Minors Travelling Without Both Parents

[Netnurse31]

Unfortunately, I had to cancel my DH from our cruise on the Crown for this August as he has just changed jobs and will not be able to get time off. It's my understanding that there is a form that needs to be notorized by the parent who will not be travelling in order for the children to leave the country without him. Does anyone know where I could get a copy of this form?

 

BTW, for anyone else in this situation of needing to cancel one person from a booking, Princess was great. Since, for some reason, he was booked as the 3rd passenger I was refunded the entire fare despite being 57 days from sailing. Princess policy says that the deposit would not be refunded but that did not apply since he was not the 1st or 2nd passenger on the booking.

[Toto2Kansas]

Not sure where to find the form, but just keep in mind that the form must be signed by both parents I have been told, even if one has residential custody of the child. Only way one parent can sign is if by chance they have sole custody.

[BigTimeCruiser]

It's my understanding that there is a form that needs to be notorized by the parent who will not be travelling in order for the children to leave the country without him. Does anyone know where I could get a copy of this form?

 

Most any Travel Agent should be able to help you out with this. I have seen them posted on the Internet by some TAs. You may want to try a Google search for one.

[Jacqueline]

Do it all the time and Princess has yet to check the note from my husband. My daughter has been going back and forth from Canada this week with another family- we both did a signed and notarized form (which has not been checked yet). She also carries a passport and birth ceritificate. BTW this is a girl that she met last March on the Golden Princess ! The family has been hosting her in Ontario, but they live close to Detroit (went to the TIgers game last night, fireworks tonight).

Do get a signed and notarized letter stating the specifics- Ie I give my permission for my son xxx to travel with my wife xxx on such and such a date on such and such a ship/flight. If last names are same, fine if not bring a birth certificate (my name is different than that of my children).

TA will give you form.

Have Fun !

[Jacqueline]

I just noticed that you are from around the corner, right in Mahopac !

[tequilasunrise]

I've done this several times to different locations on Princess ships. You do not need a specific form. You can write a note specifiying that you have his permission to take (names of minor children), where, when, return date, name of ship and countries visited. Have him sign it (and it must be notarized). I keep a photocopy in a seperate piece of carry-on luggage in case it gets lost, tho that's never been an issue.

 

My children do travel with passports, so we have photo ID. This will be a requirement soon in most places. We just hand this letter and their passports to the person checking us in. It's never even caused a delay.

 

Have a great trip!!

[Love Boat Dream]

She was on an Alaskan cruise. Her dh had to leave earlier than she did, so she ended up leaving the ship with her son alone. They gave her a hard time because they were in Vancouver and they wouldn't let her in the country without the notarized documents. I don't know what she ended up doing (her dh was already in a car on the way to Seattle. She was flying home) but I know she got ship personnel involved who had known she traveled with her husband. Eventually, they did let them go.

[jlp20]

Per the Princess passenger contract, section 5, a child traveling with only one parent or guardian must have notarized letter from non traveling parent or guardian giving permission.

 

You may want to call Princess to what exactly they need in this "letter". Hate to see anyone refuse boarding because a date was left off a paper.

__________________

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[TinaLee]

This might help - it's a sample document from a single parent travel website.

 

Sample letter of consent to travel

 

Hope it helps!

[emdia43]

This is the one I always use- I have never been asked to show it but I have been asked if I have it in with me. I cruise with my minor grandsons.

http://***************/permission_ltr.htm - there's an underscore between permission and ltr that doesn't show up well on this screen.:)

[emdia43]

Well,they bleeped my post:mad: - go to cruise diva and look for permission letter......

[rkdahl]

We just got off our cruise so I can't go into the Cruise Personalizer on www.princess.com but I was sure that they had some downloadable forms in your personalizer section. I thought for sure one of them was a document template about travelling with a minor. Can someone that has an active reservation check out that to see if I'm correct? Or maybe I'm getting my web sites mixed up.

[TinaLee]

I don't see it - the ones I see are

 

Pre-Cruise Checklist

Passenger Immigration Form

Passage Contract

Non-Princess Air Arrangements

Passenger Health

Travel Care Information

Cruise Answer Book

Celebrations Order Form

 

Was it in one of those?

[Host CJSKIDS]

We've always gotten one in with our kids cruise packets I guess because they are listed by themselves in the cabin.

Simply call Princess and tell them what form you need and they can send it out to you. Last time around one of our packets was missing a form and I called them and got it in the mail a few days later.

[Netnurse31]

Thanks for all the info everyone! I suppose I will just draft a letter with the info needed and have it signed by DH and notorized. We do have passports so photo ID isn't a problem. The kids have had them for a few months and mine just came in the mail today :)

 

Jaqueline, you really ARE right around the corner! Small world it is...even in a huge internet.

[emdia43]

Netnurse- if you look at my previous post and in place of the asterisks insert cruise diva it will take you to the permission letter.:)

[Kerry's Girls]

Princess has new rules and doesn't require it anymore (I triple-checked before my last trip with my children), but I always carry documents just in case you encounter someone who doesn't know the new rule or an official from a country you're visiting may ask for it. If you do a search on the family board, I have seen links to the kind of document you need.

 

Best,

Mia

[Crowsie]

You may not have a problem with Princess, but the TSA could prevent you from boarding the plane without the proper documentation.

 

Also...if you're ever detained in a foreign country you may need to provide the documentation. IMHO, it's one thing that you're best prepared for.

[BigTimeCruiser]

We have seen people stopped from boarding the ship, because they did not have notarized permission to travel from the other parent not accompaning the child. Also, most U.S. airlines have the same requirement. Many countries of the world have now imposed this requirement to help reduce the possibility of child abduction/kidnapping. Even Mexico now has such a requirement. Shown below is what Mexico requires (from the U.S. State Department web site).

 

Minors: Mexican law requires that any non-Mexican under the age of 18 departing Mexico must carry notarized written permission from any parent or guardian not traveling with the child. This permission must include the name of the parent, the name of the child, the name of anyone traveling with the child, and the notarized signature(s) of the absent parent(s). The State Department recommends that the permission should include travel dates, destinations, airlines and a brief summary of the circumstances surrounding the travel. The child must be carrying the original letter – not a facsimile or scanned copy – as well as proof of the parent/child relationship (usually a birth certificate or court document) – and an original custody decree, if applicable. Travelers should contact the Mexican Embassy or closest Mexican Consulate for current information.

[Houner]

All you need is a dated letter signed by the non-travelling parent and it needs to be notarized. We also include the passport numbers for my step daughters.

We have yet to be asked for the letter from airline, ship, customs or TSA.

But better to have it and not need it, then.....

[Quilting_Cruiser]

We have yet to be asked for the letter from airline, ship, customs or TSA.

But better to have it and not need it, then.....

 

I've had the same experience. We've travelled many, many times with my stepchildren (one of them on a cruise and all three of them on at least 15 different flights over the years) and we've never been questioned. I didn't take a letter on the cruise we took my stepdaughter on when she was 16--had no idea I needed to, and it wasn't a problem. That said, now that I know more about it, I would never encourage someone to travel without the notarized letter!!

[diversmom]

We grandparents have taken grandkids and so familiar with the right documents. You just go to the State department web site and you can d/l the right form. It must be signed and notorized by each parent or if one is not available as example jail. Your local d.a. must do a notorized thing.

It is a big pain. Our case, daughter is divorced and girls father is a real jerk.

We start begging months ahead of time and finally get the darn thing. Can't wait till she is old enough. Next year, just so we don't have to get the form

filled, we are going to Hawaii.

Have a great time.

Sherry