Child Travel Consent Letter

U.S. government guidance

• USAGov says a child traveling abroad alone, or with only one parent or legal guardian, may need a letter of consent, because many countries screen for international child abduction at the border.¹
• When the child travels with one custodial parent, the letter comes from the other parent; when the child travels with a guardian or alone, USAGov says both parents should sign.¹
• The wording USAGov suggests is: “I acknowledge that my child is traveling outside the country with [the name of the adult] with my permission.”¹
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection notes that some countries require a letter of consent, sometimes notarized, for children arriving or leaving without both parents, and points travelers to the destination’s embassy or consulate.²
• For U.S. school, church, cultural or sports groups of children under 19 returning by land or sea from Canada or Mexico, CBP asks for a group letter on letterhead in which the supervising adult certifies having consent for each child.³
• USAGov advises a parent who often crosses a land border with a child to always carry permission from the other parent, and a parent with sole custody to carry a copy of the custody document.¹

Destination country rules

• Canada asks for a consent letter when the custody of a child under 18 is shared and the other parent or guardian is not on the trip, or when the adult is not the child’s parent or guardian.⁴
• The Canada Border Services Agency says the letter must include the full name, address and telephone number of the custodial parents or legal guardians.⁴
• For a child entering Canada with one parent, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada asks for a letter signed by the parent not traveling, with that parent’s address and phone and a photocopy of their signed passport or national ID.⁵
• Mexico requires its own SAM exit form, signed by a parent or guardian and stamped by migration authorities, when a Mexican child leaves Mexico without a parent or the person holding parental authority.⁶
• Mexico does not ask for the SAM form when the minor travels with both parents, with one of them or with a legal guardian.⁶

Signing

• USAGov prefers the letter of consent to be written in English and notarized.¹
• The Canada Border Services Agency recommends notarizing the consent letter to support its authenticity and avoid delays at the border.⁴

• The child’s full name and date of birth, as on the passport
• Your address and phone, and the other parent’s if both of you sign
• The traveling adult’s name, relationship to the child and phone
• Destination, departure and return dates, and where the child will stay

It is not a passport application and not a custody order. It does not replace a country’s own exit form, such as the SAM form Mexico requires for Mexican children leaving without a parent.