One parent traveling

[iLikePostIts]

I will be on Caribbean Princess next week with my 12 month old. My husband isn't able to come with us. I've heard conflicting reports about the need for a permission letter from my husband to travel out of the country with our child. The TA said I needed one but other frequent travelers I asked said it isn't necessary since he was present when we applied for LO's passport. Can anyone help me separate fact from rumor?

[notentirelynormal]

I will be on Caribbean Princess next week with my 12 month old. My husband isn't able to come with us. I've heard conflicting reports about the need for a permission letter from my husband to travel out of the country with our child. The TA said I needed one but other frequent travelers I asked said it isn't necessary since he was present when we applied for LO's passport. Can anyone help me separate fact from rumor?

 

You need the permission letter. Let's put it this way. You and DH are happy and get passports for you and your child. Then you divorce. Just because he was there for the passport in no way means he is giving you permission to travel out of the country with his child. They are two completely different issues.

 

I have taken my grandkids with me when traveling out of the country. Each and every time I have been asked for the permission letter. I've also been asked when boarding the ship and when leaving the ship for the paperwork. The same goes for the airline.

 

You are spending a lot of money, why risk it? How hard can it be for you to type out a letter and have you DH sign it and get it notarized? It is free at a lot of bank and AAA. Are these people giving you this great advise willing to step up to the plate and give you your money and vacation back?

Edited January 18, 2016 by notentirelynormal

[iLikePostIts]

I was told there are only a handful of countries that require the letter, Chile and Canada were specifically mentioned. I was also told that the countries that do require a letter don't accept a generic one and want specific wording. I haven't seen anything for the countries we will visit.

 

It makes sense for grandparents to need a permission letter, but I get conflicting information for a parent.

 

It isn't hard to type out a letter but getting it notarized can be difficult with his work schedule. If it's necessary then we will proceed but if it's unnecessary I'd rather not go to the trouble.

[6rugrats]

I have traveled often with a child by myself. Get the letter.

 

Poster above is entirely correct. Giving permission for a passport does not mean you gave permission for specific travel. I've been asked for this letter every time I've traveled to Canada. I was asked for it at passport control in the UK. Sometimes I have not been asked for it.

 

It seems the younger the child is, the more interested immigration is. I haven't needed any "country specific" letter; a generic one has been fine.

 

Princess's webpage points out the necessity of this letter. You may never be asked for it, but if you are and you don't have it, you'll be denied boarding.

Edited January 18, 2016 by 6rugrats

[kitkat343]

I'm sorry - I do understand it sucks to get it notarized plus it is unlikely you will need it, but if you do it is an enormous problem.

[notentirelynormal]

I was told there are only a handful of countries that require the letter, Chile and Canada were specifically mentioned. I was also told that the countries that do require a letter don't accept a generic one and want specific wording. I haven't seen anything for the countries we will visit.

 

It makes sense for grandparents to need a permission letter, but I get conflicting information for a parent.

 

It isn't hard to type out a letter but getting it notarized can be difficult with his work schedule. If it's necessary then we will proceed but if it's unnecessary I'd rather not go to the trouble.

 

It is not a grandparent thing. It is a one parent custody thing. I've been asked going in and out out of the US as well. Look, I can type out a letter and sign my next door neighbors name. It doesn't make it true or legal. You really need get it notarized. AAA is open 6 days a week. There must be some time he can get there. While it might tough surely he gets off work long enough to do this. You don't have to be there, just him.

 

The specific wording is simple. It goes something like this. I Joe Blow give permission to my wife, Jane Blow to take my child Michael Blow out of the country for vacation. They will be traveling from January 1 to January 31, 2016. They will be visiting Canada, England, Timbuktu. Signed December 20, 2015 by Joe Blow and Notarized. AAA will do it for free if you are their signature member or it costs around $10 if you are not.

 

You spent a lot of money and did a lot of planning. Do you really want to be left standing at the pier because getting the letter was inconvenient. I can tell you I needed it to board the ship when we sailed to Canada. Keep in mind - a lot of grandparents are the custodial caregivers of young children. They have the same rights as birth parents in this case so age is not relevant to this issue.

 

You can keep having conflicting issues but it is what it is.

[Kerry's Girls]

Take it from me and the others here who are trying to help you, get the letter. I am a single parent and started travelling internationally with my kids eight years ago, starting when they were around your child's age. We have averaged an international trip once or twice a year and they have always had passports, but I have been asked for proof that I'm allowed to travel alone with my kids about 1/3 of the time, including often when RE-ENTERING the US after a cruise. It has absolutely nothing to do with grandparents, it's that some officials are more on the lookout for non-custodial kidnapping than others.

 

Especially with a toddler who can not answer their questions about "where's your dad?", you're more likely to need it. Even when not asked for the letter, my kids are very often asked "where's your dad?".

