Traveling with my 5 year old daughter (as the father) without the mother from Germany to Mexico
I will be flying with my 5 year old daughter without the mother to Mexico from Germany with transit in the United States. Her grandmother on her mom's side will also be traveling with us.
I was born in Mexico and have acquired German citizenship and kept the Mexican one. I will be traveling with my German passport. I am separated from the mother (she is German; we were never married), but I still have a good relationship with her. My daughter was named according to Mexican law, so her last name is my first last name and her mother's (maiden) last name (to give an example with a fake name: Ana Maria González Müller). Something to note is that the mother has since married someone else and took his name, so her last name is no longer the one on my daughter's last name.
I bought the ticket through Lufthansa but I believe the airline will be United Airlines.
My question is: Is there something I should consider while traveling with my daughter regarding boarding the plane, going through customs or similar? Should I get a signed letter from the mother or something? I will be for sure carrying her birth certificate. What else can I do or take with me?
Edit: -The mother and I have shared custody. -To clarify, I will be entering Mexico with with my Mexican passport as it is required by Mexican law. My daughter has never been to the Mexican consulate in Germany and hence has no Mexican passport or birth certificate.
Update: We will be writing a letter of consent in English, German and Spanish, and we will go to the city hall to get the mom's signature notarized
Thank you
Follow-up: We are back in Germany and everything went smoothly. I took with me a bunch of documents from my daughter including vaccination certificates, but all that was needed was the notarized letter of consent from the mother at the passport control when leaving Germany (apart from the passports and ESTA, of course). For future reference, we got the signatures on the letters notarized at the city hall (Rathaus) and it costed 1,50€ per stamp. Thanks to everyone who answered and commented!
Best Answer
US authorities are generally very aware of potential 'abductions' of children by one parent (against the consent of the other parent); especially for international travel.
Now that should not affect you much, as you are not taking the child out of the US, but simply 'transiting', but it could be they ask you.
The strong recommendation for the US is to have a signed letter from the other parent; if you want to avoid trouble, this would be a good idea to bring.
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Can I travel with my daughter without her mother?
A Child Travel Consent form (sometimes called a letter of permission to travel) provides proof that a child has permission to travel without both (or either) legal guardians present. If a child is crossing borders alone or with an adult who isn't their legal guardian, they need a consent letter signed by both parents.Do I need a notarized letter to travel with my child to Mexico?
Unless the child is accompanied by both parents, the child must have a notarized letter from the other parent or signed by both parents stating, "I acknowledge that my son/daughter is traveling outside the country with [the name of the adult] with my permission."Can a father travel with his daughter?
In order to be granted a passport, the US State Department requires all children under the age of 16 to have permission from both parents. Both parents will need to apply for their child's passport in person or one parent may apply with signed and notarized permission from the other parent.Can a child travel with just one parent?
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Answer 2
I'm surprised no one mentioned it but in addition to the documentation that @o.m. listed, I would also include a copy of the child's birth certificate. Hopefully this document includes the OPs legal name which would be a good document to show their legal relationship to the child.
I have traveled multiple times with my preschool age son (across state lines but always within the US) and per recommendations by the airlines always bring along a copy of this document. I have yet to been asked to provide it by the airlines or security but it gives me comfort in knowing that if ever questioned I could provide legal documentation of my relationship to my child.
Examples of recommendations from airlines:
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