tenthumbs

I have travelled to Europe and Mexico with my daughter and have had a notarized letter from her father every time. As marigross pointed out, it's not always enforced, and there's no way to tell when it will be. We have taken two cruises to Mexico, and only one cruise line asked for the document; at no time in Europe was I asked for the document (England, France,and Italy). On both trips to Cabo San Lucas where we flew there and stayed in a resort, the ticket agent at the airport asked for the letter. I type the letter myself which basically says "I, John Doe, give Jane Doe my permission to take our minor daughter, Jill Doe, to Mexico/Europe/wherever for vacation purposes (give dates of travel). If there are any questions, I may be reached at (home, work, cell)." There is a place for dad and the notary to sign. As seems to be the general consensus of this post, it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. If you and your daughter are traveling separately from your son and your husband, your husband will also need one if your son is under 18.

tenthumbs

In response to grcxx, and melj, the required age to have ID to pass security is 16 because most kids don't have government issued ID until they get a driver's license. My 13 year old is always asked her for ID because she looks older; when she tells the TSA agent she has none, the question is always "is there an adult traveling with you?" Curiosity got the best of me, so I asked an agent about this age group between 12-15 who are old enough to fly alone (not an unaccompanied minor) but have no ID or an adult~the response was "we let them through." Pretty bizarre, but this came from a TSA agent in Reno.

M_GS

In Canada you absolutely must have a notarized "permission" form. This is in case of child custody issues or kidnapping. I have found that sometimes the customs official asks to see it, sometimes not. We can download a copy of the form from our government website or from the Canadian Motor Assoc website.

dina4

Thanks! We will be travelling through Toronto!

Grcxx3

<<the required age to have ID to pass security is 16 because most kids don't have government issued ID until they get a driver's license.>>

My oldest is 16 and has a (well-used) passport......but he is "itching" to get a driver's license!!!! Just another reason I was avoiding moving back to the US! Oh well......

bozama

I have taken my oldest son when he was 14 to europe alone, and two years later hubby took our next son when he turned 14 to europe. We both had " the letter" but neither of us were even asked about it, nothing, not even a blink. I think they don't really care when the " child " in question is 6 ft tall and wears a size 12 or 13 shoe, LOL

This year I will take my 12 yr old daughter , it will be interesting to see if there is a difference.

I think for the 75 bucks it costs( here anyways) to have a letter notarized its easy enough to do, we have it combined with medical perimission, which BTW I think is not really that nessesary as no civilized country would deny important medical aid to a child based on whether the child parent had " permission " to allow it. In fact I am pretty sure most civilzed countries would step in and save a child and worry about " permission" forms later!

I also think that the younger a child is the more likely you will be questioned, plus there are certain countries that if you are travelling to them you are almost guaranteed to be questioned as some countries do not honor our cusdty orders, and in other countries fathers automatically get custody, so a man travelling alone with a child to those places will definately be grilled.

jelane

Do you need documentation for grandchild traveling with her aunt. Our son's daughter, 17 is traveling with our daughter, they will be meeting us in Paris. They travel from the US to Paris....I was glad to see this post, I really had not thought about this, we used to get letters when she was younger but have been lax the last couple of years with her age.

Grcxx3

At 17, you are most likely NOT to have any problems. BUT - since she is traveling with someone other than her parents.....I'd stick with the better safe than sorry approach and get a letter.

tenthumbs

Grcxx3~I agree, better safe than sorry! My daughter does have a passport, but I don't take it with us for domestic flights....I just find it bizarre that they would ask for her ID and if there was an adult, the answer to both would be "no" and they'd let her go thru anyway.....
Jelane, anytime a minor child is travelling outside the country, it's a good idea to have letters from BOTH parents giving Auntie/Grandma/Grandpa permission. Friends brought my then 16 year old stepdaughter to Mexico to meet us for vacation; they had letters from both her mother and father (who are divorced). Airline personnel scrutinized both letters before letting her board. Seems to be a bigger factor in Mexico and Canada than in Europe, where my sister and I were never asked for the letters we had for our children.