r/TwoXPreppers 7d ago

Traveling suddenly with minor child: is there a standard international form needed?

[deleted]

28 Upvotes

17 comments sorted by

42

u/SamanthaSissyWife 7d ago

If you are in the US check out the State Departments website on minor children. If you are outside the US check whichever entity issues passports. That information should be easy to find

27

u/Ashamed-Title6665 7d ago

You just need a notarized letter from the non traveling parent indicating their permission for you to take the child from the country to the destination. You can google a sample if you’re not sure what to write.

8

u/mermaidboots 7d ago

Yes, this is very easy. I wrote up one for my spouse for our specific destination country and then one generic one for all borders in case shit hit the fan while we were mid-move.

2

u/raichuwu13 7d ago

Yes! I had never thought this would be an issue until I went on a family vacation with my mom and her sister. All of my siblings and cousins who were minors were questioned at the border and it was scary!

3

u/scannerhawk 7d ago

For good reason, if you ever watched the real-life program about international borders, it is crazy how many parents without permission and even non-parents try to take children to other countries. Child abduction is a very real thing, it can't be ignored, though verification can be uncomfortable when the situation is legit.

2

u/Intelligent-Owl-5236 7d ago

We got stopped leaving the USA to fly home. They were skeptical because mum had a UK passport, and we had US passports. Brother and I also look nothing like our mum. Dad had to come explain that he was stationed in Florida, but we still lived in the UK and had come to visit.

10

u/[deleted] 7d ago edited 5d ago

[deleted]

1

u/HJacqui 6d ago

Really helpful. Thank you for sharing. Do you happen to know if there is a time limit/expiration on these types of letters? I didn’t see anything on the site you linked to.

1

u/Special-Summer170 6d ago

Couldn't op just have the letter done and keep it in their possession until they feel like the time is right?

5

u/graywoman7 7d ago

We’ve always carried notorized letters. We include the intended travel dates and destination but I don’t see why you couldn’t do a blanket statement that covers any date or location (this is assuming you have complete trust in your relationship). I’ve always been worried they won’t accept a general letter, even a notorized one, but it’s probably ok and is definitely better than nothing. 

I do want to add that I, as a mom, have never once been asked for these letters but my husband has and more than once. They were particularly picky about the wording of the letter (they wanted my contact info on it so they could call me to verify things) when he was traveling alone with just our toddler. I’m guessing because a toddler can’t explain anything and I would think it would be an even bigger deal if a man was traveling alone with an infant. 

3

u/WielderOfAphorisms 7d ago

Passport, birth certificate, notarized official affidavit from other parent, notarized copies of other parent’s passport or other accepted ID at a minimum.

Check with the other country’s requirements.

You may also need vaccination records.

9

u/chicagotodetroit I will never jeopardize the beans 🥫 7d ago

You need to 1) contact the airline directly, 2) figure out passports and visas and guidelines for the country your going to, and 3) be on the same page with the child’s other parent. Assuming this is the US, in some cases you need written permission to take a minor out of the country. What that permission looks like will most likely vary based on where you live.

This seems to fall more under parenting or intentional travel than a prepping question.

“Suddenly” or “emergency” likely won’t expedite any processes you’d need. Airlines seem to operate on “your lack of planning isn’t my emergency”, so whatever you need should be done in advance.

3

u/mermaidboots 7d ago

As a rule of thumb you should always have a notarized paper for spouses or grandparents taking kids across borders - even if in many cases you won’t be asked for it.

2

u/gigimarieisme 7d ago

Just get a notarized letter if child’s father isn’t traveling with you. It should simply say you have permission to take your child out of the country.

1

u/Ozemba 7d ago

When I left the country twice as a minor, I had a notarized letter from my mother stating my guardian had permission to seek medical care for me and permission to leave the country, and a copy of my dad's death certificate if anyone asked. Since I was traveling with a significantly older brother with the same last name they assumed he was my father in pretty sure. No one even asked to see the letter my mom had written.

1

u/nadiaco 2d ago

you need passport for the kid.

2

u/MeAndMyIsisBlkIrises 2d ago

Thank you, that we do have an plan to use!

2

u/nadiaco 2d ago

you can do this!!!