Facts about the Child Travel Consent Form template

Contents

A child travel consent form is a legal document proving that a minor child has received permission to travel alone or with an adult other than a parent or guardian. Both parents or the child’s legal guardian must sign the form, also known as a parental consent form, minor travel consent form, travel permission letter or travel consent letter for children traveling within the U.S. and abroad.

In the United States, any child under the age of 18 traveling alone in the U.S. or traveling outside of the U.S. with an adult who is not the parent or legal guardian must have a signed child travel consent form. The purpose of requiring parental consent is to prevent child trafficking and child abduction. It’s not enough for adults to say they know the minor. The adult must prove they have travel authorization from the parents or legal guardian.

There are many situations where a travel consent letter is essential. If you want to take your child on a trip, you need the other parent’s or legal guardian’s signed travel consent form. This document is also required if your child travels with a group of teachers and classmates on field trips. Even grandparents, aunts, and uncles need parental consent forms when accompanying a minor on domestic and international trips.

A child travel consent form proves that an adult is authorized to travel with a minor domestically or outside the United States. Any family members, including grandparents, must show a correctly completed (and possibly notarized) travel consent form before they’re allowed to leave the country with a child. These rules apply to flights, bus trips, cruises and even road trips to Canada or Mexico.

Parents also use this form to authorize someone else to accompany their child on local field trips.

A valid child travel consent form can save you time and prevent considerable headaches when someone else or you alone is traveling with your child outside of U.S. borders Whether traveling abroad alone with your kids or allowing them to vacation with a relative or close friend, you must complete a travel consent form. PDFSimpli’s template is easy to complete, so it doesn’t take long to make it your own.

If an adult is traveling with your child abroad or to Canada or Mexico, or even if you’re traveling alone with your own child, and you are stopped by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) without a signed child travel consent form, it will greatly impact vacation plans. CBP agents may prevent minors from getting on or off a plane, cruise ship or train until they obtain valid permission. Some countries will not allow you to enter their borders with the child without a notarized travel consent form.

Most travel consent forms are short and simple. The main point of the document is to state that you, as the child’s parent or legal guardian, have provided consent and permission for your minor son or daughter to travel alone in the United States or outside of America with another adult. The specificity depends on whether your child is traveling alone or with you or another person.

Here is the important information to include:

Name of parents: Your name and the name of the child’s other parent.
Name of child: Your child’s full name as it appears on their birth certificate or passport.
Child’s personal information: Child’s place of birth, date of birth and/or passport number.
Contact information of both parents: Parents’ phone numbers, email addresses and street address (or addresses if separated or divorced).
Name of responsible adult and relationship: Full name of the person accompanying your child. Include if the adult is the other parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, friend, teacher, etc.
Information about travel arrangements: Indicate if the child is traveling alone, with a parent, with a relative or in a group.
Emergency contact info: Name and phone number of person to contact in an emergency.
Trip information: The dates your child will be traveling, the travel itinerary (airline, bus, cruise, etc.), city of origin, city of destination and the reason for the trip.
Destination details: The address of where the child will stay at the destination or places they plan to visit on the trip.
Area for notary public: A space for notarizing the document.

  • 1: Get everything ready

    Before filling out the child travel consent form, contact the necessary parties. If you’re separated or divorced, let the other parent know, and you will send them a document to sign. If you’re the school coordinator or chaperone in charge of a field trip, decide whether you will print out blank forms for parents or legal guardians to fill out or ask them to create their own travel consent letters.

  • 2: Choose PDFSimpli’s easy-to-use online form

    It’s best to keep parental travel consent documents as PDFs, which allows you to maintain digital copies in case of any travel emergencies. If needed, you can make changes in seconds using our online PDF editor and quickly send a new form. PDFSimpli’s tools allow you to edit PDF forms, fill in the sections, add e-signatures and even send documents for others’ digital signatures.

  • 3: Fill out the child travel consent form

    It is easy to use our PDFSimpli child travel consent form template. To insert text, choose the “Add Text” tool from the top right-hand area of the window. Next, click on the box where you want to add text. Finally, type in the text you want. Repeat this until the entire form is completed. Add your digital signature using our “Add Signature” tool. You can even move your signature to the best location.

  • 4: Review

    Ensure all of the information is correct. It’s important to check that your child’s name is identical to what appears on his or her birth certificate, passport boarding pass or travel documents. Check to verify your contact phone number, email, and street address. Make sure your signature appears in the right place.

  • 5: Save, download, print or send for signature

    When you’re satisfied that everything is correct and complete, click the Download button near the top right corner of the page. This will convert your document to PDF. From here, you can download the form, print it and save it to your computer or mobile device. PDFSimpli also lets you send the completed document digitally via e-Sign for other signatures, which allows you to ask for signatures easily.

Child travel consent form frequently asked questions

A1: When both parents are traveling with a child, there’s no need to use a consent form. If you’re traveling alone with your child, this form is not usually necessary for flights within the United States, though some airlines require it. So it is best to carry a completed, signed form. U.S. Customs and Border Protection recommends bringing a child travel consent form signed by your spouse for all international travel. Many countries (especially Canada) require parents traveling alone with a child to carry this form

A2: Notarizing a travel consent form isn’t required for domestic travel. When kids or teens travel to other countries (or return to the U.S. from other countries), government agents may request a notarized form, so it’s best to notarize the form. A notary stamp and signature prove the document is authentic and may accelerate your passage through customs. Unaccompanied minors need a notarized form.

A3: In the case of divorced or separated parents, obtaining a signed travel consent document from the other parent is generally a smart idea. Even if you have sole custody, the other parent likely has legal visitation rights. One exception to this rule is if you have a court order or separation agreement that specifically allows you to travel with your child. In this case, you must carry an original and certified copy of the court order.

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