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Letters of consent and travelling with children

Letters of consent and travelling with children

Old May 1st 2014, 12:30 am
  #16  
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Default Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children

Originally Posted by foreigngirl
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?
The time I was asked it was on the way back into Canada, I had no trouble leaving.
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Old May 1st 2014, 3:51 pm
  #17  
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Default Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children

I've had one the only time I travelled without hubby, but nobody wanted to see it. On our way back into Canada, I was asked for the first time if I had one, to which I said yes, and started to give it to him, but he didn't want to actually see it.

I'm glad this system is in place and wish it were used more to be honest. Not that I would expect either hubby or I to try and run off with the kids, but then most probably don't. I'd rather get a letter, nip to the lawyer's or whoever and get it notarised and carry it than not and potentially have a new set of problems to deal with. Travelling with kids is stressful enough at times.
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Old May 1st 2014, 9:54 pm
  #18  
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Default Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children

Am I misding something? Shouldn't we be asked for the letter when leaving Canada or entering another country? If somebody is abducting a child, you want to stop them asap, so when they are leaving tbe country, right? Highly unlikely that whoever took the child would be coming back to Canada too.
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Old May 1st 2014, 11:13 pm
  #19  
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Default Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children

Originally Posted by foreigngirl
Am I misding something? Shouldn't we be asked for the letter when leaving Canada or entering another country? If somebody is abducting a child, you want to stop them asap, so when they are leaving tbe country, right? Highly unlikely that whoever took the child would be coming back to Canada too.
No, you're missing nothing. While there are various international agreements in place, enforcement is not easy once the chicken has flown the coop See my 9/10ths comment above.

Canada doesn't have exit controls.

However, airlines can & do request proof of permission from non-travelling parent at check in. Not systematically, but they are tightening up.

*If* one fears the possibility of abduction of a child, one can take steps to have their names/passports flagged.

S
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Old May 2nd 2014, 1:03 am
  #20  
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Default Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children

Originally Posted by Miss Clinique
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.
Hm interesting. When you say "photo copy page of "their" passports" to you mean the non-traveling parents passport or the child's passport, or both?

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Old May 2nd 2014, 1:21 am
  #21  
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Default Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children

The non traveling parent's passport I would assume. The children would need to have theirs with them.
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Old May 2nd 2014, 1:59 am
  #22  
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Default Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children

Originally Posted by Dashie
The non traveling parent's passport I would assume. The children would need to have theirs with them.
True
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Old May 2nd 2014, 2:06 am
  #23  
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Default Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children

I've only travelled once or twice with the girls without my wife and it never occured to me to even have a letter. This thread is quite an eye opener; especially as our eldest wants to travel to France to stay with my Mum next summer. My mum would come to collect her from us.
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Old May 2nd 2014, 2:39 am
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Default Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children

Originally Posted by gozitanguygoinghome99xx
Hm interesting. When you say "photo copy page of "their" passports" to you mean the non-traveling parents passport or the child's passport, or both?

Non traveling parent.

I am wondering why a young person like you who would not be in this position would ask the question or even involve your self in the discussion ?
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Old May 2nd 2014, 4:06 am
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Default Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children

Originally Posted by rivingtonpike
I've only travelled once or twice with the girls without my wife and it never occured to me to even have a letter. This thread is quite an eye opener; especially as our eldest wants to travel to France to stay with my Mum next summer. My mum would come to collect her from us.
It is more than likely that you'll never be asked for "the letter". (My personal experience is NOT commonplace). However, which is easier : having the written authorisation to hand in case, or not having it, & possibly being held up/sent to secondary?

