It is required to have the absent parents permission and it does not matter if you are divorced or not. Even if the absent parent is dead they can ask for proof such as a death certificate. Now the big question is if they will ask for it. <VBG> Sometimes they don't and probably the majority of the time they will not but if they do and you can't produce it then you can be up the creek so to speak. Do your very best to get the permission paper signed. I of course cannot and do not recommend anything deceptive but 'creative' thinking might help. <VBG>
Jim