Minor child of divorced parents--what documents? - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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My DGS (8) will be cruising with me, his mom, step-dad, and brother into Grand Cayman, Costa Maya & Cozumel. His mother and father are divorced and have joint custody. He lives with his mom and step-dad. He has his passport that his dad signed for. Does anyone know if he has to have anything else from his dad giving him permission to leave the country? Will there be any problems since he and his mom have different last names? We want to be sure that we have the right paperwork before we leave. Some sights that I have read say you need a notarized letter from the other parent in order to leave Mexico. Has anyone else been in this situation? What did you do?
I would check with my travel agent and also with the Mexican consulate. Then listen politely to what they have to say and still take everything that you can think of along with you! Get the notarized letter from your grandson's dad stating the names and that his son has his permission to be with you, his mother and stepfather and to leave the US, enter Mexico and leave Mexico. Having been in similar situations, I've learned not to put 100% faith in what any agency tells me-there always seems to be some error- and know that it's better to have more than you need than be caught short.
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Next trip to WDW and Universal will be 1/16, but I'm trying to sneak in one trip to Disneyland before then!
The last time I did this all I needed was the letter. I was traveling to England not Mexico though. The different last names were not a problem. I do remember her father having to include the dates we would be away in the letter. If you used a travel agent they should have the answers for you!
When our niece travelled with us with her mother she needed only a notarized letter from her father and her passport.
The occasion that she travelled without her mother she needed both parents signing the notarized letter allowing her to travel with us and also stating that we could take any decision in her behalf during the length of the vacation.
Thanks, everyone. Unfortunately my travel agent has not been very helpful with many of my questions. I have had to research many things on my own. I found a form on globetrektravel.com that we will have his dad fill out and have notarized. Better safe than sorry!
To be safest, a notarized letter from the father, although it's generally not requested. Just call DCL and ask them what they want, as DCL's documentation inspection is the one that counts - DCL "certifies" its passenger list to the Mexican and Cayman governments, you won't have customs/immigration inspections in either place.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
I've been out of the country twice with my children including Mexico (and it was a cruise also). I'm divorced and they have passports. I didn't have a letter with me and I wasn't asked for one either. You should be fine. FYI: this was last year, so this is recent information...
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The one time I did not have a letter, they asked for one. That was trying to go into Canada with my son. Now, even though he is 17, I always take one.
That is our concern. It would be terreble to not be able to get on the ship! Although it is a bit of a "deal" to get the letter, we are going to get one just to be safe!
Canada is a different case than Mexico and the Caribbean.
Canada subjects everyone, including cruise passengers, to individual customs/immigration inspection. Say you're taking a Disney cruise that departs for Alaska from Vancouver, BC. No matter how a traveler crosses the border into Canada - land, sea, air... there's a Canadian border inspection (except there is a program that some cruise lines use, but not DCL, that ushers passengers directly from airport to cruise terminal that lets those folks skip Canadian immigration). Having passed that, U.S. Customs and Border Protection are in the Vancouver cruise terminal, checking the ID of everyone boarding the ship, because at the next stop, they'll be entering the U.S. A cruiser may experience two immigration inspections on the same day. (As in many Canadian airports, U.S. Customs is present, as it's more efficient to have agents in a handful of ports in Canada than in all the possible destinations in the U.S.)
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
We've never had a problem on any of our cruises, but we didn't leave the ship in Canada either. Sounds like you aren't going there though so you should be fine.
We have a simliar situation, except I am the step-mom. I always bring a signed copy of the court order that shows joint physical custody just to be safe. But that's specific to our particular situation. I feel your pain about getting the notorized letter. Dealing with custody issues is never fun, no matter what capacity it's in. I hope your trip is magical!
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Although it is a bit of a "deal" to get the letter, we are going to get one just to be safe!
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