travelling without husband

Aava.Wong

Registered User
have you travelled without your husband but with your baby/babies? i heard that in "some" countries, you have to get a notarised letter stating that your husband gives you his full permission to travel alone with the baby/babies.

if you have come across this "notarised letter" situation then do you mind telling me which country required that letter?

i'm planning to travel to few countries next year so i want to be fully prepared for what will hit me at the immigration controls.

cheers!
 
canada doesn't "require" it, but they strongly suggest it (emphasis theirs). previously i stated that it should be notarised. but after further reading, just today, i discovered that it does not have to be notarised, but it COULD also be "witnessed" by a lawyer, commissioner of oaths, a notary public or some such.

i have also heard that it may also be required for germany...
 
which countries are you travelling to?

We have been to the following and have not been asked for a letter.

US
China,
Singapore
Thailand

I do carry a copy of his birth certificate, as I use my maiden name.
 
Neither UK, Malaysia, France or Australia require one either. I have travelled also to Singapore & Thailand as Rani said no issues there. I must admit I have never heard of this requirement either so will be interested to see if there is anywhere other than Canada that does!
 
I;ve traveled to the US without my husband and just with my son and we didn't need to show any letter. I've never heard of this requirement either.
 
cheers for the replies. i'm planning to travel to UK, US, greece and some parts of asia in the near future and read and also heard about this "letter" so wanted to check if such letter is really needed.

seems like i dont need the letter so saves me the time and hassle to find a notary public - woohooooo!

:dance:
 
I've only been asked for a letter on my most recent trip back to Canada (August). I've traveled back on my own with my daughter and have never been asked for one and I so didn't have one on this trip. The custom's agent "strongly recommended" I have one the next time I travel without my husband, especially since I was returning to my home country without him. She seemed surprised that this had never happened before. When I asked if it had to be notarized, she said it should be, but that was only after I asked. I did "get in" without the letter though.
 
sample of "letter of consent" from canadian consulate. some changes have been made to suit our trip on saturday...

To Whom It May Concern
I , XY(passport #), am married to XX (passport #). We are the lawful custodial parents of

Child?s full name:
Date of birth (DD/MM/YY):
Place of birth:
Canadian passport number:
Date of issuance of Canadian passport (DD/MM/YY):
Place of issuance of Canadian passport:

And

Child?s full name:
Date of birth (DD/MM/YY):
Place of birth:
Canadian passport number:
Date of issuance of Canadian passport (DD/MM/YY):
Place of issuance of Canadian passport:

Children's names, have my consent to travel with my wife, XX.
Full name of accompanying person:
Canadian or foreign passport number:
Date of issuance of passport (DD/MM/YY):
Place of issuance of passport:

to visit (name of countries) during the period of dates of departure and arrival back to HK. During that period, they will be residing with XX & XY at the following address:

Any questions regarding this consent letter can be directed to the undersigned at:
our address

Signature(s):______________________________________ Date:_________________
(Full name(s) and signature(s) of custodial parent,
and/or non-custodial parent(s) or legal guardian(s))
Signed before me, (name of witness), this

_________________ (date) at ________ ______ (name of location).

Signature: ________________ (name of witness)
"

as i've said, i've been through immigrationt o canada 3 times in the past 5.5 years and i've been asked EVERY TIME for a letter of consent.
 
I've also traveled between HK, US, Singapore, Thailand, China, and layovers in Japan and Taiwan, and I've never been asked for a letter. However, when I drove to Canada from the US, I was asked if I had his permission to take them into another country and I said yes. They just looked at our passports and let us through.
 
I have taken my son to Canada, US (via air and through Canadian borders), Taiwan, Korea, China (numerous times to each country), but have never been asked for such a letter. But I guess it's good to have just in case.
 
In the US some airlines will ask for it and some won't. Sometimes it's just a judgment call of the check-in person in which they gauge your reaction (do you get sweaty, defensive, etc). I suspect it might be more common for folks living in the US with a US address who are going overseas without a parent, rather than vacationing there or passing through. It might also be more common for folks traveling to countries that do not participate in the Hague treaty like Egypt and a few others that are notorious havens for baby snatching parents.

http://www.findthekids.com/middleeast.html
 
well, just went through canadian immigration again last saturday. was again asked if i was the sole custodial parent. answer: no. question: do you have a letter giving your permission to travel with your children from the othe custodial parent?

answer: yes, here is the letter. here is a copy of our itinerary. here is a copy of my husband's itinerary. here is a copy of his passport/hkid.

reply: wow! you are very prepared. excellent. here's your passports. have a great trip!
 
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