Travelling with a child who is not mine

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laura_violet
laura_violet

Hi there,

I have a sister 20 years younger than me. My mother and I are hoping that she will be travelling to visit me in Japan (from NZ) later this year. She is primary school aged. We have checked with the airline, and she can fly unaccompanied, and has travelled internationally before, as well as doing unaccompanied flying, so we are not too concerned about the flight.

My question is, how do I ensure that everything goes smoothly when checking into hotels etc with a child who is not mone? What documentation do we need? Is there anything else I should be aware of?

Thanks

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jrbb0309
jrbb0309

I would have your mother (and father if he is present) write up a letter of permission, giving the dates your sister will be visiting with you, permission for her to be travelling and staying at different hotels, and her/their address and contact numbers and I would have her take to a notary public to be notarized, keep a copy on file for herself and send the original to you. It will likely cost her $30CAD or so to have it notarized but this is honestly the best way of safeguarding yourself and making travelling with your sister easier. You may never need it but it's probably a really good idea to have it.

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travelingdad84
travelingdad84

I would recommend something similar to jrbb0309. This site www.torontonotary.com</a> has some decent examples. I'm guessing that the child already has a passport so that shouldn't be a problem.

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empressnasigoreng
empressnasigoreng

Hi. I just took my daughter (who has a different surname to me) to INdonesia and took the precaution of getting my husband to prepare a statutory declaration (we are in Australia and this is free - just need to find a Justice of the Peace to co-sign) detailing his awareness of his travel arrangements and that he was happy for her to travel with me. I also took a copy of her birth certificate showing that I was her mother (not really relevant in your case although you could take copies of both yours and your sisters birth certificates as this would show that you have the same mother). In the end, I wasn't asked for it but it was still good to have as a back up. Does your sister have the same surname as you? If so (and even if not) people will probably just assume that she is your daughter and all will be fine.

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EscapeArtistes
EscapeArtistes
blog

I'd back up the letter and both birth certificates with a copy of photo & signature ID for your mother, i.e., her passport. I wouldn't necessarily spend the money on notarizing given you're unlikely to need to show it.

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laura_violet
laura_violet

Thank so much everyone. She does have a different surname to both myself and my mother, so most likely we will need a few documents. Thanks for your help :)

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