Permission letter to take Grandchild on cruise

[Suzy Smith]

Please bear in mind the OP lives in the UK. The following is from a UK legal information website:

"If you need to have a document certified you should be sure to ask, or find out, if that particular document is to be used in another country. If the document is to remain in the UK then you will be able to get a solicitor, rather than a notary public, to sign the documentation. But if your documentation is to be used abroad, you will need the services of a notary public."

 

The most important factor in this case is that Celebrity must be satisfied with the documentation provided, so that the OP and family can actually board the ship. In the OP's situation, I would follow Celebrity's instructions to the letter and if possible have X confirm in advance of sailing that all the paperwork is correct.

[Algebralovr]

Please bear in mind the OP lives in the UK. The following is from a UK legal information website:

"If you need to have a document certified you should be sure to ask, or find out, if that particular document is to be used in another country. If the document is to remain in the UK then you will be able to get a solicitor, rather than a notary public, to sign the documentation. But if your documentation is to be used abroad, you will need the services of a notary public."

 

The most important factor in this case is that Celebrity must be satisfied with the documentation provided, so that the OP and family can actually board the ship. In the OP's situation, I would follow Celebrity's instructions to the letter and if possible have X confirm in advance of sailing that all the paperwork is correct.

 

Thank you Suzy Smith for chiming in. We in the US are able to find a notary all over the place. Since you found it on a site regarding legal info, would you mind posting the site?

 

OP, I hope you are able to find the correct individual to assist you easily.

[Apeeler]

See below:

 

The Home Office says that, if you are travelling with a child aged under 18 years and are either not the child’s parent or you don’t appear to be the parent (for example, if you have a different surname), staff may ask a few questions to establish your relationship. Carrying evidence of this relationship or documents explaining the reason for travelling isn’t compulsory but can speed up the process.

 

 

It says such evidence might be a copy of a birth or adoption certificate showing your relationship with the child; divorce or marriage certificates if you are the parent but have a different surname; or a letter from one or both of the child’s parents, with contact details, giving consent for the child to travel with you. Full details of regulations that apply at the UK border are on the UK Border Agency website, ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk (click on “Customs and travel information”).

[Apeeler]

Or:

 

Documentation:

 

 

If you are not the child's legal guardians, you should also have two further documents with you. The first should be a direction from his parents giving you permission to travel with their child. This document should have the exact date and destination of travel as well as flight numbers etc. The documents should be signed and notarised to provide comfort that it is real. The second is a notarised letter from the parents giving permission for medical care. You may never be asked for these documents but for the little effort it will take to have them better safe than sorry. If your grandchild’s parents are divorced, it is especially important that documents are signed by both parents, as sometimes children are taken out of the UK during custody disputes.

 

 

 

 

 

If you are travelling within the UK, remember to pack your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC – available from the Post Office or apply online). It helps ensure some or all of your health costs will be covered if there is a mutual arrangement between the UK and the country you are visiting. Remember that the EHIC isn't an alternative to travel insurance, as it will not cover any private medical healthcare or the cost of things such as lost or stolen property. For these reasons and others, it is important to have both an EHIC and a valid private travel insurance policy. Some insurers now insist you hold an EHIC and many will waive the excess if you have one.

 

Hope the above posts shed some light. I'm a divorced parent so slightly easier for me (I hope) as only need to get my ex to sign a letter of consent but must contain dates, details, any flight numbers, contact details etc. Not always required but am playing safe! Plus I have parental responsibility which means little for the non resident parent.

[Suzy Smith]

Celebrity's requirements for an adult boarding a Celebrity ship with a child are pretty much the same, with the addition of authorisation to sign for participation in activities:

 

"Adults who are not the parent or Legal Guardian of any minor child traveling with them are required to present the child's valid passport and visa or the child's birth certificate (original, a notarized copy or a certified copy) and an original notarized letter signed by at least one of the child's parents. The notarized letter from the child's parent must authorize the traveling adult to take the child on the specific cruise, must authorize guardian to sign legal documentation/waivers for participation in any activities requiring them and must authorize the traveling adult to supervise the child and permit any medical treatment that must be administered to the child. If a non-parent adult is a Legal Guardian, the adult must present a certified certificate of Guardianship with respect to the child."

 

(From the X website FAQs)

[Lsimon]

OK, I've seen a lot of talk here which just points out to the material difference between a notary in the US vs. UK and it just didn't make common sense to me that a UK Notarization would be required. So I simply went to the Celebrity UK website and downloaded a UK Celebrity Brochure, which you can either find on the Celebrity UK Website or find right here:

http://www.celebritycruises.co.uk/media/worldwide%20cruises%202015-2016_tcm27-77482.pdf

 

Under Booking Conditions on page 142 (or 144 of the PDF) you'll find the following language (underlined bold words are emphasis added by me):

Minors travelling with an adult(s) who is not the parent or

legal guardian shall be required to present (a) the minor’s valid

passport, (b) all applicable visas and © *where the minor is

under the age of eighteen (18), an original

legally affirmed

or

notarised letter signed by at least one of the child’s parents/

legal guardians. Where such letter is required, the letter must

authorise the travelling adult to take the minor/s on the specified

cruise and must authorise the travelling adult to supervise the

minor, sign applicable sports waivers and permit any medical

treatment that must be administered to the minor which in the

opinion of the treating doctor needs to be carried out without

delay.

