Thread: Taking a child out the country

any one had the experience of taking a child out of the country on holiday, as a single parent. i understand u need a letter of authority from the other parent. anyone have the format for that , does it need legal endorsement ?
cheers.

Sometimes you need it. Sometimes you don't. No format that I know of.

Originally Posted by kingwilly

Sometimes you need it. Sometimes you don't. No format that I know of.

thanks for the reply. whats the repercussions if u need and aint got it. does it need to be translated. have u done/tried it.

I brought my lad to England on his British passport when he was six weeks old, at the airport I was asked for his birth certificate but when I told the guy it was in the main luggage he just smiled and saw me to the front of the line, no questions about his mother or anything. I've no idea who the uniformed guy was who spoke to me but I assume he was customs a copper.

You best get permission from the mother. Wife and I took grandkids on holiday couple years back and was asked for it. I had it so no problems. Had I not, kids would not be allowed to leave.
Got a simple letter signed by their mom from the local amphor. No special format.

Originally Posted by lob

Originally Posted by kingwilly

Sometimes you need it. Sometimes you don't. No format that I know of.

thanks for the reply. whats the repercussions if u need and aint got it. does it need to be translated. have u done/tried it.

Yes, i have. No need to translate. Particularly if you have a return ticket.

I had to show a letter of some sort, basically the wife saying she was aware I was taking the kids.

It was at CM though so pretty easy because she was only about 10m from the immigration desk seeing us off so if there had been an issue she was right there. Can't actually remember if they even checked or asked for it??

thanks for the replies lad. cheers.

If you cannot get permission or letter from the mother for whatever reason....just get someone else to write it and attach a copy of id if you havenit.....like they are going to check....but also take the kids birth cert showing you as the father....

Don't think there is a simple answer on this, we go to Lao, if short time, 48 hours I think, kids go on the wife's ID card.
If longer, they go on a Thai passport, but the wife's Thai passport is in her maiden name, the kids passports are in my name, differnt lines, ASEAN and aliens, never a question.
When going to OZ kids leave on their Thai passports, normally we all use the Thai line, as of yet and no questions were asked, even though the wife could have been anybody.
Have used the alien line, before I leant to use the Thai line, wife and kids, different names, straight through.
So a bit of a belt and braces thing, take extra paper, get processed early, if problems, they can sort it out.
Though I don't think there will be any probems.

Originally Posted by Norton

You best get permission from the mother. Wife and I took grandkids on holiday couple years back and was asked for it. I had it so no problems. Had I not, kids would not be allowed to leave.
Got a simple letter signed by their mom from the local amphor. No special format.

This is the correct way to deal with it

Before the wife had her British passport, my kids and i would depart through the foreigner line. They have British passports so no issue and was never stopped or questioned probably because the immigration officer thought they where farangs.

Always best to air on the side of caution like other members have suggested and have a letter of permission just in case, not that i did at the time.

i have traveled with my daughter numerous times between 1996 and 2012
many times with her mom up until 2001 and after that, never. My daughter holds a thai an US passport
never a letter, never any questions.

Originally Posted by Phuketrichard

My daughter holds a thai an US passport
never a letter, never any questions.

The US passport she holds means nothing on this thread, she will have left Thailand on her Thai passport every time, showing she is a Thai.

You are taking a risk of missing your flight if you don't take that letter.

Originally Posted by Phuketrichard

i know nobody that has ever been stopped with their kids leaving

I know of one. 'Tsicar' was a poster on here. He took his 2 sons back to S Africa in Dec 2006. He wasn't stopped because they were traveling with him as a single parent but because they wanted to charge the boys for 'overstay'. 'Tsicar' pointed out that they were under the age of 14 so exempt from being penalised and off they went.

went for a p/p yesterday. need mother and various b/s. during the ensuing argument it was indicated that the parents have to sign an agreement where by the kid can travel with either parent........... so strait home, google thai p/p's. lo and behold a single parent, without sole custody needs the other parents ok, they even have a form for this....... it seems if an under 15 yr old holds a p/p then its ok to travel with one parent.

Originally Posted by lob

it seems if an under 15 yr old holds a p/p then its ok to travel with one parent.

But that's that way it is.