Do I need permission from dad to take my baby on vacation?

Pregnant with my first child and currently with the father of the baby… I just have a question if the baby is in my last name or hyphenated both last names, do I still need a written letter from the dad if I want to go on vacation just myself and baby? Because people have been telling me if the baby does not have my last name, I will have to have a letter from the dad stating it is ok to leave the province/country with the child ??

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I think it depends on if there is a custody agreement in place.

Unless there is a court order normally you’re fine without any letters or anything

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I know when we went out of the country (US to Canada), we had to have a letter for my niece, from her dad, because her last name was/is different from ours and my sister’s

Even if baby doesn’t have dad’s last name if you put him on child support or he signs the birth certificate he has to give permission if going to another state and or country but not city

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Depends where you live I’m pretty sure … as most places does not matter the situation a parent cannot leave the country without consent of the other parent

If you were divorced, most likely yes. If you’re not married, no as long as you have the birth certificate which will have your name as mother. If you’re worried he’ll report your child as kidnapped get a letter, but if that isn’t the case you don’t need one.

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It doesn’t matter what name , you have to agree on any trips or get court approval

I think if it’s on vacation then you don’t need to worry. My kids don’t have my last name. Passports require a signature from both legal guardians in order for the child to even get one.

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Im in Queensland many years ago I was told I needed permission to go interstate I had 100percent control of the girls unless the kids see there dad or court order I can’t see a problem

I have been to Florida with my kids and cruises and never had to get a letter!

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I have been divorced for years. My kids travel with my ex often. I have never once had to send a letter to say it was ok. If you are married to them. Why would this even be an issue

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In Illinois if you are not married the father has no rights unless there’s a court order. Different states may have different rules.

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Depends on your custody agreement.

I kids dad nor I can cross the border into the states or take any international flight with written permission and a copy of our agreement.

However, if I were to drive to other provinces or he would on our own parenting time and have the child back for his or my parenting time and we drove, well no one would know lol.

However, like I said, depends on your agreement, how and where you’re traveling ectect.

Idk I don’t think it would be a problem unless u were divorced

I’m in the USA check with your State Law any family lawyer can and will tell you. Most states if a couple are not married at the time of birth the mother automatically has custody and rights at birth even if the birth certificate is signed by the father and the childhas the fathers name. Which means the mother has the say even if paternity is established and the father is granted rights by the court. My son has his father’s last name we was married when my son was born but I have custody and all rights to my son granted in my divorce which means I can take my son any where I want and his father has no say.

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When I was a little kid, my mom had to have a letter written by my father stating that she could take me to Mexico. It had to be notarized. They were married, but, my mom was a Mexican national. We never needed one to cross state borders.

It’s just smart to have just incase. Chances are it won’t be needed if travelling in the same country

In order to get a passport you need signature from both legal parents. Even if child has your last name, both parents need to give permission. If child only has one parent… let’s say one passed away, you would need to get proof of that.

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And, also, when I took my son to Mexico, I had to get a notarized letter from his father as we were not married but living together. That was about 20 years ago.

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We had to have a notarized letter when my Mom took us (3 teenagers) to Mexico for vacation without my Dad. We also had to have a letter when inlaws took son to Niagara Falls (Canadian side).

I go about 3 times a year with my 2 children to Honduras and I have never needed a letter. both parents have to sign for the child to get a passport.

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Are you legally married to him if not you have sole custody until a court order is established.

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Unless it’s court ordered or some crap like that,then no. As long as you have the birth certificate of the child and your ID matching the name,then you are fine.

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If it is outside of the USA I had to write a letter saying I approved of the trip when my husband took our children.

My daughter has her father’s name. I live in Ohio and if the parents aren’t married the mom has full legal custody. So I can take my daughter anywhere I want to go.

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Get something in writting for both of you now, have something that states as long as you give two weeks notice plus a reminder the week before it is okay for either of you take the child for up to ## so many days. Then you have something in wrriting with both partys signing plus a witness for both partys. You could avoid alot of headache with each of you having this ahead of time

Depends on if a father is listed on the birth certificate I believe.

Find out what the laws are where you live. Speaking to a lawyer would be your best bet. That way you don’t get bad information.

