Travel with granchild-16 y.o. documents needed?

You will need a document signed by both parents of the child, giving authority for travel.

https://www.usa.gov/travel-documents-children

The child needs their own passport and a “Consent Letter for Children Traveling Abroad,” signed by both parents. A form for this can be easily found online.

If I’m reading your message correctly, you intend to travel with the child, and with one parent of the child? In that case I think you (the grandparent) are legally irrelevant. The parent who is traveling abroad with the child needs the other parent’s written permission to take the child there. If it was just you with the grandchild, you would need both parents’ written permission to take the child abroad.

Thank you everyone for the quick responses.

I suspect this is like whether your carryon bag is oversized in that it only matters if someone asks. Obviously, the traveling parent should carry the letter of consent, but don't expect to have to show it, especially with a 16-year-old. I traveled to several European countries with my son, who doesn't have a father, when he was 12, and I don't recall ever being asked.

I did it twice with my son when he was a minor, both times with the necessary letter from his mother. Denmark and Norway did not check it. Canada did. True, you may not need it, but if they ask for it and you don’t have it, it’s not like an oversized bag where you can solve the problem just by checking it or paying a fee. Rather, at best there would be hours of delay while they try and track down the other parent to figure out if they have a parental kidnapping to deal with, or at worst they would not allow the child to enter and send them and the parent straight back to where they came from, in other words deport them and then that would be in their records for the next time any of them tried to come.

Hi jmh, I'm a retired family law attorney, and chances are you'll probably never need anything, but Slate is right. You are irrelevant. The parent is not. It would probably be a good idea for the parent to carry something from the other parent that gives authority for parent one to have the child in a foreign country.

When I took my grandkids last year to England and France, I drafted one that both parents signed. Mine also gave me the authority to get them emergency medical help if needed. Since one of the parents is with you, you shouldn't need that, as that parent will have the necessary authority already.

If you want to send me a PM with your email, I will send you a blank one that you can just fill in the spaces and then have the one parent sign it. While you probably don't need it notarized, I would get it notarized just to be on the safe side. Or if you don't want to go to that much trouble, you can find one online. Just Google something using search terms like this, "letter of consent allowing one parent to travel to foreign country with child." Just make sure that it has language that gives parent A the authority to take the child into a foreign country and is signed by parent B.

G3rryCee, I do agree with Slate again. The risk is too great not to bring something like that. I don't know what the circumstances are in this family, but especially if the parents are divorced, you want to make sure you have it. You definitely don't want one parent going back to court and stopping you from taking the child at all, and believe me, I've seen stuff like that happen. I once had to go to court because parent A refused to allow the children to get a passport, and parent B wanted to go to a family wedding in Europe with the kids.