A letter can be legally affirmed or notarised by a practising

solicitor

, notary or commissioner for oaths for a fee. If such

evidence is not produced, the minor(s) concerned will not be

permitted to board the ship or undertake the cruise. Celebrity

Cruises will not be responsible for any costs, expenses or losses

suffered as a result either by the minor affected, the person(s)

paying for their cruise (if not the minor him/herself), or any

persons travelling with the minor who decide not to continue

with the holiday as a result of the failure to produce a letter of

authorisation as set out above

 

There are other matters, such as name differences, discussed in the same T&C section of the brochure which you should read as well.

 

This differs from the verbiage in the USA Brochure which only mentioned a notarized letter since that is the USA practice.

 

If I were the OP, I would find a hard copy of a UK brochure even if I had to call around a bit to find an agency that had one. I don't know how Celebrity UK is on sending these out, but I know from past posts it is hit or miss on getting a hard copy brochure request fulfilled from Celebrity USA.

Edited March 27, 2015 by Lsimon

[kerryincork]

In Ireland the equivalent of a notarised letter is to get the letter signed in the presence of a police officer at a police station who then stamp and sign it

[az_tchr]

Sure are a lot of people who do not get it!

 

Thank you to Lsimon for copying the requirements from Celebrity as follows:

Under Booking Conditions on page 142 (or 144 of the PDF) you'll find the following language (underlined bold words are emphasis added by me):

 

Minors travelling with an adult(s) who is not the parent or

legal guardian shall be required to present (a) the minor’s valid

passport, (b) all applicable visas and © *where the minor is

under the age of eighteen (18), an original legally affirmed or

notarised letter signed by at least one of the child’s parents/

legal guardians. Where such letter is required, the letter must

authorise the travelling adult to take the minor/s on the specified

cruise and must authorise the travelling adult to supervise the

minor, sign applicable sports waivers and permit any medical

treatment that must be administered to the minor which in the

opinion of the treating doctor needs to be carried out without

delay. A letter can be legally affirmed or notarised by a practising

solicitor, notary or commissioner for oaths for a fee. If such

evidence is not produced, the minor(s) concerned will not be

permitted to board the ship or undertake the cruise. Celebrity

Cruises will not be responsible for any costs, expenses or losses

suffered as a result either by the minor affected, the person(s)

paying for their cruise (if not the minor him/herself), or any

persons travelling with the minor who decide not to continue

with the holiday as a result of the failure to produce a letter of

authorisation as set out above.

 

Clearly the idea of requiring a person to spend several hundreds of dollars for a document that in the USA would be anywhere from free to maybe $5 is silly. A solicitor's letter is exactly what Celebrity requires on their website. Also thank you to others for the comment about the health and activities letters along with the health card.

 

All Celebrity is trying to get is the foreign equivalent of a notarized letter. That overseas is a solicitor's statement.

[john watson]

Locationg a "Notary" in the United Kingdom is incredibly difficult. I eventually found a firm of solicitors who did previously have one who had retired. They contacted him and he contacted me. Eventually I visited him at his bungalow and got the forms signed and embossed for £40. Looking back I think asolicitors letter would have sufficed.

 

The letter I used was downloaded from the Cruise Lines website. The information given on the site indicated that any cruise starting or ending in the USA would definately need a form where a minor was travelling with one or zero parents. Details covered as I recall covered the, connection between child and the accompanying travellers. Identification and names of parties involved, the name of the vessel/s and dates of travel (from home through the cruise and back to home). When travelling exclusively in Europe they were not as strict, having said that in USA nobody asked for the forms!

 

I should look on website and see what the line requires, a solicitors endorsed document will probably suffice, which you will need to get signed up in front of both parents signing and you signing as well as I should say a medical authority to allow treatment overseas on your say so.

 

The only time I had any problem with this issue is on return to Heathrow UK Border Force stopped me and referred back to UK Passport Agency records to get the connection between me and accompanying child with a different surname. This is also easier if child can speak as old enough to confirm as well as you.

 

I should check out what is needed get a letter typed out yourselves as per cruise lines requirements but listing everybody and their passport numbers and names copies of childrens birth certificates are also handy. Go into a Solicitors office everybody parents and grandparents and say "we want to sign a form in front of a solicitor" you can usually get this done around lunch time at a random solicitors and they charge £5. The receptionist can generally get a solicitor to come down and sign for CASH in a few minutes if not they tell you and you can find another one.

 

Regards John

Edited March 27, 2015 by john watson

[tercar]

We have done this many times, if you print off the letter from celebrity, you and the parent can go to a solicitor in England and they will sign and stamp it. Be careful where you go and get a price first we normally pay £5.00 some were wanting a lot more. Hope this helps