Need Help Please!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Cre]

I am taking my 16 year old daughter on a cruise for her birthday.

She has a passport and birth certificate. We have different last names.

I have tried and tried to get in contact with the father to ask for a notarized statement saying that he gives his consent for her to travel abroad. No custody has ever been established/ nothing has ever ocurred

to cause concern. We were never married. What else can I get? I do not have a personal lawyer. We will be going to the Bahamas. I do not want to have any problems when we get to the boat.

[hlb76]

Both my kids have my maiden name not my married name and have never had a isue with it at all. I have read other posters say the same as well.

 

I did have a guy from costums ask Ethan what his full name was one time he was about 6 at the time.

 

Other that that no issues at all. Just make sure you tell everyone so it is loaded correctly into the system and as long as you have id for you I would guess you would be fine.

[steffaroonie]

Do you have a passport for her? My now 17 year old daughter has never seen her father - he was gone before she was born. When I applied for her passport - I said that he couldn't be found. She was issued a passport. She has been several places with me - no one ever questioned. The only country they say that you really need a note in is Mexico - although my daughter has been there with me several times and no one asked me for one.

 

If you are concerned, what you might be able to do is get a notorized note from someone in authority - like maybe the school principal saying the father is not in the picture and take that with you.

 

Have a great time!!!!

[Cruise, J.D.]

According to the State Department website, if your child has a passport then there is very little to prevent her from leaving the country. At the most you may have some weird state law custody issue, but with an absent parent and no formal custody order that is likely to not be an issue either.

 

http://www.travel.state.gov/family/abduction/prevention/prevention_560.html

[frayedend]

If the birth cert shows your name as the mother, shouldn't that about cover it? I could see custody issues when trying to get a passport (my nephew had that problem) but if she already has one that isn't an issue.

[Cruise, J.D.]

If the birth cert shows your name as the mother, shouldn't that about cover it? I could see custody issues when trying to get a passport (my nephew had that problem) but if she already has one that isn't an issue.

 

Yes, it should. But I have no idea what her state's laws are with respect to custody when the parents are not married and there is not a formal custody order. I would assume the father has no rights in most states without a custody order, but I'm no expert. That is why I mentioned it might be an issue.

[cccer]

We have cruised 6 times with my stepson who has a different last name than both of us. We have always had a letter from his father, but they have never asked for it. We even took a friend last cruise. He is Pakastani and we are very pale. They did not even ask for a letter for him.

I think a passport does help since in order to get on, both parents should sign off for it so both parents are giving the child the opportunity to leave the country.

[cb at sea]

I wouldn't worry overmuch.....many children have "non-existant" fathers....tell them he's dead, or something!

[katiel53]

I guess I wouldn't take the word of people on a cruise board when it came to things that are legal. I would probably call Carnival, and maybe call a few times so I found the same info several times. I might even look at some government sites to see what the rules are.

 

I wouldn't take CB's advice to tell anyone he is dead. That's total idiocrisity. (My own word, lol) Lying doesn't accomplish anything.

 

I'm sure you will be ok with the passport, but as I said check and not just take our word for it. Good luck and enjoy!

[gazingm42]

From the Dept of State website.

 

 

The United States does not have exit controls on its borders for holders of a valid passport. This makes preventing a passport from being issued to your child without your consent very important. Generally, if your child has a passport, it can be difficult to prevent the other parent from removing the child to another country without your permission.

 

So if you have a valid passport there nothing carnival can do to stop you from boarding, according to the dept of state website.