Notary permission letters

[land lover]

The last time I traveled outside the US with my children and my husband wasn't with us I only needed a written note.......I understand now you must have a notarized letter...... .My qustion is can I have a notary letter that is indefinate or does it have to be specific to the dates we are traveling.Thanks

[suziehmkr]

Call Princess - my friend was told that as of the beginning of November the letter was no longer needed.

[crazy4themouse]

As of November 2nd, they no longer require a letter -- notarized or otherwise -- from an absent parent, where the other parent is cruising with the child. And I have called at least a dozen different and random times since then, to make sure I got the same answer every time. :)

 

They did say that airlines are still free to ask for such a thing, but in all the many many times my little boy and I have flown, it has never once come up. But YMMV.

 

As for me, I am one VERY happy camper -- that news was a huge weight off my shoulders.

 

Hope it makes some other single parents happy, too! :)

 

-gina-

[Immebsmom]

I am a very happy camper. I barely got him to sign the ok to get her a passport 3 years ago. Now, he doesn't even live in the state and hasn't seen her in forever. Now I don't have to deal with trying to get a letter from him!!! Yeah for me!!!! and her too!!!:D

[cloveygrl]

You had to get a permission letter????

[crazy4themouse]

I am a very happy camper. I barely got him to sign the ok to get her a passport 3 years ago. Now, he doesn't even live in the state and hasn't seen her in forever. Now I don't have to deal with trying to get a letter from him!!! Yeah for me!!!! and her too!!!:D

 

 

Exactly!! I don't even know where the loser lives... and if the child support collection agency hasn't been able to track him down for something as important as child support, there was no way I was going to be able to track him down just to ask his "permission" to take my son on vacation.

[crazy4themouse]

You had to get a permission letter????

 

 

Princess was requiring such a thing, even though other lines -- such as DCL, with WAY more kids -- did not. I was never once asked about cruising alone with my son on Disney. I think Princess had to have been losing customers, because there are so many single parents in our situation... and our money spends the same.

 

Besides, I honestly can't recall ever hearing of even one parental kidnapping by cruise ship. It wouldn't make sense -- they know when every person is on the ship, and when they're off -- and when you get off, you're usually on an island. You'd have to be a pretty dim kidnapper. :p

 

-gina-

[tpear3]

I have also sailed on Carnival and needed a letter--although, it was never asked for. I am also glad Princess doesn't need it, as we haven't seen, spoken, or received support since 1998. I can now go on my cruise next month with my son and not worry about how I'm getting a notarized letter from someone I don't care to find!! :D

[land lover]

Thanks for the replys......but hears the catch I am not going on a cruise, I still do think the airlines will need it, I'll check with them.

 

What a hassel for the traveling single or remarried mom/dad...I am just thinking of having the hassel getting a letter notarized more than once by the guy I live with....such a simple task...incomparison.......

[tpear3]

I have flown alot with my kids in the last two years--and never have been asked for a letter or any id for them. Good luck!:cool:

[rico]

We're sailing on the Grand Jan 14th. In my packet when they ask for your air travel arrangements was a "Parental Questionnaire." They list the child's name and ask you to fill in the name of the accompanying adult. Then you have to select whether... 1) both parents are travelling with the child 2) One parent is traveling 3) One widowed parent is traveling or 4) Legal guardian is traveling.

 

If you select option 2 the form indicates a notarized letter of consent is required from the non-traveling parent.

 

This form was sent to me AFTER November 2. If they really aren't requiring the letter of consent any more, someone at Princess didn't get the memo.

[Immebsmom]

Ok, not to be a witch, but what stops anyone from saying father unknow? I used a sperm donor? None of the above? :eek: Makes me crazy. If they ask me I am listing him as dead...as far as I am concerned he is!!!:p

[crazy4themouse]

We're sailing on the Grand Jan 14th. In my packet when they ask for your air travel arrangements was a "Parental Questionnaire." They list the child's name and ask you to fill in the name of the accompanying adult. Then you have to select whether... 1) both parents are travelling with the child 2) One parent is traveling 3) One widowed parent is traveling or 4) Legal guardian is traveling.

 

If you select option 2 the form indicates a notarized letter of consent is required from the non-traveling parent.

 

This form was sent to me AFTER November 2. If they really aren't requiring the letter of consent any more, someone at Princess didn't get the memo.

