Child Travel Consent: Airlines, Check-In and Border Officers
United States · Canada · United Kingdomversion 2026-09
Which officials can ask for a child travel consent letter — airline check-in, border officers and immigration — and what can happen if it is missing.
Airline staff are not the only people who can ask for a consent letter. Government guidance names airline agents, immigration authorities in the country being entered or left, and border officers among those who may request one, and the consequences described range from a longer conversation to delay. This page sets out who may ask, at which stage of the trip, and what the published sources say can follow. The letter itself prints from the free form on this site.
Who may ask for the letter
Global Affairs Canada states that a consent letter may be requested by immigration authorities when entering or leaving a foreign country, by airline agents, and by Canadian officials when a child re-enters Canada. British guidance describes Border Force officers asking a few questions of an adult who may appear not to be the child's parent, for example where the family name differs. U.S. guidance describes CBP officers assessing documentation when a child travels with an adult who is not the parent or legal guardian.
Stage-of-trip table
| Stage of the trip | Who may ask | What the sources say can follow | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking and online check-in | Airline agents, including at the airport | Agents are among the parties a consent letter may be requested by | S7 |
| Departure airport, border control | Immigration authorities | Failure to produce a letter on request may result in delays or refusal to enter or exit a country | S7 |
| Arrival in the destination country | Immigration officers of that country | Certain destination countries require a consent letter for children arriving without both parents, in some cases notarized | S1 |
| Re-entering Canada | Canadian officials | A consent letter may be requested; original signed letters are best | S7 |
| Arriving in the UK | Border Force officers | Officers may ask questions to establish the relationship between adult and child | S14 |
| Land or sea crossing | CBP officers | Where a letter is requested and not produced, the adult may be detained until the circumstances can be fully assessed | S3 |
Documents by mode of travel
U.S. guidance separates travel documents from consent letters, and the document rule turns on how the border is crossed. United States and Canadian citizen children under 16 arriving by land or sea from contiguous territory may present an original or a copy of their birth certificate. Travelling by air, an unexpired passport is required for everyone, including infants. Groups of United States and Canadian citizen children under 19 crossing by land or sea with a school, religious, social, cultural or sports group may also present a birth certificate, and the group should be ready to present a letter on organisational letterhead naming the group and supervising adult, listing each child with a primary address, phone number, date and place of birth, and at least one parent or guardian's name, and carrying the supervising adult's signed statement that parental consent was obtained.
Children travelling alone
For a minor flying alone to Canada, IRCC lists three items: the child's own passport, a copy of the birth certificate, and a letter of authorization in English or French signed by both parents or the legal guardian, including the parents' address and telephone number plus the name, address and telephone number of the adult who will look after the child in Canada. IRCC states that a parent's passport cannot be used for the child even where the child's details appear in it.
The letter produced by this site is a consent letter, not an airline form. It does not take the place of any form an airline or border agency requires, and where a carrier publishes its own requirements for children travelling alone, that page is the authority.
Keep it in hand luggage
- The signed letter or the line's or carrier's own form.
- The child's passport and, where relevant, the visa, eTA or permanent resident card.
- A copy of the child's birth certificate.
- Photocopies of the ID of the parent or guardian who signed.
- Custody, guardianship or adoption documents where they apply.
Frequently asked questions
Do airline staff actually ask for a consent letter?
Canadian guidance lists airline agents among the parties who may request a consent letter, and notes that failure to produce one on request may result in delays or refusal. Check-in is also where a cruise line or carrier that uses its own form collects it.
What happens if the letter is missing at check-in?
The consequences named in the sources differ by situation. Canadian guidance describes delays or refusal to enter or exit a country. U.S. embassy guidance states that where a letter is requested and not produced, the accompanying adult may be detained until the circumstances can be fully assessed.
Is a consent letter needed for domestic flights?
Government guidance on consent letters is written around crossing international borders; Canadian guidance states that a consent letter gives permission to travel across any international border, including the land border with the United States for a day trip. For travel documents inside one country, the passport or ID rules of that country and the carrier apply. The documents checklist sets out which papers travel documents and consent letters cover, and the one-parent page covers the letter's contents when a single parent travels.
Privacy: it runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded
This page and the form on this site run 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.
Disclaimer
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.
Sources
Sumber:
- S1 — https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-1375?language=en_US — U.S. Customs and Border Protection — checked 13 September 2026
- S3 — https://jm.usembassy.gov/traveling-with-children — U.S. Embassy in Jamaica (U.S. Department of State) — checked 13 September 2026
- S4 — https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-1300?language=en_US — U.S. Customs and Border Protection — checked 13 September 2026
- S7 — https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/children/consent-letter — Global Affairs Canada — checked 13 September 2026
- S9 — https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/minor-children-travelling-canada.html — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — checked 13 September 2026
- S14 — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/getting-through-the-uk-border-faster/faster-travel-through-the-uk-border — GOV.UK (updated 28 July 2026) — checked 13 September 2026