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#1
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Relating to international travel of one parent w/kids
Lizzard Woman's post is timely as we've been dealing with this lately.
Is the fact that they are US citizens relevant? Do the agents care about non-US citizens returning to their country of origin? I understand the need for an authorized letter from the non-travelling parent with regards to international travel for American citizens leaving the US. However, the situation I'm concerned with is this: My BIL, his wife and their 3 children are Swiss citizens, and will be travelling from Switzerland to the US shortly. However, their oldest daughter has a different last name (she is the step-child of BIL). It states clearly in her passport that her mother is legal custodian of their daughter. They travel all over Europe with no problems. DH keeps insisting that this statement in the passport is sufficient. However, I keep arguing they'd be wise to have a notarized letter from the girl's father and that it may be useful when they leave the US to return to Switzerland. Problem is, getting such a letter notarized in Switzerland is not as simple a process as it is in the US - it is expensive and requires an appointment with a legal authority which is often difficult to get in a short time. So - any non-US citizens with kids of different last names leave the US recently to return to their home country? Any problems? Thanks |
#2
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Relating to international travel of one parent w/kids
XOR wrote: Lizzard Woman's post is timely as we've been dealing with this lately. Is the fact that they are US citizens relevant? Do the agents care about non-US citizens returning to their country of origin? snipped for brevity. So - any non-US citizens with kids of different last names leave the US recently to return to their home country? Any problems? Thanks Ah, I just added my personal experience to the other thread :-) I am non-US and have travelled between the UK and the US 3 times with my son without my DH. I never got round to changing my passport to my married name so my son does not have my name. I have never been asked about my son's father or why we have different names. I don't see why having the same name would make much difference anyway. Mary Ann |
#3
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Relating to international travel of one parent w/kids
As other people have pointed out, the purpose for requiring
these letters is to prevent child abductions by noncustodial parents. The United States (and dozens of other countries) is a signatory to a treaty that obligates the coutry to attempt to reduce the incidence of international child abduction. Different countries have taken this to different levels (if travelling to Brazil without both parents, for exemple, prior to stepping on a plane you have to have a notarized letter that has been authenticated by the Brazilian embassy and translated into Portugese). There's a great summary of what is needed for a US citizen to enter any foreign country at the following website run by the US Department of State: http://travel.state.gov/foreignentryreqs.html The entry for Canada says: Passport or proof of U.S. citizenship and photo ID required. Minors (under 16) traveling alone or in someone else’s custody must present written authorization, signed before a notary, from the parent(s) or guardian. Visas are not required. Canadian immigration officials at ports of entry will issue persons planning to stay longer than 180 days a visitor’s record. Anyone with a criminal record (including a DWI charge) should contact the Canadian Embassy or nearest Consulate General before travel. U.S. citizens entering Canada from a third country must have a valid passport. For student or business travel, check with the Canadian Embassy, 501 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20001 (202/682-1740) or nearest Consulate General: CA (213/346-2701), MI (313/567-2085), NY (212/596-1700 or 716/858-9501), or WA (206/443-1375). Internet: www.canadianembassy.org Hope this helps. --Chris XOR wrote: Lizzard Woman's post is timely as we've been dealing with this lately. Is the fact that they are US citizens relevant? Do the agents care about non-US citizens returning to their country of origin? I understand the need for an authorized letter from the non-travelling parent with regards to international travel for American citizens leaving the US. However, the situation I'm concerned with is this: My BIL, his wife and their 3 children are Swiss citizens, and will be travelling from Switzerland to the US shortly. However, their oldest daughter has a different last name (she is the step-child of BIL). It states clearly in her passport that her mother is legal custodian of their daughter. They travel all over Europe with no problems. DH keeps insisting that this statement in the passport is sufficient. However, I keep arguing they'd be wise to have a notarized letter from the girl's father and that it may be useful when they leave the US to return to Switzerland. Problem is, getting such a letter notarized in Switzerland is not as simple a process as it is in the US - it is expensive and requires an appointment with a legal authority which is often difficult to get in a short time. So - any non-US citizens with kids of different last names leave the US recently to return to their home country? Any problems? Thanks |
#4
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Relating to international travel of one parent w/kids
"Christopher Ballard" wrote in message ... (snip) | The entry for Canada says: | | Passport or proof of U.S. citizenship and photo ID required. | Minors (under 16) traveling alone or in someone else’s | custody must present written authorization, (snip) As I read this, I think it refers to some *OTHER* than a parent. In my case, I am the parent yet they still asked for a letter. sharon |
#5
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Relating to international travel of one parent w/kids
Christopher Ballard wrote in message ...
