We are thinking of taking our daughter's best friend with us to Europe next summer. Has anyone ever done this? Is there any extra paperwork needed to take a child out of the US, who is not your own child? Thanks for any advice! pp

How old is she? You should have a permission letter signed by both parents, plus probably health/travel insurance on her, plus a medical power of attorney or at least a release from the parents to allow you to get her care if necessary.

Thanks Janisj for the info! She will be 12 at the time of the trip. We thought of med insurance cards, but not about the release! Didn't know about the permission letter either! Thanks again! pp

You should probably get those notarized.

Double check her passport and make sure it still will be up to date when you go.

I would get 2 originals of the permission letter - that way both you and your husband can keep a copy on your person. If you get separated, etc., there won't be an issue because she's with the one without the permission.

I did this with the best friend of my daughter at about that age. Mistake for me. If you do it make sure you have total control and absolute discretion in everything.

What a great posting I just stumbled upon! My daughter is traveling with our former neigbors to Germany on Sunday. I was aware of the need for a notarized permission letter, but just pulled her insurance card and will search the web for a medical power of attorney form. Quick question, I am a single Mom with full custody and the ex is not so agreeable to signing documents Should I attach the part of our divorce agreement stating I have full custody and attach to the letter?

Thanks for your insight!

Double check your airline for specifics. I pulled this off AirCanada's website:

<<Important: Immigration authorities in most countries are becoming increasingly vigilant when children are crossing borders. Whether travelling alone or accompanied by an adult, each child must travel with their own travel documents, as well as supporting documentation: e.g. their birth certificate, showing the names of both parents, and/or legal documents pertaining to their custody.

The adults traveling with the minor children are additionally strongly advised to be holding a notarized letter of travel consent signed by the parent(s) or guardian(s) with legal custody. The letter must include the signor's address, phone details, and the authorization to travel, the destination and the projected length of stay.
If a parent/guardian is divorced or deceased, custody document or a death certificate are required.>>

Hopscotch,

Don't mean to be nosy, but couldn't help wondering what happened on that trip that made it a "mistake" for you.

Seems there must be a tale there that we could benefit from.

Thanks for the information. I will follow the Air France guidelines even though COntinental never shared this with us...better safe! (Hope my firends don't have too much fun reading all the dirt in the custody paperwork!

We took our daughters's friend on holiday once ((within the UK) and we (as in all the family)regretted it.
The girl was 14 at the time and got a bit homesick so there was a bit of whingeing and we had to spend time fussing over her.It spoiled our holiday.
Also, it cost us a LOT of money. The parents had given the girl what they thought she would need for her spending money , but we had to pay for all the cinema tickets, museum entrance fees,drinks,food,hotels etc. There were 6 of us, so we were pretty broke by the end of the week!
Our daughter kind of went off her friend a bit after that -as did her friend probably!!!
Family holiday time is precious -THINK carefully about this PLEASE!!!

Thank you all for the info! And thank you also for sharing your experiences. It's always good to get a heads up about things not taken into consideration beforehand. The money issue hopefully won't be one for us, we plan on paying for everything, and just having her pay for souveniers. We are a bit worried about homesickness, as 2 weeks seems like it might be a long time for her. It is quite some time before our trip, so we are asking her parents to think about it for awhile, before they agree to send her. Thanks to all for the input! pp

We have a saying in Gaelic: "Ní h-aithne go h-aontíos" -- you don't know somebody until you live with them.

As you have plenty of lead time, perhaps you might have your daughter's friend stay with you for, say, a week with minimal contact with her own family. You could see how it works out. [Mind you, it might not be much of a trial if her family home is next door to yours!]

As a girl who was taken with by a friend and her family, thanks for being so brave. I don't think that my friend's family would say that they regretted it. Granted we had just graduated high school, so we were a bit older but it had honestly been a most pivotal moment in my life. It fueled me to get back to Europe ASAP and I'll be taking my 8th trip this summer (in the 18 yrs since ---YIKES, am I that old!)

That being said, I would bring all the documentation possible, including a notarized letter from the parents, contact info from the parents, ID (other than the passport, even if it's a school id) and the medical power of attorney (even though it won't likely be binding in a forgein country). I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time.

As for money concerns, prior to my trip, my parents and my friends sat down and figured a budget for food, theater tickets, etc. and we were very cognisant of the budget. (I was on my own for souvenirs). In retrospect, I'm sure that part was a pain for my friend's parents but at least the costs were known to everyone up front.

I took 10 teen age girls to Europe a few years ago (and none of them were mine LOL!)

A few suggestions

1. Do get your paperwork Notarized.
2. If you are doing anything that might be seen as unusual, dangerous or "controversial" tell the families. My girls had the opportunity in Switzerland to Paraglide, whitewater raft etc. I made sure all the parents were OK with this. I also sat down the girls and parents and explained that I might take them in a pub (GASP) I would NOT allow these girls to drink (Including the older ones who were very curious on "how old do you have to be&quot
3. Lay down the ground rules with both kids. Make sure they know the rules. (My girls knew I would put them on a plane and bill the parents LOL!)

It was a lot of work, but at least one girl has now made another trip to Austrialia and another one is planning the "backpack" around Europe thing. (She spent the entire time we were at Eiffel Tower quizzing the college students behind us on how they did it!)

Thank you Carol! I was hoping to hear about some good experiences, (but also grateful for hearing about some of the bad,so as to avoid surprises!) pp

Well, I can report a good experience for you. My husband and I had been going to Paris for many years, so one summer our next-door neighbors at our summer house asked if we would take their 14-year-old daughter with us. Although we didn''t even know her very well (we saw these people only in summer), we readily agreed. Our biggest concern at the time was that she would be bored sitting through two-hour meals!

The trip was completely delightful! We all had such a wonderful time together that she accompanied us again the following year and again when she started college.

For what it is worth, I was in my 50s at the time and my husband was in his 60s. I would be happy to answer specific questions if you have any.

Does anyone have a draft of a sample medical power of attorney and permission letter? If you do, please email me at [email protected]
These would actually be good template for a special thread on this sort of travel!

Many thanks in advance and I won't hold you liable

1239, Try findlaw.com for one from your state. They vary a bit from state to state.

"The adults traveling with the minor children are additionally strongly advised to be holding a notarized letter of travel consent signed by the parent(s) or guardian(s) with legal custody. The letter must include the signor's address, phone details, and the authorization to travel, the destination and the projected length of stay."


Do you think this is necessary if I am traveling with my 16 year old son to Europe and dad is staying home?