Child Travel Consent Letters

Child travel consent letters are not a legal requirement in Canada, but they can definitely make travel much easier. It is not unlikely that a consent letter will be requested by foreign immigration authorities or by Canadian officials when returning to Canada.

We at Vancouver Downtown Notary strongly encourage all Canadian children under the age of majority (19 in British Columbia) to have a consent letter if they are traveling abroad alone, with only one parent or guardian, with friends or relatives, or with a group.

The purpose of the child travel consent letter is to show that a child has permission to travel abroad from parents or guardians who are not accompanying them.

You can also find a sample child travel consent letter at: http://travel.gc.ca/docs/child/consent-letter_lettre-consentement-eng.pdf

The child consent letter can be witnessed by anyone who has attained the age of majority (19 in British Columbia) but it is strongly recommended by the Government of Canada that you have the letter certified by a lawyer or notary public.

If you have any questions about your unique family arrangement, and what sort of letter you or your child should have while traveling, please call Vancouver Downtown Notary at 778-819-8553 or send us a message below.