We will be taking one of my son's friends with us on our vacation to the Olympic Penninsula and Seattle. If we cross over to Canada, does anyone know what type of documentation we will need in order to take an unrelated minor? I assume I will need some sort of notarized permission letter from the boy's parents?

Thanks for your help. I searched the US Dept of State web site to no avail...posted an e-mail to them and have not received a response.

I don't specifically about Canada, but for Mexico we had to have a notarized letter from both parents saying it was ok for our friends to take our daughter with them. They had to show the letter upon check-in at the airport here in the US. I recommend checking the Canadian customs website or whatever it would be called to see what is required.

I would strongly suggest a notarized letter, signed by both parents, guardian, or whoever has legal custody of the child, giving all adults in your party, by name, permission to have the child, by name, in your custody during the specific time period AND permission to authorize any emergency medical procedures for the child.

You may need the cusody portion of the letter at the border, in either or both directions. In addition, it will expedite things if you are stopped for any reason by a law enforcement officer and need to verify you have lawful custody. The need for the medical authorization should be self-explanitory.

Several years ago we took a non familly member minor to Canada, the customs official complemented us on the papers we had for ID for the person..... They were 1) a state issued ID card, in this case OH 2) notorized permission to have him with us 3) notorized permission for medical w/insurance papers (check to see if valid in Canada) 4) copy of birth cert (you may now need the actual copy) 5) after the customs official had looked at the papers he talked to the young man and requested we not say anything. He ask him who we were, where we lived, where he lived and his full name, where he was going with us in Canada, he was also ask if he wanted to go to Canada. The official was very professional, business like and very friendly. We had no problems..

My son is going to Canada in December w/his church group. We were told that he needs original birth certificate and also now he needs a passport to cross the border.

The Dept of State website gives documents needed to cross to/from Canada - that includes proof of legal residence in US (birth certificate does it currently, soon to be passport). Check this out yourself - do not rely on my word or anyone other than State Dept. Many kids do not have government issued photo ID - in Massachusetts, for example, you can not get one from Registry of Motor Vehicles until you are of driving age and our school system stopped putting photos on school IDs 2 years ago.

As far as your question, it is generally advised that you bring some sort of notarized letter indicating kid can travel with you, to where, on specific dates, signed by both of his legal parents/guardians.

In addition, make sure his health insurance covers him out of US (almost all do - but public insurance such as Medicaid does not), and bring an additional letter from his parents that you may seek, authorize medical care for him during the trip.

We have taken multiple frineds of our kids various places (never out of US, though) and it is always a good idea to have immediate contact info for parents - such as cell phone, work number. It is amazing the number of times kid has wanted/needed to call parents (Did you pack my blue socks? Is it peanut or cashews I can't eat?) or imagined needs when normally independent kid just wants to hear voice of parents.

From the U.S. Customs website:

http://tinyurl.com/men3o

It's wise of you to ask this question. The customs agents (on both sides of the border) can really come down hard on you in a situation like this.

Have fun.

In addition to what the others have said, it would be a very good idea to have a passport for your son's friend, even if it is not required yet for a Canada-US border crossing.

We have traveled to the Caribbean twice with grandchildren, neither of whom share a last name with us. Having a passport instead of a photo id + certified birth certificate for them has made passing through immigration much easier. Of course, before too long this point will be moot, as everybody will be required to have a passport for all US border crossings. (And about time, too, but that's just my opinion.)