It’s summer and you’re set to head south of the border for your team’s tournament. There are so many things to pack to make sure that your athlete is ready to go – equipment, uniform, snacks, sunscreen, etc. But are you forgetting the most important thing of all?
If your athlete is traveling without both parents, consider obtaining a consent to travel letter. This letter can simplify border crossings for minor children who do not have both parents present. While a consent to travel letter is not legally required, it can give you extra peace of mind, informing customs officials that your child does have the permission of both parents to travel outside of Canada.
With increasing worries globally about human trafficking and custodial rights, customs officials in both Canada and the United States look for consent to travel letters to confirm parental permission to travel. From past personal experience, even athletes traveling as a team – and only months or weeks away from the age of eighteen – have been asked to produce a consent to travel letter when crossing without their parents into the United States for tournaments.
At Walk-In Notary, we are happy to assist you with drafting or notarizing your consent to travel letter (or both). We are open Monday to Friday from 9-5 pm, and no appointment is necessary. You can download a consent to travel form from the Government of Canada’s website at: https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/children/consent-letter
If you use the above form, simply fill out the information and bring it into our office to sign and have it notarized. Please bring valid photo identification with you. The cost to notarize a consent to travel form is $39.95 plus HST. If you would like us to draft the consent to travel letter, the cost (including notarization) is $69.99 plus HST. If you mention the Promo Code ‘SportsXpress’ you can receive a $10 discount for drafting or notarizing a letter of consent to travel at Walk-In Notary.
If you have a full team of minor athletes traveling without parents and would like us to notarize the entire team’s forms or letters at once, please give us a call at 226-977-8245.
Submitted by Walk-In Notary