As other people have pointed out, the purpose for requiring these letters is to prevent child abductions by noncustodial parents. The United States (and dozens of other countries) is a signatory to a treaty that obligates the coutry to attempt to reduce the incidence of international child abduction. Different countries have taken this to different levels (if travelling to Brazil without both parents, for exemple, prior to stepping on a plane you have to have a notarized letter that has been authenticated by the Brazilian embassy and translated into Portugese). There's a great summary of what is needed for a US citizen to enter any foreign country at the following website run by the US Department of State: http://travel.state.gov/foreignentryreqs.html Thanks for the link, very helpful for US citizens. However, I was hoping for some information for people *other* than US citizens. I didn't find the equivalent on relevant Swiss websites, but perhaps I'm not looking closely enough. While I am sure they will have no trouble leaving Switzerland, the security measures in Europe on US-bound flights are extreme at the moment - extra questioning, multiple passport checks, body checks as well. And then there's entry into the country. Finally, there's exit from the US, but I suspect that will be ok as they're all Swiss citizens. Any Swiss folks out there? btw - I do think these policies are reasonable to a certain extent. I do wonder how well they work, and how you deal with it if one parent is non-existant? I guess for most US citizens it's irrelevant since they never leave the US. |
#6
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Relating to international travel of one parent w/kids
"XOR" wrote in message om... Christopher Ballard wrote in message ... As other people have pointed out, the purpose for requiring these letters is to prevent child abductions by noncustodial parents. The United States (and dozens of other countries) is a signatory to a treaty that obligates the coutry to attempt to reduce the incidence of international child abduction. Different countries have taken this to different levels (if travelling to Brazil without both parents, for exemple, prior to stepping on a plane you have to have a notarized letter that has been authenticated by the Brazilian embassy and translated into Portugese). There's a great summary of what is needed for a US citizen to enter any foreign country at the following website run by the US Department of State: http://travel.state.gov/foreignentryreqs.html Thanks for the link, very helpful for US citizens. However, I was hoping for some information for people *other* than US citizens. I didn't find the equivalent on relevant Swiss websites, but perhaps I'm not looking closely enough. While I am sure they will have no trouble leaving Switzerland, the security measures in Europe on US-bound flights are extreme at the moment - extra questioning, multiple passport checks, body checks as well. And then there's entry into the country. Finally, there's exit from the US, but I suspect that will be ok as they're all Swiss citizens. Any Swiss folks out there? btw - I do think these policies are reasonable to a certain extent. I do wonder how well they work, and how you deal with it if one parent is non-existant? I guess for most US citizens it's irrelevant since they never leave the US. I assume you keep a copy of the custody order or death certificate for the other parent. I know that we had a lot of documentation suggested for travel to Canada that we never needed. |
#7
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Relating to international travel of one parent w/kids
"lizzard woman" wrote in message news:dCAIc.81379$P7.73094@pd7tw3no...
"Christopher Ballard" wrote in message ... (snip) | The entry for Canada says: | | Passport or proof of U.S. citizenship and photo ID required. | Minors (under 16) traveling alone or in someone else’s | custody must present written authorization, (snip) As I read this, I think it refers to some *OTHER* than a parent. In my case, I am the parent yet they still asked for a letter. sharon Sharon, the reasoning is because there have been many many cases of *parental* abduction across international borders. Typically, a parent who's a citizen of another country takes the US citizen child to his home and then they are out of US jurisdiction. Because of this, such a letter is required. At least for the last 5 years or so I've seen it in travel guides for Mexico and Canada. That doesn't mean some agents aren't lax about it, but it still applies to *parents.* My question relates more to non-US citizens entering or leaving the US (or boarding a US-bound plane in AMS whilst in transit), since I know they will have no trouble leaving Switzerland. |
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