 

A cruise is not like a flight where you can just catch the next one once it's all sorted out. Also, you could very likely be asked by immigration when re-entering the country and while it would all get worked out, you'll have a toddler in a stroller who won't really be interested in the long delay and you'll be wishing you just paid for a mobile notary in the first place.

Edited January 19, 2016 by Kerry's Girls

[kitten3008]

This is such a tricky subject, I'm definitely in the "just get the letter!" camp. It won't take much, and you can enjoy your vacation without any worries. Especially when in your case, it's so easy to obtain!

 

My son's biological father hasn't been around in years, and I wouldn't know where to find him. My husband is the man my son calls Daddy, so when asked, he would indicate that DH is his dad - only, they don't share a last name. To further complicate matters, my son is mentally handicapped and incapable of answering logic-minded questions. My ex's family is very violent and vindictive, and due to my own health issues, my MOM has sole legal and physical custody of my son on paper to protect him from his bio dad and family.

 

So who exactly are we supposed to get a letter from???? Lol!

 

Thankfully, we have all of the court paperwork and my mom is traveling with us, so there won't be a problem, but see how easy that dang letter looks now?? :D You'll be glad you got it!

[Host Walt]

Based on observed issues, I agree with the "just get the notarized letter" advice.

 

There's nothing worse than watching a seriously disappointed family group (mom and daughter, for example) who are excited about their about to happen cruise adventure only to be told they cannot board because the cruise line check in staff turns them away.

 

Even if the prospective passengers seem to have everything in order except the permission letter, they still cannot board and really, at that point in time, have no recourse.

 

Similar issue came up recently where a couple arrived with the new passport card instead of a passport book and was turned away from a California Coastal round trip from San Pedro, CA. The cards were perfectly suitable but the staff person doing the check ins was not familiar with the card. The couple insisted on discussing the issue with a supervisor and was told that the cruise line policy was to always see a booklet passport.

 

They wound up watching from the parking lot as their ship sailed away.

[iLikePostIts]

Thank you all for your replies. We just found out DH's coworker happens to be a notary so that makes things much easier. Our AAA doesn't offer notary, our banks and credit unions don't, and the UPS stores do but their hours are severely limited. We will travel with the letter.

 

I guess I'm mostly irked by the lack of consistency. When reading the Princess policy it only says "many countries require a permission letter" but it doesn't indicate that the cruise line requires the letter. Oh well! We'll have the letter and be covered.

 

Thanks again!

[notentirelynormal]

Thank you all for your replies. We just found out DH's coworker happens to be a notary so that makes things much easier. Our AAA doesn't offer notary, our banks and credit unions don't, and the UPS stores do but their hours are severely limited. We will travel with the letter.

 

Good to hear the news. My brother tried to board a plane for FLL from LAX for a cruise. He had legal and physical custody of his son. He had all the paperwork including the ex wife's letter. It took him almost an hour to check in because they went over his documents with a fine tooth comb. They finally decided the problem must be that his son had the same name as him and we just naturally call the kid JR. So the TA put JR on the ticket and, guess what, it didn't match his passport because he is not. Middle names are different. This was just to fly across the country too.

 

Okay, now you have me curious. Do you live in a small town? I thought all AAA offices offered that service. No sarcasm I'm really interested. When I tried to pull up the info it came up SoCal so can you tell us where you live? I'm also surprised about the banks. I mean, if you buy a house or take out a loan you will need to have it notarized. Are you in Canada?

[iLikePostIts]

I'm in NorCal. If AAA or our banks do offer notary services they don't advertise it.

 

When we bought our home we signed our docs at the title company office.

[Kerry's Girls]

 

I guess I'm mostly irked by the lack of consistency. When reading the Princess policy it only says "many countries require a permission letter" but it doesn't indicate that the cruise line requires the letter. Oh well! We'll have the letter and be covered.

 

 

I think the cruiseline has to be vague because they can't guarantee consistency since they have no control over individual immigration officials or changes in policies.

 

It's great that you have access to a notary, but if you ever need one and can't get to AAA or a copy place, it's easy to find a local mobile notary through yelp who will arrange time/location at your convenience.

 

Have a great cruise! My girls were around the same age our first cruise on Princess and we had an amazing time. They loved going to play/crawl around in the kids club.

 

All the best,

Mia

[notentirelynormal]

I'm in NorCal. If AAA or our banks do offer notary services they don't advertise it.

 

When we bought our home we signed our docs at the title company office.

 

Interesting. I looked on their website and couldn't find a single mention but I know I have had it done there. Many times at different locations. Now I might have to actually call them and find out LOL. I usually use my local credit union though. Much easier.

[cb at sea]

Just write up a letter..have it notatrized...you'l be good to go.