 

 

Their paperwork hasn't caught up yet. On the cruise personalizer, one of the items is a pre-cruise checklist, and one of the required items is the notarized letter thing. I called them yet again when I saw that, and was again told it was no longer necessary. He said that it will take a while for things like the checklist to get corrected.

 

But I urge anyone concerned to definitely call and make sure you're told the same thing!

 

-gina-

[cruisemom42]

Ok, not to be a witch, but what stops anyone from saying father unknow? I used a sperm donor? None of the above? :eek: Makes me crazy. If they ask me I am listing him as dead...as far as I am concerned he is!!!:p

 

 

The Princess information used to state that if you declared the non-accompanying parent to be dead, you had to have something (e.g. death certificate) to prove it. The only way you could get around it, (I think) was to have paperwork showing you had sole custody. To say "father unknown" I think you would have to show it on the birth certificate that way.

 

I'm soooo glad they have changed this! It was always a tremendous hassle getting it from my passive-aggressive ex. Last summer I was on tenterhooks as he *finally* sent it 3 days before we left for our Baltics cruise.

[imsulin2]

If you are a single parent with child/ren (even though you may be married), and travelling to a land vacation in Mexico, you cannot even board the plane in the U.S. without a notarized letter from the absent parent. And, yes - the letter must be specific as to dates. Land Lover - do you mind letting us know where you are going? Thanks.

[jennew]

My biggest fear is that I would get to the pier and have to tell my VERY excited 6 yr old that he can't board the ship. He would be crushed. I am bringing the letter just in case.

[mtjlr]

My son is taking his daughter on the Golden in January and the form came with his precruise information in mid November. I wouldn't always trust what Princess reps tell you on the phone. He has had mom's signature notarized and is taking it along just in case. Rather be safe than sorry at the time of boarding.

[Stevesan]

I doubt that the cruise line is the requiring entity. When transporting our grandson across the Canadian border, the Canadian authorities asked for and carefully read the permission letter. It had to be notarized and specific as to dates, names, etc. The U.S. authorities asked for the letter upon our return, but did not read it with the attention given by the Canadian side.

 

Our daughter is divorced with full custody, but always obtains a permission letter from her ex when traveling out of country.

 

You may not have a problem when cruising from and to a U.S. port, but be very careful when on other foreign travels.

[crazy4themouse]

Oh, Canada is nutso about that, and for good reason -- that is usually the direction kidnapping parents head. As for the countries or immigration, they have never once asked or even looked twice at my son and I cruising together, and all since 9/11.

 

Those of you who are able to get such a letter, that's great... but if you read our posts here, you'll see that it's generally not possible. I would just be extremely happy, if I were you, that you are in the situation you're in where it's not an issue.

[mrsrocster]

I cruised on the Caribbean Princess in both May and October of 2005 and in each case I had to have the letter notarized from my ex. We asked the rep at check in what would happen if we didn't have that letter. He said that his supervisor would have to make some calls and contact my ex to receive a verbal okay. They would have to ask some unique specific questions in order to verify that this person was 'legit' but that would be pretty much it. If they can't verify this and you don't have a notarized letter, we would have been denied boarding. So, as you can see, as much as its a pain in the you-know-what to speak to or find your ex, its worth it when it comes to something like this.

 

Perhaps for those who cannot find their ex or in other ways can't get them to sign the paper, maybe you can have your divorce papers amended permanently to indicate that travel outside the US is authorized if that travel is by cruiseship. Its a thought and certainly worth a try. I understand that divorce papers couldn't be amended for all types of travel because of the whole 'parental kidnapping' possibilities, but by cruiseship could be approved since you have to check in and check out each time you leave/enter the ship. Its a thought and I would certainly check with an attorney before trying something like that.

 

Its better to be safe than sorry. Especially after many months of planning and then the long travel day, I wouldn't want to disappoint my children or myself because of some piece of paper that was missing.

 

 

Michelle

[Colo Cruiser]

We cruised on the Island Princess with my BIL's 12 year old daughter. Went through Canada border crossing on the way to Vancouver from Seattle, went through customs before boarding the ship and even flying from Denver to Seattle then back from Lax to Denver and were never once asked for our notorized permission slip form her parents. But you know how that goes if we did not have it then we would have been in a world of hurt. :)