JAJ

Once again, it appears to be a particularly Canadian issue. I am not going to question whatever the original poster decides, but I will question what law allows people to be prevented from travel just on a whim ...

(noted that if you are not a citizen/PR of country X you have no admission right).

All that said, it may make sense to have one (but not show it unless asked) because a. the child is very young, and b. if family names are different.

comet555

It might be, it might not. I can totally understand why governments would require a letter since without one it would be fairly easy for one parent to take a child overseas (probably to their native country) without their partners consent and then not returning.

We recently got our Australian passports and in the Smart Travellers guide that comes with it there was mention of possibly requiring a letter while travelling overseas with children, and that you should check ahead if it's needed.
http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/children/

As JAJ said though I wouldn't produce it until asked though, just keep it as back up in case it's needed. Particularly if the children's names are different.

Whether right or wrong it's far easier to have a letter ready to produce if needed than to get to the airport and find out you can't go anywhere without it.

JAJ

And note that there is no Australian law mandating such a letter for a vacation overseas.

(there is such a law in other countries - such as Brazil, and it seems to be de-facto practice in Canada, without any legal basis).

BookBear

Thanks once again for continued advice.

I wouldn't have thought to get a letter, so will do so just in case. I will actually be travelling on a passport with the same name as my son....once I get said passport/s.

Now for a question which might need its own thread....
I was thinking of bringing the car seat to use on the plane and in my sister's Audi once we get there. However it seems that the preferred attachment type in Eurpope is ISOfix. Has anyone had an anchor point for an Aussie CRS strap fitted in a European car?

The reason I'm looking at using the seat is that Qantas have said that at 10.5 months DS will probably be too heavy for a basinette, so they haven't booked me one.

comet555

Have you paid for a set for your son? If you haven't then you might have to put the carseat in the cargo hold if the plane is full or even if it isn't and there are connections along the way (which I assume there are). I'm not sure what the rule is on those flights but whenever I did it in Canada I could only bring on the carseat if there were no connections and there was an empty seat.

However, if you've paid for a seat then it's yours to put the car seat in. If you're not going to have a basinette seat then try to avoid the bulkhead seats where the basinette's are usually located. The armrests don't go up so if your child wants to lay down it's difficult. A regular seat would be better for that, or a basineette if they'll give you one.

Also, is an Aussie car seat approved for use in the UK? Just something to think about. If it's not then it'll be your decision whether or not you want to use it. It'll still be safe for your child, it's just regulation wise it could be an issue with insurance, etc.

Alternatively... could your sister not borrow (or rent) a car seat from someone? I usually have my parents borrow car seats from friends whenever we visit. They are handy to have on the plane though although you'll have to carry it around in the airport along with your child. You should also double check with the airline to see if they approve it for use on their planes.