Summer’s almost here!  If you are separated or divorced and will be travelling with your children this summer, you may run into difficulty if you do not have the appropriate documentation.  

Before travelling with your children or before you allow your children to travel alone, you should be sure you are aware of any documentary requirements.  You may be asked to produce a birth certificate showing the names of the child’s legal parent(s), any legal documents pertaining to custody, a death certificate if one of the parents is deceased, and/or a parental consent letter.

A parental consent letter is a document that states that the other parent has consented to the travel.  This letter should be notarized by a lawyer.

For further information on passports and any additional documents you may need, we have provided the following links:

http://www.cba.org/CBA/sections_family/newsletters2012/PrintHTML.aspx?DocId=49800

http://travel.gc.ca/travelling/children/consent-letter

A family law lawyer can help you determine what documentation may be required in your particular situation.