Traveling with a child – question

[zdgp]

We are planning a cruise to Alaska and Canada, and plan to take our granddaughter (age 14) with us. Her mother (our daughter) is a divorcee with sole custody of her children. It is our understanding that we will need the following documentation:

--A passport for our granddaughter.

--A notarized letter of permission from the mother.

--Proof that one parent’s permission is sufficient, such as a certified copy of the divorce decree.

Will we be safe if we have these documents with us?

[Mike M]

Originally Posted by zdgp

We are planning a cruise to Alaska and Canada, and plan to take our granddaughter (age 14) with us. Her mother (our daughter) is a divorcee with sole custody of her children. It is our understanding that we will need the following documentation:

--A passport for our granddaughter.

--A notarized letter of permission from the mother.

--Proof that one parent’s permission is sufficient, such as a certified copy of the divorce decree.

Will we be safe if we have these documents with us?

As long as the decree shows that your daughter has sole custody of your granddaughter that should do it.

If sole custody was granted "after" the divorce then you will need the custody agreement.

Take care,
Mike

[Paul Motter]

Boy - this is always such a can of worms (taking children other than your own on a cruise) but I certainly understand the need for caution. If anything were to go wrong you know people would be looking for someone to blame - the cruise line, DHS, whatever.

All I can say is its always better to be safe than sorry - get copies of everything you possibly can get, and I guess in some cases you even need original documents.

I am not an expert in this field.