Traveling alone can be risky and even more so for children. In Canada, children or those under the age of eighteen need to obtain consent letter or travel permission letter from their parents if they are traveling alone or with friends and relatives without their parents. Usually, if the children or teenagers below eighteen years are traveling with adults who are not their parents, it is the responsibility of the adult to ensure that the consent of the parents of the child or teen is obtained prior to the scheduled departure. The consent letter is a legal requirement in Canada and it should be carried to simplify matters because various airports and government authorities ask for it if they find a minor traveling out of the country.

Here are some of the things to keep in mind:

• While writing a consent letter, be sure that the letter contains all the valuable information regarding the name, address, birth date and contact details of the parents. A documentation like an ID card should be with the child at all times. The letter should clearly state the purpose of the travel and the destination and should carry the signature of both the parents ideally. In the unfortunate event of absence of parents, the guardians have to sign the letter.

• It is advisable to carry the original of the consent letter signed by the notary when traveling. A notary public can stamp and sign the letter as being attested for. In case the parents are living separately and they have written separate letters, in that case, it is also advisable to get both letters signed by a public notary so that any doubts are removed. The two documents need not be signed by the same notary public. Different notaries can sign the two documents. Travel permission letter for minors in Canada will not be duplicated easily if there is a stamp on the letter or else if the child is young and someone wants to apprehend the child and steal the letter, he will not be able to produce another fake letter because it will have no stamp or seal.

• In case the minor is traveling with another group of people, it is recommended that the parents at least identify one person from the group in the letter. If the child is very small and is traveling with grandparents for instance, the grandparents can also carry identity cards to rule out any confusion.

It should also be remembered that just issuing the letter does not guarantee that the minor will be able to travel freely all over the world because the policies of other countries with regards to minors traveling alone might be different from that of Canada. So it would be prudent to make detailed enquiries before proceeding with the trip.

Expert professionals at Notarizers will help you with the drafting or writing of consent letters to travel in Canada without any hassle and at affordable rates. We ensure that our letters meet all the legal requirements required by law for a consent letter so that when you do travel with the consent letter, you will not be turned back, but rather the child will be allowed to travel with you across the border.