A letter of consent is a legal document that gives consent to an individual to perform an action. While it shares similarities to a permission letter, the letter of consent is admissible in a court of law.
When it comes to allowing your child to travel with their grandparents, it’s a good idea to send them off with three documents: A birth certificate for identification, a passport if traveling internationally, and a parental consent letter for the child to travel with the grandparents. While not required by most countries, having a letter of consent can provide that extra bit of security you need.
You might be wondering why security is an issue; after all, they are traveling with their grandparents. In today’s world, we’re seeing a rise in child abduction due to traffickers and even parents involved in custody disputes. As such, it’s all the more important to provide the grandparents with the documentation they need. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CBP website has some pretty good hints when it comes to writing a parental letter of consent with regards to child travel.
How to Write Letter of Consent (for Child to Travel)
Writing this letter is quite simple. The only thing you need to keep in mind is that’s it’s a legal document, so the data you include must be correct, or it’s worthless. Fortunately, the CBP provides you with just what you need to include in your parental letter of consent.
Elements Which Must Be Present
When you write your parental letter of consent, the CBP encourages you to include some questions which need to be answered. When you answer these questions, you’ll be providing the proper, necessary information required for a brief, yet comprehensive parental letter of consent to travel with grandparents. This letter, coupled with the child’s passport information and birth certificate, will provide them with the solid foundation they need. Below are the questions your letter needs to answer:
- Who: Names of all involved
- What: What type of letter it is, it’s purpose
- Where: What is the destination
- When: Start and End dates
- Why: The reason the child is traveling
- Absent parent contact information
When complete, carefully proofread and edit your letter, checking for any incorrect information, spelling, and grammar/punctuation errors. Finally, get the letter notarized, make a copy and keep it for your files.
Use a Professional Tone and Keep it Brief
When it comes to starting your parental consent letter, know that it’s a pretty easy quest. Just include the right facts, and you’re on your way. As for writing style, you’ll need to keep the letter brief and to the point, stick to the facts. When it comes to the tone, as long as you keep it professional, businesslike, and brief, you’re good to go. Remember to write the letter in English so the authorities can understand it. Proofread, edit, make a copy for your records, and you’re done!
International Travel
As previously stated, if your child is traveling with their grandparents to a different country, then it pays to plan and supply the grandparents with the proper documentation: Birth certificate, parental letter of consent, and passport. When it comes to your letter of consent, it’s necessary to contact the embassy in the country you’re traveling to for instruction as to what to include. To locate the embassy of your choice, please check out this listing (https://www.us-passport-service-guide.com/embassy.html) found on the U.S. Passport Service page.
How to Format Your Letter
Having the proper letter format is more important than you may know. A properly formatted Parental Letter of Consent means it will be easy to read, have an organized flow, and a professional appearance.
Your letter should be formatted as a business letter using the block letter format. This means that all sections will begin at the left margin, and all sections double-spaced. Contact information is crucial in a consent letter, so include your information, the recipient’s information (if applicable), the date the letter was written and signed, and of course, the body text and signature areas. Below are letters using the correct format.
Sample Letter of Consent For Child to Travel with Grandparents
There are two letters in this section. The first sample letter is formatted to be used on domestic soil. The second sample letter concerns travel to a different country. Notice it includes sections reserved for child identification, including their passport information. If you wish to be thorough, then add an image to the parental consent letter.
{Senders full name
Mailing address
Phone number/email}
{Date Letter Signed}
{Recipient’s Full Name
Mailing Address
Phone Number/Email, if applicable}
Subject: Re: {Letter of Consent}
Dear {Name of Recipient, if Applicable}
To Whom it May Concern,
This letter is to be considered a legal document, a Parental Letter of Consent, for my {Name of Accompanying Parent} to travel with our {Child’s Name} to {Destination} to {Reason for Travel}. In other words, I {Parent at Home} acknowledge that my {Child Name} is traveling to {Destination} with {Accompanying Parent}. {Accompanying Parent} has my permission.
They will leave {Date} and return on {Date}. We are attaching the contact information of all parties concerned in a separate file. However, for ease of access {Parent at Home} contact information is {Contact Information}, my {Accompanying Parent} is {Contact Information}, should you have any further questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
{Signatures of Both Parents}
{Printed Names of Both Parents}
Sample Letter for International Travel
To Whom It May Concern,
This letter is in regard to my child {Child’s Name} traveling to {Destination} on {Start Date} to {End Date}.
I/We {Names of Both Parents/Guardian{s}}, the lawful legal {Custodial parent{s}, Non-Custodial Parent{s} or Legal Guardians of} {Child’s Name} hereby consent to have {Child Name} travel to {Destination} alone.
Child’s Full Name: __________________________________
Date of Birth: __________________________________
Place of Birth: __________________________________
U.S. Passport Number: __________________________________
Contact Information of parent{s} or
{guardians}:__________________________________
If you have any questions and/or concerns regarding this parental letter of consent, please to not hesitate to contact me or my spouse at {Contact Information}.
Signatures of all involved: ______________________
Date Signed: ________________________________
Notary Public:_______________________________
Letter of Permission to Travel With Grandchildren (Template)
While you may think that your spouse or partner is just taking your child on a short trip, and no parental letter of consent is necessary, please reconsider. After all, anything can happen. Your child could be abducted, the accompanying adult falls ill, or perhaps you did not give any consent and did not even know your spouse of partner was going to take them at all. During custody cases, you have to be watchful, as it has been known that a spouse contesting custody, runs off with the child when you least expect it.
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