Child Travel Consent — Free Form and Plain-English Guides
Fill in a child travel consent form in your browser and print it. Nothing is uploaded, there is no account, and there is no payment step.
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What this site is
One free form and ten guides that answer the questions officials and check-in staff actually ask about a child travelling without both parents.
Free tool: Child Travel Consent form
The form collects your answers and prints them into fixed text for the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom.
Ten guides
- How to fill out the formWhat to write in each box, who signs, and what to do with a box you cannot fill yet.
- Does it need to be notarized?What US, Canadian and UK sources say, and which cruise lines ask for a notarized original.
- Cruise linesLine-by-line: Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Disney and Norwegian.
- Travelling with one parentWho signs when the other parent stays at home.
- Airlines and check-inWho may ask for the letter, and what can happen if it is missing.
- CanadaThe recommended consent letter and when a notary is recommended.
- United KingdomPermission to take a child abroad, and how border checks work.
- Documents a child needsWhat to put in hand luggage, and what has to be an original.
- Grandparents and other adultsWhen the child travels with a relative or a family friend.
- Do you need one at all?The short answer by country, with sources.
Which guide fits your trip?
| Situation | Guide |
|---|---|
| One parent travels, the other stays at home | Travelling with one parent |
| Grandparents, a relative or a family friend takes the child | Grandparent travel consent letter |
| Child travels alone, or is handed to a carrier's unaccompanied-minor service | Airlines and check-in |
| The trip goes to or through Canada | Child travel consent for Canada |
| The child leaves the United Kingdom | Child travel consent UK |
| Someone asks whether the letter must be notarized | Does it need to be notarized? |
What this site does not do
This site is general information, not legal advice. We are not a law firm and we do not provide legal advice. We do not assess your situation, we do not choose clauses for you, and we do not promise that any document is valid, accepted or approved by anyone. The full notice is at the bottom of this page.
Jurisdiction: United States · Canada · United Kingdom — version 2026-09. Check the current published policy of the airline, cruise line or border agency you are dealing with.
Privacy
Everything on this page runs in your browser using JavaScript. The answers you type are not sent to us, not uploaded and not stored — there is no account, no server-side form and no cookie or analytics script on this site. When you print or download, the file is created on your own device. You can confirm this yourself: open your browser’s developer tools, go to the Network tab and reload the page — no request carrying your answers leaves the page.
What this page is and is not
This page is general information, not legal advice. We are not a law firm and we do not provide legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created. These forms are not a substitute for the advice or services of an attorney.
Jurisdiction: United States · Canada · United Kingdom — version 2026-09.
What government sources say about notarisation and witnesses (information only):
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection states that there is no regulation requiring a consent letter to be notarized, but that CBP highly advises it. Certain destination countries require a consent letter for children arriving or leaving without both parents, in some cases notarized.
- Global Affairs Canada states that a consent letter is not legally required in Canada, that any adult may witness the signing, and that it strongly recommends a notary public witness it. Original signed letters are best.
- For the United Kingdom, GOV.UK states you must get the permission of everyone with parental responsibility, or a court, before taking a child abroad, and that a letter from that person is usually enough to show permission.
- Cruise lines set their own rules and they differ. On 13 September 2026 the published pages of Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Disney Cruise Line and Norwegian did not all require the same document.
- Royal Caribbean: adults who are not the parent or legal guardian must present an original, notarized letter signed by the child's parent(s).
- Carnival: original signed letter strongly recommended when a parent or legal guardian is not sailing.
- Disney Cruise Line: the Minor Authorization Form is required for each child travelling without a parent or legal guardian.
- Norwegian: their Parent/Guardian Consent Form must be signed by both living parents/legal guardians, with a copy of government-issued ID attached.
Check the current published policy of the airline, cruise line or border agency you are dealing with.
This tool only collects the answers you type and prints them into fixed text. It does not choose clauses, assess your situation, or tell you what to do. We do not promise that any document is valid, accepted or approved by anyone.
Generated with a free form on this site. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to any airline, cruise line, government agency or law firm named on this site.