How Do You Write a Travel Consent Letter for a Child?

When You Need a Consent Letter

You need a travel consent letter whenever a child travels without one or both of their parents or legal guardians. The letter shows that the adults with legal responsibility for the child agreed to the trip. It protects the child, and it saves you questions at the border.

Common situations:

• One parent traveling alone with the child, for a vacation, a family visit or a work trip.
• Grandparents, aunts, uncles or family friends taking the child on a trip.
• School, sports, church or scout trips where a teacher or coach is in charge. The organizer often provides its own form, but a parent letter still helps.
• Divorced or separated parents, where one parent travels with the child. This is the situation officers look at most closely.

US law does not require a consent letter for a child leaving the country with one parent. Border officers and airlines may still ask for one, both on the way out and when you arrive abroad. Canada’s government explicitly recommends one for any minor traveling without both parents. Check current guidance on travel.gc.ca and the country pages on travel.state.gov before you book.

For the passport, ID and birth certificate side of the trip, see our guide to travel documents for children.

What to Include in the Letter

A good consent letter, sometimes called a traveling with a minor consent form, answers four questions: who the child is, who they travel with, where they go, and how to reach the parents. Leave nothing vague. An officer should be able to check every line against the passport and the tickets.

Attach a copy of the absent parent’s photo ID. It lets anyone compare the signature on the letter with the one on the ID.

Should You Notarize It?

Notarize the letter for any international trip. A notary checks the signer’s ID and watches them sign, which proves the signature is genuine. An informal note is easier to fake, so it carries less weight with officers and airlines.

Where to get it done:

• Your bank or credit union. Many offer free notary service to customers. Call ahead to confirm a notary is on site.
• Shipping and print stores, such as UPS Store locations, for a small fee.
• Online notaries. Many US states allow remote online notarization by video call. Check that your state permits it and that the result will be accepted where you are going.

The signer must bring valid photo ID and sign in front of the notary, not before. If both parents are absent, both should sign, ideally in the same session.

Custody Situations

If a court order covers custody or travel, the court order controls, not the letter. Some orders require written consent from the other parent, advance notice, or a judge’s approval for trips abroad. A consent letter does not override any of that.

What to do:

• Read your custody order for clauses on travel, especially international travel.
• Carry certified copies of the custody order, and of any death certificate if one parent has died.
• If you have sole custody, a copy of the order often takes the place of the other parent’s signature.
• If the other parent refuses to sign, or you are unsure what the order allows, talk to a family lawyer before booking.

Countries With Stricter Rules

Some countries have their own rules for minors that go beyond a simple letter. The destination’s embassy or consulate is the only reliable source, and rules change.

• Mexico. Children who are Mexican citizens, including dual US-Mexican nationals, or residents of Mexico, need a formal exit authorization from Mexico’s immigration agency (INM) when leaving Mexico alone or with an adult who is not a parent. When leaving with only one parent, officers may ask for proof of the other parent’s consent. Confirm the current process with the Mexican consulate.
• South Africa has historically required extra documents for minors, such as birth certificates showing both parents. The rules have been relaxed and tightened over the years, so check before you go.
• Other countries may want the letter translated or apostilled. Look up the destination on travel.state.gov and contact its embassy.

How to Use the Generator

The generator above builds a ready-to-print letter from your answers. It takes about five minutes.

1. Fill in the form. Enter the absent parent’s details, each child’s name and date of birth, the traveling adult, destinations and dates. Passport numbers are optional.
2. Add the medical paragraph if needed. It is optional and useful when grandparents or another adult will care for the child.
3. Print the letter. Check every name and date against the passports and tickets.
4. Sign it. The absent parent signs, or both parents if neither is traveling. Do not sign until you are in front of the notary.
5. Notarize it. Take it to a bank, shipping store or online notary.
6. Carry the original. Keep it with the child’s passport in your carry-on, plus two paper copies and a photo on your phone.

Traveling with a very young child? Pair this with our guide to flying with a baby. If your child flies alone, airline rules apply instead; see unaccompanied minors.

Important: This generator creates a general-purpose letter. It is not legal advice and doesn’t replace documents a court or country requires.