Letters of consent and travelling with children
 

I have often been asked "Why are you asking me for a letter of consent these are my kids?"
Some parents are quite hostile while others are very happy to show me such a letter.
Is it a legal requirement to have one then the simple answer is NO.
Should you carry one then my answer would be YES to avoid delays or being questioned.
This article might also shed some light on an increasing trend in parental abductions.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/life/In...041/story.html

From my point of view how do I know that when crossing back into Canada you have not abducted that child from the other parent in another country?
Did you have a court order against you from taking the child out of the country without the other parents permission?
Is there a warrant out for your arrest for other reasons?
Admittedly the vast majority of cases of a parent travelling with children without the other parent is legal and straight up. Our interest lies with the children and not to be a PITA towards parents.
Of course they complain that the US or UK or other countries authorities didn't ask to see a letter so why are you now asking for it?
Yes I realize in divorces some parents can be vindictive and refuse to sign letters of consent etc but those can be overcome by legal means.
All Im saying is if we are not watching out for this then who is?
http://travel.gc.ca/travelling/children/consent-letter

Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children
 

I've done that before, when my kid in the UK was coming here as an UNMIN or with rellies. Nobody ever asked to see it. Come to think of it, he once travelled with my bro and his family. No questions asked (same surname, a couple of other kids in tow and the ages were all appropriate).

Not a problem these days. The kid is 18.

Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children
 

How do you know when said letter is actually written by the other parent though? Seems like anyone could knock something up and be on there way.
Just out of curiosity can you stop someone from traveling with their children if they are hostile and refuse to cooperate?

Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children
 

Sure if the letter has not been notarized how do I know if its genuine or not but we do take people on face value and where necessary appropriate checks can be quickly made if required.
As we don't have exit controls yet CBSA would not likely be involved in any cases where children are being taken out of Canada though we might assist the airline or local police if that became the case.
On entering Canada if refusing to co-operate we have this section called hindering an officer under the Customs Act where the individual can be detained/arrested if necessary. This also applies to PRs or foreign nationals when in breach of the Immigration & Refugee Protection Act.
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/media/fac...s/007-eng.html

So if no right of entry into Canada (visitor, worker and student) then the answer is Yes.
If a Canadian citizen, PR or status Indian then highly unlikely.

Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children
 

We travel, just one parent with the kids a lot. I have only been asked for the letter once, if the kids are travelling with a parent we try to get one of the engineers at work to witness the signature and put their professional stamp on it. Though we quite often forget and so just travel with the letter which has contact details for the absent parent. Occasionally we have sent one of the kids with another family for sporting events, in this case we get the letter notarized, which is easy for us as one of the dads on the team is a public notary and he just signs whatever is needed.

Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children
 

The US can and does require the letter, sometimes (personal experience at land border). So does the UK, sometimes ;)

We were "caught short" without letter a few years ago crossing from Qc to Vermont (a semi-private conversation between immigration officer & daughter convinced them to allow us on our way), & a couple of years ago, with letter-of-consent, were questioned on arrival in UK, *and* on departure (by airline).

When travelling with my sons as minors, with absent/lost in the wind father, I always carried court documents from the 2 countries involved granting me sole custody. I was rarely asked for them.

I'm actually pretty grateful that border agents ask & check this information.

S

Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children
 

Agreed, it's important.

Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children
 

I travel with my daughters and grandchildren a lot without their fathers. The Dads used to get a letter notarized giving consent for the kids to travel. Last year we took a photo copy of the picture page of their passports, underneath they wrote the usual permission to travel and signed it. The officer at the Pierson thought it was a good idea as he could see the signature was authentic, it also saved time and money getting a solicitor to notarize the letter.

Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children
 

Clearly, the issue here is that instead of nipping the problem in the bud, you're entering into a time-wasting negotiation.

Instead, the moment you've been asked the question, simply unload the full potential of your taser into the nearest region of the perpetrator. Then, at your discretion, call your colleagues over to give the nasty parent a bit of a kicking on the floor when no one is looking.

Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children
 

Unfortunately we don't carry tasers and heres an even bigger kicker those who have been trained to carry and use firearms (duty sidearm 9 mm Beretta P4 Storm) CANNOT wear them inside the airport terminal while conducting their regular duties :o
So they send you on a 4 week course to use a firearm only to come back and be told to lock up your firearm in the secure box and secure room and only wear it if going out on the ramp or to a forward operating base.
Complete madness.
Im surprised the media haven't caught onto this yet.

Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children
 

Radio 5Live had a feature on Sunday about a loophole regarding this issue.

Take the kids out of the UK without permission and action can be taken with several countries signing up to an agreement that the kids should be returned.

But agree to the kids going temporarily and then the other parent reneges on that and keeps them out of the UK, then there's no protection.

Seems bizarre that A) such a basic loophole was missed and 2) that a simple amendment hasn't been quickly put in place.

Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children
 

Unfortunately, & I hate to use this analogy, "possession" is "9/10th of the law".

Regardless of temporary or otherwise permissions & lack thereof, & regardless of whatever agreements various countries may have adhered to, it is still relatively easy to remove children from one country to another. The above mentioned agreements require judicial processes for enforcement.

I'll be forever grateful to border agents who check & ask questions. Even if it delays entry/departure at a border.

ESPECIAL gratitude to the CBSA who many years ago noticed, flagged, checked & detained my sons' relatives entering Canada with fraudulently obtained passports for my boys, with the intention of unlawfully removing them.

The above resulted in all our names & passports being flagged, & all travel requiring much documentation & interrogation at border crossings, but hey, the system worked. CBSA, after their remarkable work which triggered the flags, were noticeably lax, compared to others.

Deep breath; Touchy subject chez moi ;)
S

Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children
 

You might shoot someone. And someone else would therefore have to get offended or file a lawsuit.

Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children
 

That describes my ex pretty well. She wouldn't even give them their passports.

So I got them British passports and never had any problems or even had anyone ask questions when I took them Scotland. The ex was a little bent over that though.

Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children
 

I'm travelling now without my daughter's father. We have the letter, but wasn't asked for it. Was only asked for her birth cert. Might they ask me for the letter upon re-entering Canada?