Rosie Lee

Can anyone clear up what the situation is with going to the UK with children.
We have been here exactly 1 year. Children are British born passport holders, but also have Canadian citizenship due to descendancy. Do they still require both parents to sign a letter to fly?

Shirtback

I don't think nationality/passports have any bearing: when crossing an international border with minor children & only 1 parent, one should always have a letter of consent from the non-travelling parent; OR an official document (court order, etc).

On rereading your question, do you mean the children would be flying unaccompanied by either parent? If so, yes, both parents should furnish a signed letter of consent, or a joint one.


HTH

Almost Canadian

It's a North American thing. The pathetic thing is that, normally, nothing is checked when leaving, only when returning. If it was designed to prevent abductions, it is performed too late.

Such a letter is required if both parents are not travelling with the child. So, if only one of you is travelling, or if your child is travelling with others, a letter will be required.

It does not have to be notarised but is it better if it is. This is because anyone could sign the letter, pretending to be the person referred to. A Notary Public will check the ID of the signatory.

Here is a link that explains the Canadian procedure: Consent Travel Letter

Shirtback

I agree with the rest of your post :-)

My daughter has also had to travel as an UM from Canada to France, where the *airline* required letters of consent, despite her dad being designated as the person meeting her over there.

Ditto Canada - UK trip where letter of consent was verified both on departure from Canada, & on arrival in UK.

Travelling with my sons, whose father has been AWOL for years, I have almost always been required to produce my Sole Custody court documents in order to pass various border controls, & on occasion, the boys were questioned individually.

Rosie Lee

Thanks guys, I get the picture. It's pretty much you need a letter no matter what, even if you are just going shopping over the border!

Shirtback

Yup, that sums it up nicely :-) Better safe than sorry ;-)!!

JAJ

There is nothing in the law that says you need it. And you won't necessarily be asked for it. Canada asks for it a lot, the United States, maybe, most other (western) countries, much less so.

By the way, Canada cannot refuse entry to a Canadian citizen/PR child due to a lack of a consent letter. CBSA officials can get law enforcement involved if they believe there is a case of child abduction, but they cannot refuse entry to Canada. They can refuse entry if the child is not a Canadian citizen/PR.

There are laws against child abduction, but these do not mandate a consent letter as a prerequisite to cross a frontier. However, such documentation can avoid a lot of questions IF they are asked. It should not be volunteered.

If you're traveling as a family, you do not need this kind of document.

And by the way, if your children are born in Canada they are Canadians by birth, not by descent.

Aviator

Try standing your ground at the airport and telling them that. You'll be waiting until the next day for your lawyer to get you out.

Have you tried it and are speaking from experience?

Shirtback

I agree with JAJ on what the law stipulates.

I stand by my recommendation, with JAJ's proviso to only furnish it on request, to travel with documentary evidence of consent, if travelling without the other parent, or if children are travelling unaccompanied.

Siouxie

Not really.

My former husband and I were both required to have signed letters and/or a court order allowing either of us to travel separately with our son, complete with dates, back in the 80's in the UK.

JAJ

That is not typical in the U.K.