Minor Child denied boarding on Summit. Because of not having fathers permission.

[Deefar]

My 16 year old son will be traveling to Germany with is German class for 10 days. Will I need to get an authorized form to give to the Teacher in charge? He will be leaving for this trip on April 8th. My husband and I did get him a passport for this trip but it may not be enough.

[rebeccalouise]

yes- get a notorized letter of consent signed by both parents. That should do the trick.They may not ask for it but it is also helpful if you have the name of the teacher on the consent form. This way if there is an emergency, the consent form would allow the teacher to make decisions on behalf of your child.

[pixiedustdawn]

I have been traveling alone with my youngest daughter and with my three step children for years. We have not only been on multiple cruises, but we have flown around the country and also been out of the country numerous times. No one has ever inquired as to where their father is, or asked for a letter. I always make sure I have a letter approving the travel, just in case. We have never been asked.

 

I would imagine if the mother and father are not together, and the father/mother wants to start trouble by making a phone call to the terminal/airport, than that is what causes the problem that may have occurred.

 

Unfortunetly, after 9/11 we live in a different world and everyday the rules seem to change.

We need to always be prepared.

[Deefar]

yes- get a notorized letter of consent signed by both parents. That should do the trick.They may not ask for it but it is also helpful if you have the name of the teacher on the consent form. This way if there is an emergency, the consent form would allow the teacher to make decisions on behalf of your child.

 

 

Where can I go to get a notorized letter for him?

[pixiedustdawn]

I have always typed up my own, and had them signed and notarized. I did see this letter someone put in on.. page two.. I believe

CONSENT FOR MINOR CHILD TO TRAVEL

 

Date:_____________________

 

We, ________________ and __________________, parents of ___________, born ______________, authorize our minor child to travel to __<Country(ies)>___ on __<Departure Date>_, aboard cruise ship _____________________, with ______________________. Their expected date of return is _______________.

In addition, I authorize _________________ to consent to any necessary routine or emergency medical treatment during the aforementioned trip.

 

Signed:_________________________________ (Father)

<Father’s Name>

 

 

 

Signed:_________________________________ (Mother)

<Mother’s Name>

 

Address:

 

Telephone:

 

Sworn to and signed before me, a Notary Public,

this _______ day of _______________, 20____

________________________________________

Notary Public Signature and Seal

[CruisingChick]

My 16 year old son will be traveling to Germany with is German class for 10 days. Will I need to get an authorized form to give to the Teacher in charge? He will be leaving for this trip on April 8th. My husband and I did get him a passport for this trip but it may not be enough.

 

 

My son at age 14 and again 17 travelled abroad with his High School drama club and we practically had to sign our lives away. The person organizing your son's trip should have provided you with documents to sign - especially waivers that if anything happens, not their fault.

 

Have you gotten anything like that yet? If not I would contact the person organizing the trip.

[cruisequeen10]

Do you have to get a letter each time you travel. After awhile it gets expensive.

[dkjretired]

Do you have to get a letter each time you travel. After awhile it gets expensive.

 

Yes...

[Jade13]

I have not been asked for anything on any cruise that I have taken in the past two years. I have a different last name from my child and the passport has always sufficed.

 

However, like I said- I bring the documents just in case.

 

Same here.

[CruiseMob]

What bothers me about this whole issue is that I would guess (I could be wrong) that the number of times a child is abducted out of the country is a much smaller percentage than the number of children and families stuck with a deadbeat that would laugh or refuse to sign just to be nasty about it, and not because they cared or were worried about abduction. In my situation, I've gotten my notarized letters only because I forced the issue by making him meet us at the Credit Union to pick up the kids, with letter in hand and notary ready. If/when he moves out of state, that will be the end of our ability to travel, because he will not lift a finger and would probably chuckle that we couldn't go because of him. Now, the really sad part is, that I made sure I got Sole Legal and Sole Physical Custody of my children, thinking this would protect us from his antics. But, that doesn't apparently help me for foreign travel as they will still require the paper from this person, making it impossible for us to cruise/travel to foreign countries again. Even renewing their passports will probably be impossible when they expire if I need his approval.

 

Now, don't get me wrong - child abduction is terrible and would be devastating, but there really needs to be some course of action for other people that are good people just wanting to experience things with their children and tied to a deadbeat. We LOVE cruising, and that will totally be done for us (even Alaska and Hawaii) as they hit foreign ports. :( Even if they would allow 1 paper to be good enough - that could be gotten with the divorce decree, but to require a new one for every trip...

