Did You Know about the Minor Consent to Travel Letter?

​Sometimes when families travel, all of the family members do not always go together.  Maybe the wife wants to take a vacation, and the husband has to stay home to work. 

​Many times the grandparents want to take the grandchildren on a trip.  Then there are the single, divorced parents who want to take the kids on a much-needed vacation.  When any of these families travel outside the country, including  Canada and Mexico it is a requirement that the traveling parent and the parent(s) that are staying at home have a Minor Consent to Travel letter signed and notarized.

This requirement was created in 1980 by the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.  This treaty was designed to prevent and deter child abductions internationally.  This form helps to prevent the transportation of runaways and children involved in custody situations over international borders. 

If you have ever traveled alone with your child, you may not have had any issues with the airlines or cruise lines, but if you do you may be denied boarding.  There are many cases where parents are traveling out of the country, with their minor children and cannot go on the trip because they do not have the proper documentation stating they have permission from the other parent to travel alone with the child. As I stated before, I have been in a situation where I did not have the form completed, and the Border Patrol was very clear in their stern warning of how many parents are kidnapping their children across the country’s borders.  

If you are thinking of traveling alone with your minor children or the grandparents want to take them on a trip, it is best to be prepared and have a signed, notarized copy of the minor consent to travel letter.  You can contact me at darby@darbysdestinations.com, and I will gladly email you a blank copy for your records.  It is always best to be well prepared when traveling with the family.