- Thread starter Nelly
- Start date
Single Parent travelling with minor child to DR.
Nelly,
Is your child Canadian with Canadian parents or is your child of Dominican heritage?
If your child is Canadian, as long as you have a letter from the father authorizing you to take the child out of the country, you should have no problem.
If your child is of Dominican heritage but travelling with a Canadian passport, it still should not be a problem, as long as you have the letter.
Is your child Canadian with Canadian parents or is your child of Dominican heritage?
If your child is Canadian, as long as you have a letter from the father authorizing you to take the child out of the country, you should have no problem.
If your child is of Dominican heritage but travelling with a Canadian passport, it still should not be a problem, as long as you have the letter.
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I would also suggest that you try to get any information IN WRITING. I had a rather unpleasant experience early on in my marriage where I (thought) I had a Minister's Permit which would allow me to leave and reenter the country while my legal status was confirmed. When I called Canadian Immigration, they said yes indeed, this was true. When I tried to reenter Canada.....no indeed, this was NOT TRUE. It all worked out in the end, but it was a very unpleasant experience to say the least.
Rose
Rose
marliejaneca said:
We are both is Canadian with different last names, (Not sure if this important.) and her father and I are divorced.
On Debbie's Dominican Travel page, it says that the letter has to be notarized and legalized by the DR consulate but the information was a bit dated.
So, the concensus is that a notarized letter is sufficient. Now, for my next question, does the authorization letter need to be in spanish as well?
Thanks,
Nelly
I am travelling from England with my 11 year old daughter who has her own passport in July and the advice I got from the DR consulate in the UK is that I needed the notarized letter "legalized" by them.
It cost me 55GBP to get it legalized but at least I shouldn't have a problem when I travel.
Until this year this has never been a problem travelling from the UK so I suggest you give the consulate in Canada a ring to be on the safe side.
It cost me 55GBP to get it legalized but at least I shouldn't have a problem when I travel.
Until this year this has never been a problem travelling from the UK so I suggest you give the consulate in Canada a ring to be on the safe side.
More rather than less
Have birth certificate-shows you are mother-much less hassle
Divorce papers-shows why different name
Notarized letter-if you can afford to get the darn thing stamped at a Dominican consulate
Her passport
Your passport.
The hassle is for everyone's benefit.
HB
Have birth certificate-shows you are mother-much less hassle
Divorce papers-shows why different name
Notarized letter-if you can afford to get the darn thing stamped at a Dominican consulate
Her passport
Your passport.
The hassle is for everyone's benefit.
HB
Hillbilly said:
I have everything but the consulate stamp which by the time I get all the documents couriered there and back should cost me about $135 CA. That's money that I'd like to use elsewhere as I'm not staying at an AI. I will do it if I have to though.
At what point are these documents checked? Before leaving Canada or when arriving in the DR? Is it the same place (inmigracion)where you pay the entrada or will I have to go some where different?
Ugh, I'm a little nervous now not knowing what to expect.
Maybe Canada is different than the US (hmmmm . . . there's a statement of the obvious) but I traveled in January to the DR with my 7 year-old son who has his own passport and we didn't have any problems at all, anywhere. I'm a divorced single-parenting male . . . so we share the same last name . . . perhaps that explained why there weren't any bureaucratic roadblocks?
Dominican migration authorities only require that one parent travel with the child. In your case, since you have the same name as the child there was no reason to question that you were the parent. The procedure is in place to avoid kidnapping of children. If it were the mother traveling alone with the child, the birth certificate of the child, which should list the name of the mother (with her maiden name) would prove she is the mother.
Dominican migration authorities have the same requirements for children of all nationalities.
Dominican migration authorities have the same requirements for children of all nationalities.
No problem at all
I'm with Samgomper on this....
I'm a male single parent and have travelled to the DR with my two children with there own passports. Never had a problem, never had any special documentation. Perhaps having the same surname helps but no questions have even been asked.
Just relax and enjoy your vacation.
Gary
I'm with Samgomper on this....
I'm a male single parent and have travelled to the DR with my two children with there own passports. Never had a problem, never had any special documentation. Perhaps having the same surname helps but no questions have even been asked.
Just relax and enjoy your vacation.
Gary
I called the Embajada here in Canada for an "official" word, and they said that if the parents have shared custody, then the accompanying parent must have a notarized letter of authorization from the other parent but it does not need to be "legalized" by them prior to travel. (Hollywud, maybe you could update this requirement on Debbie's site?)
As Hillbilly suggested, I will also take my divorce papers showing custody arrangements and my daughter's detailed birth certificate together with the notarized letter and her passport. I'd be more relaxed if I was better versed at handling bribes, should I need to offer one, or if I knew that my 10 year old wouldn't have a stroke if we were called off to the side for any reason! lol
If anyone needs a sample letter for a Canadian, I have one, just PM me.
As Hillbilly suggested, I will also take my divorce papers showing custody arrangements and my daughter's detailed birth certificate together with the notarized letter and her passport. I'd be more relaxed if I was better versed at handling bribes, should I need to offer one, or if I knew that my 10 year old wouldn't have a stroke if we were called off to the side for any reason! lol
If anyone needs a sample letter for a Canadian, I have one, just PM me.
New rules travlling from uk
I am due to travel in May to DR and my daughter is 8, I have just been informed that as she has a double barrelled surname and her father is not travelling with us (now separated) that I will need to have a sworn affidavit to confirm I have permission to take her. If you are travelling with a child under 12 who has the same surname you, you do not need anything apart from passports and the childs bith certificate. Has anyone recently done this? :disappoin
cjbrooks said:
I am due to travel in May to DR and my daughter is 8, I have just been informed that as she has a double barrelled surname and her father is not travelling with us (now separated) that I will need to have a sworn affidavit to confirm I have permission to take her. If you are travelling with a child under 12 who has the same surname you, you do not need anything apart from passports and the childs bith certificate. Has anyone recently done this? :disappoin
You shouldn't have any problems.....
I just got back from the DR 4/3/04 and I travelled with just my 6 year old son and they only looked at his passport and that was it. I did carrry his birth certificate and also his Social Security card.....just for good measure. But you be fine with just the passport. :glasses:
I just got back from the DR 4/3/04 and I travelled with just my 6 year old son and they only looked at his passport and that was it. I did carrry his birth certificate and also his Social Security card.....just for good measure. But you be fine with just the passport. :glasses:
my experience
I needed notarized letter of permission from her father, divorce papers showing my name change and custody arrangements, long form birth certificate and passport but that was only to leave Canada. Once in the DR, they didn't even look at her passport for longer than it took to stamp it. I would suggest that you have all papers that you could possibly need, just in case. It likely depends on the immigration officer that you get once you arrive that makes a difference. Understand also, that in my case, my daughter and I have different last names, and I have shared custody with her father.
I needed notarized letter of permission from her father, divorce papers showing my name change and custody arrangements, long form birth certificate and passport but that was only to leave Canada. Once in the DR, they didn't even look at her passport for longer than it took to stamp it. I would suggest that you have all papers that you could possibly need, just in case. It likely depends on the immigration officer that you get once you arrive that makes a difference. Understand also, that in my case, my daughter and I have different last names, and I have shared custody with her father.