can do as you like. I will never travel with a letter from my daughters father, and guarantee I will never need one.

I am her mother, we have our proper documents (birth certificates and passport cards) and I have every right to travel with her wherever I would like. What do you think parents do who can not locate the other parent at all? never travel? This is an all too common situation for many parents.

Since hundreds of thousands of people travel every week without a spouse/parent of their child and most don't have this "letter", I am comfortable with how I do things.

Really?? If you think a notarized letter is proof of authenticity, ok. I know many notaries (including my sister) , in the end, they have a stamp to stamp a piece of paper. (also whats to say you don't alter said letter after its notarized) Not exactly fool proof by far, but ok. It also says is it not necessary, so unless you are super suspicious in your travels, I would not even worry about that. But everyone can do as they feel comfortable.

 

You can do as you like. I will never travel with a letter from my daughters father, and guarantee I will never need one.

 

I am her mother, we have our proper documents (birth certificates and passport cards) and I have every right to travel with her wherever I would like. What do you think parents do who can not locate the other parent at all? never travel? This is an all too common situation for many parents.

 

Since hundreds of thousands of people travel every week without a spouse/parent of their child and most don't have this "letter", I am comfortable with how I do things.

This was reported here by a friend of the person. It was in another cruise line and I never could get a straight answer to my question about the circumstances of the denial. And the friend did not have internet access and even no computer and the friend reporting it did not know all the details. I asked many questions and finally the reporting person stopped coming on here. I watched for her to come back for years.

I have maintained that each cruise line can require anything they want to, and if they require it, it is required Carnival does not require it.

As for the child that was questioned about who he was traveling with and such, not to long ago a woman said she had a notarized letter from her child's father and her child was questioned in the same manner. Letter made no difference.

There used to be a woman here that said she was a checking person for carnival and she always asked for the letter. I asked many times what happened if they did not have it. I asked her that for a very long time because she used to jump on every thread like this and I asked every time. What happens if they do not have a letter. I never got an answer. At all. And then she stopped posting here also.

I think the answer lies in the fact that Mexico does not consider cruise passengers as actually visiting the country only as in transit. Unless you go to the airport, you couldn't even find anyone in Mexico to look at your letter.

There was another woman that every time she crossed to Mexico, they asked her for the letter including in progresso and Cozumel. Even though I asked several times, she never told me what the person was who asked to see a letter or where it happened.

Anyway, as I said way up the line, all a 10 yr old needs to board a carnival ship is a birth certificate.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

Single mom here that cruises with her daughter. My daughter does have a passport. We have different last names and I have never been questioned.