How to write a travel consent letter for a minor

The U.S. doesn't require proof of both parents' permission for a child to travel, but other countries may. The State Department's page on traveling with minors says that if you travel alone with your child, "you may need a signed and notarized letter from the other parent," or proof of sole custody, and that some countries require a notarized written permission letter when a child travels alone or with someone who isn't a parent or guardian. It also notes that in some places a minor can't depart without a legal parent or guardian at all.

The common situations:

• a child travels with one parent;
• a child travels with grandparents, other relatives or friends;
• a child travels with a school, team or church group;
• a child flies alone as an unaccompanied minor.

The State Department also says to bring a copy of each child's birth certificate or other proof of your relationship to the child. If the child may hold another nationality, contact that country's embassy or consulate about its entry and exit rules for minors and dual nationals. Those rules are where most surprises come from.

There's no Florida form for a travel consent letter. What makes it useful is that it's specific and verifiable. Include:

Adapt this to your trip. It's an illustration, not legal advice, and the authority that will read it may have its own required wording.

CONSENT FOR MINOR CHILD TO TRAVEL

I, [parent's full name], born [date], holder of [passport/ID type and number], residing at [address], am the [mother/father/legal guardian] of [child's full name], born [date] in [place], U.S. passport number [number].

I consent to my child traveling to [country/cities] from [departure date] to [return date] with [accompanying adult's full name], [relationship], passport number [number]. During the trip my child will stay at [address and phone].

[Optional: I authorize [accompanying adult] to consent to emergency medical treatment for my child during this trip.]

I can be reached at [phone] and [email].

[Signature]
[Printed name]
[Date]

If the letter will be read abroad, write it in English and the local language side by side. The Florida notarial certificate stays in English.

Parents who share custody under a parenting plan should read it before the trip. Florida parenting plans often address international travel, notice and passports, and a consent letter doesn't override what the plan says. Parents in different places don't need to sign together. Each can sign a separate letter before a notary where they are. If a foreign authority needs the supporting court order or death certificate too, those are public records that need certified copies from the issuing office, not notarized copies. See court records and death certificates.

A consent letter is usually notarized with an acknowledgment: the parent confirms before the notary that they signed it. If the authority asks for a sworn statement, use a jurat instead. Either way, the notarial certificate should be substantially in the statutory form on the Florida Department of State's sample notarial certificates page and fully completed: county, physical presence or online notarization box, date, signer's name and ID type, the notary's signature and seal. The differences are explained in notarized documents for apostille.

The parent who isn't traveling is often the one who's hard to reach. With our online notarization add-on, they can sign over video with a Florida online notary from anywhere in the U.S. or abroad after identity verification. It's $40 for the first document ($10 notarization fee plus $30 technology platform fee) and $20 for each additional one, for example when both parents sign separate letters.

Often, no. Airline staff and border officers checking that a child isn't traveling without permission usually want a clear, notarized letter, and the State Department's guidance talks about notarized letters, not apostilles. Don't pay for an apostille you won't use.

An apostille matters when a foreign government office has to rely on the parent's signature as part of a formal procedure. The clearest example is Mexico. According to Mexican consular guidance, Mexican minors and minors with Mexican residency who leave Mexico alone or with someone other than a parent or guardian need an exit authorization, and a permission signed abroad must be apostilled or legalized and translated into Spanish. Foreign minors visiting as tourists are exempt. Dual-national children are where families get caught out. Other cases include passport or residency applications for the child filed abroad, and enrolling a child in school abroad for an extended stay.

If the airline, consulate or school says "apostilled," that settles it. See Mexico and Dominican Republic for country notes.

School, team and church trips. The group leader usually collects a letter from each family. Use the leader's full name and passport number, and the group's itinerary. If the group's dates are flexible, give the full window.

Children flying alone. Airlines run their own unaccompanied-minor programs with their own forms, age rules and fees. Your consent letter doesn't replace the airline's paperwork, and the airline's form doesn't replace what the destination country requires. Check both.

What the accompanying adult carries:

• the original signed, notarized letter, plus a copy;
• the child's passport, and a copy of the child's birth certificate showing the parents' names;
• a copy of each consenting parent's ID, if the authority asks for it;
• any custody, guardianship or death record that explains a missing signature.

Keep the original letter in hand luggage, not in a checked bag. A U.S. citizen child coming home still needs a U.S. passport to enter the United States, whatever letters you carry.

• Dates that no longer match after a rebooked flight or a longer stay. Consider a date range that covers likely changes.
• Names that don't match passports, especially missing second surnames.
• One signature missing when the child travels with neither parent.
• No proof of sole custody when only one parent signed.
• An incomplete notarial certificate, such as a blank county or no presence box.
• No translation where the authority wanted one.

For a notarized letter alone, a few days is enough. If it needs an apostille, allow at least two weeks: notarization, our 5–7 business days door to door, and shipping. If the letter has to reach the child or the other parent abroad, add international transit. We charge $220 for one apostilled letter, $380 for two and $160 each for three or more, including the state fee, request form and FedEx inside the U.S.; notarization is separate, and international delivery is a flat $100 per order. Order online or see travel consent letter apostille.