[QuasiTova]

I made sure I got Sole Legal and Sole Physical Custody of my children, thinking this would protect us from his antics. But, that doesn't apparently help me for foreign travel as they will still require the paper from this person, making it impossible for us to cruise/travel to foreign countries again. Even renewing their passports will probably be impossible when they expire if I need his approval.

 

I would think if you have a document from the court stating that you have Sole Custody that should be sufficient for EVERY cruise... as well as any other legal decision you need to make for your children.

 

Or, can you have him sign a notarized letter saying you ave his permission to travel with them until they are 18? Or is that not allowed?

 

I am sooooooooo thankful i didn't put my daughter's loser dad on her birth certificate...

[rebeccalouise]

Most cruise lines will contact you if they require documentation.This happened to me on three sailings. In March of 2005 on the Norwegian Spirit (Caribbean Cruise), In May of 2005 on the Sapphire Princess (Alaskan Cruise) and in August of 2006 Disney 3-night bahama cruise.In each case- the cruise line sent me the paperwork ahead of time.Just always double-check with the cruiseline in case someone didn't see that you are traveling alone with a child.Also, I have taken my son on 11 cruises as a single parent and have only been asked to present evidence twice. Disney notified me that i would be asked to present evidence but they never did ask for it at check-in.As for airlines- I have flown with my sons several times to Europe and no one has ever asked for any documentation or notorized letter other than their passports. On my most recent Med. cruise in July of 2007 on Celebrity, my transatlantic in August 2007 on Cunard, and my last cruise on Cunard- no one asked for anything pertaining to my child's custody or a notorized letter.So they don't always ask. My father traveled with my older son, then 14, to Germany and Prague and no one asked for any documentation from me. So it seems to be a cruiseline issue. Perhaps people that abduct their kids go more often to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean.

[CruiseMob]

I would think if you have a document from the court stating that you have Sole Custody that should be sufficient for EVERY cruise... as well as any other legal decision you need to make for your children.

 

Or, can you have him sign a notarized letter saying you ave his permission to travel with them until they are 18? Or is that not allowed?

 

I am sooooooooo thankful i didn't put my daughter's loser dad on her birth certificate...

That was one of the things I was thinking when I made sure I had Sole Legal and Sole Physical. It's interesting, because he can't affect us in any other way, I can move anywhere without his permission, make any decisions about the children without his input, but I can't travel for enjoyment without his permission. :eek: When I've gone to the foriegn countries site (Mexico - in this case), to make sure I have their specifc information, there is no indication that legal and physical custody is taken into account at all. They dictate you need a notorized letter from the other parent, period, for each trip.

 

Now having said that - it does seem very hit and miss, because it say's it's required, and so far I've been able to insure I have it, but no one has ever asked to see it. But will I be willing to risk all that money, when I can no longer get the letter, on the hopes my sole custody protects me... not sure...

[forensic]

:confused: Just one more reason why it is good to have your own personal TA that is there to help YOU! Help you, save money, save hassle and save your vacation!

 

ANYONE THAT IS TAKING A MINOR ABOARD A CRUISE SHIP:

 

IF THAT CHILD IS NOT YOUR BIOLOGICAL CHILD:

 

YOU MUST HAVE NOTARIZED PAPERS FROM THE OTHER BIOLOGICAL PARENT

 

OR

 

NOTARIZED COPIES (OR ORIGINALS) OF COURT ORDERS THAT YOU HAVE LEGAL CUSTODY OF THE MINOR CHILD

 

OR

 

NOTARIZED COPIES (OR ORIGINALS) OF THE COURT ADOPTIONS PAPERS

 

THIS IS NOT A JOKE - YOU MAY CRUISE 4-5-6-10 TIMES AND THEY MAY NOT ASK YOU FOR THEM - BUT IF THEY ASK YOU FOR THEM AND YOU DO NOT HAVE - YOU COULD ALL LOSE YOUR VACATION

 

AND

 

17 is NOT 18!

[lvz2cruz]

Most banks have a notary. You can print your form and have her notarize it for free or a very small fee.

[marybeth200]

My sister has a document that gives her full legal, resdiential and physical custody of her oldest son. She then made copies and gave them to the family. She hasn't needed them, but they are always handy just in case.

 

And BTW, an absent father can be difficult even for an adult getting a passport. My friend is an adult and has no idea who her father is and her family (mother/grandmother) refuse to tell her. The BC doesn't list a father. She put N/A on the father information for the passport. The clerk made some rude comments and gave quite a stink, but did process the paperwork and she does have her paperwork now.