A travel consent letter is a signed letter that shows a parent agrees to their child travelling outside Canada. The parent who isn’t going on the trip signs it.
Your child should have one whenever they leave Canada without both parents. That could be a week in Florida with one parent, a March break trip with the grandparents or a school band trip to New York. Global Affairs Canada recommends a letter for every child under 19 in these situations.
No law in Canada requires one. But the airline agent at check-in, the Canadian border officer and the immigration officer at your destination can all ask to see it. If you don’t have it, expect questions and delays, and in some cases you can be refused entry or exit.
Separated parents usually ask us two more things. Does my parenting order let me take the kids? And what if my ex won’t sign? This guide answers both, and you can make your letter with our free builder below.
Free travel consent letter builderFill in your trip details and print a letter ready to sign.Build my letterWhat to include in a travel consent letter
There’s no official format. A good letter includes:
- The childThe child’s full name, date and place of birth, and passport number
- Each consenting parentThe full name, address, phone number and email of each parent who is giving consent
- The travelling adultThe name, passport details and relationship of the adult travelling with the child
- Where the child will beThe countries the child will visit, and where they’ll stay, with addresses and phone numbers
- Exact travel datesThe exact dates the child will leave and return to Canada
- Signatures and datesThe signature of each consenting parent, and the date
The parent who isn’t travelling signs the letter. If neither parent is travelling, such as on a school trip or with grandparents, both parents sign.
Siblings travelling together can share one letter of consent. If one child is staying longer or coming home earlier, they will need their own letter.
If you’re separated, add a line to the letter naming your court order or separation agreement and its date. Then pack a copy of that order with the passports.
Fill in your trip details and your letter will appear as you type. You can then print it or copy it. We don’t save or send anything you enter.
Once you’ve printed the letter, the parent giving consent should sign it in front of a notary public or lawyer. Bring the signed original on the trip, along with your child’s passport and a copy of your order or agreement. It’s a sample letter, not legal advice for your case. If your ex is fighting the trip, call us before you rely on it.
Do you need the other parent’s consent to travel with your child?
It depends on your parenting order or separation agreement.
If you don’t have an order or agreement yet, get your ex’s signed consent before you buy tickets.
If you do have one, find the part that deals with travel and passports. Some orders let one parent travel without the other’s consent. Others say the child can’t leave Ontario without the other parent’s written consent or a court order. One Ontario order read: the father “shall not remove the child from the Province of Ontario without the written and witnessed consent of the Applicant mother or Court Order.” Some orders only require you to tell the other parent ahead of time and send them the itinerary. Whatever your order says is what you follow.
Even if your order allows you to travel without consent, Global Affairs Canada still recommends bringing a consent letter from the other parent if you can safely get one. Border officers and airline staff won’t know what your order says.
Sole decision-making responsibility doesn’t cover travel
It’s a common mistake. A parent with sole decision-making responsibility (what used to be called sole custody) books a trip, assuming they don’t need the other parent’s permission. In most cases, they do.
Decision-making responsibility means you make the big calls on your child’s health care, schooling, religion and activities. Travel isn’t one of them. Ontario courts have said that the right to travel without the other parent’s consent, or to get a passport without them, needs to be written into the order. If your order doesn’t say so, you will usually still need consent.
Our guide to decision-making responsibility and parenting time in Ontario explains more.
Pick an answer to each question and we’ll tell you where you stand.
1Who is taking your child out of Canada?
2Is there a court order or written separation agreement about your child?
3Does it say anything about travel, taking the child out of Ontario or Canada, or passports?
These answers are general information. What your own order or agreement says is what applies.
Does a travel consent letter need to be notarized?
No. Canadian law doesn’t require a travel consent letter to be notarized, and any adult can witness the signature. But officials recommend it.
| Required by law? | Recommended? | |
|---|---|---|
| A consent letter | No | Yes, for any child under 19 travelling without both parents |
| Signing in front of a notary public or lawyer | No | Yes |
| Bringing the original letter, not a copy | No | Yes. Officials may question photocopies and digital copies |
The Canada Border Services Agency recommends getting the letter notarized “to support its authenticity.” In Ontario, a lawyer, notary public or commissioner for taking oaths can witness your signature. Only a notary public can notarize it.
Some countries have their own rules for children. For example, Mexico has a separate form for children who are Mexican citizens or residents. The Government of Canada’s travel advice page for your destination lists rules like this.
The Government of Canada template or your own letter
Global Affairs Canada has a free consent letter template that you can fill in online or print. It covers the basic information.
There’s no spot on it for your parenting order. If you’re separated, we suggest adding two lines:
- a line that names your parenting order or separation agreement, so officials can see the trip is allowed
- a line saying the consent is for this trip only, which protects the parent who signs if the child isn’t returned on time
Our letter builder adds both.
A letter can’t tell you whether your order allows the trip. If your ex objects or the travel terms in your order aren’t clear, talk to a family lawyer before you pay for flights.