If a child travels UM, or with someone other than a parent, some airlines now seem to require it (to the extent that when my daughter travelled to visit her father who was working overseas, she had to have a letter from me authorising her travel to him, & one from him authorising her travel back to me We were not, at that time, separated)

S

Last edited by Shirtback; May 2nd 2014 at 4:09 am. Reason: Feral apostrophe :(
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Old May 2nd 2014, 4:08 am
  #26  
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Default Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children

We live 15 min from the border to the US so it's very easy to just pop over for groceries & gas whenever the mood strikes (which isn't that often actually. They don't usually ask at the border for a letter but they have on occasion. The easy solution around here is a quick visit to the MP's office in the mail with both parents and they will give you a generic letter where you just fill in the names and they check your ID and then notarize it. Totally free too which is nice. You can put specific dates on it so we just get a letter for the max time period allowed which is a year. So a 5 min trip covers us for a year and we just keep the letter with the kids passports

For international travel I was surprised that when we left Australia to move back to Canada they didn't check for a letter when leaving the country. I may have volunteered it at the check in desk but they definitely didn't ask for it at customs. I got off the plane in Los Angeles and then flew to Canada. It was Canada customs that first asked for a permission letter, thankfully I had gotten a notarized one before traveling. I'm still surprised I managed to get them across the world without anyone checking if I was allowed! We were all Canadian citizens so I wonder what they would have done if I didn't have a letter?
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Old May 2nd 2014, 4:30 am
  #27  
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Default Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children

[QUOTE=comet555;11243076]
I'm still surprised I managed to get them across the world without anyone checking if I was allowed! [/UNQUOTE]

The vast majority of parents travelling with children are legit. And, FL will correct me if I'm wrong but, it is not part of border control agents' remit to "police" possible child custody arrangements, unless there's a flag in the system. They do have an eye open for possible problems, however.

I wonder what they would have done if I didn't have a letter?
"They" are very good (trained?) at observing & making pretty good judgement calls (body language, attitude, etc?). A friendly chitchat with the child, for example. If something seems "off", secondary & deeper investigation ensues.

I think, in general, we'd all be surprised at how much we are observed, & to a certain extent judged, in a very short time when crossing borders ...

S
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Old May 2nd 2014, 7:18 am
  #28  
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Default Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children

We don't police child custody arrangements per se but we do work with various police agencies who would get involved or the individuals are flagged in various systems.
As we primarily only deal with people entering Canada then yes its pretty hard to stop a parent abducting the child(ren) and taking them out of the country but thats where you hope other countries check them on entering theirs.
Im betting that any poster on here who has kids and god forbid had a child abducted and they found out that they were now in X country including Canada whats the betting they would blame Customs for not checking for letters.
Its a no win situation for us but I won't lose any sleep if a parents pissed at me if I ask them for a letter and they don't have one and I delay them until satisfied no offence(s) have been committed.
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Old May 2nd 2014, 2:40 pm
  #29  
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Default Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children

Originally Posted by Shirtback
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.
Originally Posted by Shirtback
No, you're missing nothing. While there are various international agreements in place, enforcement is not easy once the chicken has flown the coop See my 9/10ths comment above.

S
Having dealt with one or two such applications in the past I can honestly say that this is bollocks.

Could you please point me in the direction of any legal authority where the authority has referred to "possession being 9/10ths of the law" when making a determination of the appropriate place for residence of children.

I accept that it is relatively easy to move children across international borders and it always make me smile to hear of issues that people have with CBSA attempting to bring children back into Canada. If the authorities in Canada are, as they like to suggest they are, so concerned with abductions of children from Canada, they need to impose exit controls.

The Hague Convention is a very convenient process to ensure that children are not retained inappropriately. The non defaulting parent simply has to contact the relevant authority in their jurisdiction and lawyers acting for that Central Authority contact lawyers for the Central Authority in the other jurisdiction who will then process the Application. Invariably, the defaulting parent is immediately Ordered to return the children to the jurisdiction they resided in prior to the abduction, to enable that jurisdiction to determine where the children should reside. Clearly, the actions of the defaulting parent will weigh heavily against that parent during those proceedings.

Of course, the Hague Convention is only an efficient process if both jurisdictions are signatories.

Last edited by Almost Canadian; May 2nd 2014 at 2:43 pm.
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Old May 3rd 2014, 5:26 pm
  #30  
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Default Re: Letters of consent and travelling with children

Originally Posted by Miss Clinique
Non traveling parent.

I am wondering why a young person like you who would not be in this position would ask the question or even involve your self in the discussion ?
I have been in that position, actually. I needed a letter allowing me to travel alone to Malta last summer. It was a pain for my parents to get it notarized by a lawyer (and expensive) , so your way is a cheaper alternative.
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