What if the other parent won’t sign the consent letter?
First, find out why. Often the refusal comes down to one fear: that the child won’t come back. Sending your ex the flight numbers, the address where you’re staying and set times for video calls can settle it. If it doesn’t, a mediator can help you work it out.
If your ex still says no, a judge can approve the trip. A Toronto family lawyer can bring a motion for travel authorization for you. Start as soon as possible, since the court needs to decide before your travel date.
The court decides based on what’s best for your child. It looks at the benefits of the trip and whether there’s a real risk your child won’t come back. A judge will consider:
Whether the Hague Convention on child abduction applies between Canada and that country.
Your job, your home, your citizenship and how long you’ve lived here.
Whether you’ve followed court orders and returned from past trips on time.
Seeing grandparents, a cousin’s wedding or time in a parent’s home country.
A toddler and a teenager are different cases, and so is a trip that cuts into exams.
Whether they have real concerns or are using consent to gain leverage.
The other parent’s concerns need to be backed by evidence.
In Mahadevan v. Shankar (2010), a judge refused a father’s request to take his four-year-old to India for Diwali. The Hague Convention doesn’t apply between Canada and India, and the father’s hostility toward the mother gave real reason to worry the child might not return.
In Purushothaman v. Radhakrishnan (2014), another judge said yes to a three-week trip to India for a mother and her seven-year-old. She’d been in Canada eight years, owned a condo, had held the same job for five years and had never broken a court order.
When a parent keeps saying no for no good reason, judges have gone further and ruled that the other parent can travel with the child from then on without asking.
Conditions a court can attach to travel
When a court allows a trip, it usually sets conditions. Common conditions include:
- 1
Giving the other parent a detailed itinerary, often 7 to 30 days before the trip
- 2
Sharing copies of return tickets and an emergency contact number
- 3
Regular phone or video calls with the other parent during the trip
- 4
Make-up parenting time for the other parent if the trip cuts into theirs
- 5
Deciding which parent keeps the child’s passport, or having the court hold it
- 6
Posting a bond or handing in passports, if the judge sees a real risk the child won’t be returned
If your parenting plan isn’t final yet, write travel into it now: how much notice a trip needs, who keeps the passports and when the child calls home. Then you won’t need a judge every time someone books a vacation.
When a trip turns into wrongful retention or abduction
Before you sign, check whether the Hague Convention applies between Canada and the destination country. You can find this on the country’s travel advice page on the Government of Canada website, under “International child abduction.” For example, it applies to Mexico, but not to India, Pakistan or the United Arab Emirates. Without it, getting a child back from abroad is much harder. With it, the process can still take months, and your ex may argue you agreed to the child staying there.
If your child wasn’t brought home on the agreed date, don’t wait. Call a lawyer right away. Our guide to enforcing a parenting order explains the steps.
If you’re planning to move with your child rather than travel, that’s a relocation, and you must give the other parent written notice. Our guides to relocating after separation, reasons to relocate a child and relocation during or after divorce explain the rules.
Talk to a lawyer about travelling with your child
Most trips go ahead with a simple signed letter. But if the other parent refuses, your order is unclear or you’re worried about a trip, get advice early, well before your travel dates.
- What your order or agreement says about travel and passports
- Whether you can get consent or need a court order
- Conditions that can protect your child on the trip
Frequently asked questions
Is a travel consent letter required by law in Canada?
No. But it’s often asked for. Airline staff, Canadian border officers and immigration officers abroad can all ask to see one, and travelling without it can mean delays or being turned away. Global Affairs Canada’s advice is to carry one for every child under 19 travelling without both parents.
Do I need a consent letter if I have sole decision-making responsibility?
In most cases. Having sole decision-making responsibility doesn’t let you travel without your ex’s consent unless your order says so in writing. Even then, bring a letter from them if you can safely get one, plus a copy of the order.
At what age does a child no longer need a travel consent letter?
Global Affairs Canada’s cut-off is 19. Until then, your child should carry a letter whenever they travel without both parents. Some countries ask even when a 16- or 17-year-old has an adult passport.
Can a travel consent letter be open-ended?
We don’t recommend it. Officers expect to see a destination and dates, and a letter without them invites questions. If your family travels a lot, ask for a new letter before each trip, or put travel terms in your parenting order.
Who can witness a travel consent letter in Ontario?
Any adult can witness it. But the Canada Border Services Agency recommends having it notarized, and only a notary public can do that. Global Affairs Canada’s template also accepts an official who can administer oaths, which in Ontario includes lawyers.
Can the other parent stop me from getting my child a passport?
Not permanently. If an order or agreement gives one parent decision-making responsibility, that parent applies for the passport. If it’s shared, either parent can apply. The Passport Program usually asks both parents to take part and can refuse a passport that goes against your order. If your ex refuses to sign, a judge can let you apply alone. And if you’re the one worried about a passport being issued behind your back, you can ask for your child to be put on the passport lookout list.