In my experiences as long as you travel with the birth certificate all is fine, as your name will be on it as the mother.

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If you’re with the father why is this a question :thinking:? Something is missing…

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You say province/country which makes me think your not in the US. Traveling over boarders usually requires a passport. As long as your child has a passport then you should be fine, however his father will probably have to sign for him to get the passport. But if you are in a relationship with the father and that’s going fine then that shouldn’t be a problem… as long as your baby has a passport then you shouldn’t have any issues leaving the country with him. However, just to say this, I traveled a lot with my grandmother (we always stayed in the US) and she had my parents sign a letter she wrote up basically giving permission for me to travel over state lines with her. We traveled by airplane 3 times and by car many more times and the letter was never actually needed even though I had a different last name… but she had it just in case. It might not hurt to have the letter signed by the father for just in case…

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Depends on where you live!! Every state/province is going to have different rules. You need to figure out what your local rules/laws are.

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Both my boys don’t have a “daddy” they have sperm donors and I’ve taken them out of state so many times. Not once was I ever asked anything about my boys and I was pulled over twice on 2 different occasions… as long as he don’t take you to court for 50/50 the mom is automatically the sole custody holder so you can legally do whatever you want to do.

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When we went to Mexico they required a letter because my last name was different from my mothers.

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If he is on the birth certificate definitely need proof, if you are leaving the country. And perhaps even if he’s not. My dad took me to Canada 25+ years ago and I remember them giving him trouble because he was not on my birth certificate. We did end up getting in but I remember them stopping him and making him pull over because of it.

Country you need written notarized letter but not provincially

I have never been asked to take my son anywhere. Now if you leave the country you might have to show proof but in the US I’ve never been asked and I’ve even went on a cruise with him and he doesn’t have my last name.

Technically yes if you are crossing borders you do need a letter stating that he agrees with you taking the kid from such date to such date and where. It has to be notarized also with both your signatures.

I’ve never been asked for signed documents from father. Ever

Nope if he has your last name you don’t need his permission, that is what my mom was told by a lawyer when me and my brother were younger. We have both my moms and dads last names

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Call proper authorities.

This is completely wrong. Were you married to the father when the baby was born? If not, then you have full custody! And he has no rights or say so about you taking the baby anywhere. If you were married you still don’t have to have anything in writing or permission to take the baby ! However, this could also depend on the country/state you live in. I know that’s how it is in the United States and in the state of Ohio! If you can tell me where you are located then I could let you know for sure?

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In the United States, children are considered to be able to travel at free will, just like adults. I travel with my God daughter often via plane, I have no guardianship but never had any issues. I just take her birth certificate with me for age verification, and I did have her mother write a notarized letter stating that I have permission to travel with and receive medical care for the child.

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I will only state in my situation as other states or countries may be different…if going out of state to another state, then I do not need his permission at all for up to two weeks. If I am taking the kids out of the country then I absolutely need his written permission or I wouldn’t get through customs. I will note that I have sole physical custody and his have overnight visits a few weekends a month.

My child has his fathers last name, his father is on the birth certificate and I’ve traveled outside of the country with him. No issues.

I think u should communicate with him it is his kid and it be good for ur future since u have to deal with him til ur child old enough I think he should kno where ur going and it’s good communication

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If you guys have a open case with family court yes. And you will need his permission for a passport later on. Talk to him his father should know where his child is in case of an emergency.

I believe you would only need permission if you have a court ordered parenting plan

I would never give my child a last name that is different from mine. :woman_shrugging: My son has my last name. I have never been questioned. If the dad wanted him to have his last name he would have married me. Since he didn’t baby got my last name. Had we gotten married later I would have changed my son’s when I changed mine so that our last names were still the same. :woman_shrugging:

My daughter doesn’t have my last name and I’ve never had any issues

If you go out of country the passport needs thr approval of dad, but most local police won’t do anything if a court agreement isn’t established and bio parent has child even out of state. Police think of it as civil disputes and don’t get involved. If you need any help besides that you will want to talk to a lawyer.

In the state of Wisconsin if you have a child and are not married, the mother has sole custody. So you have free reign unless the courts put a custody order in place.

I flew just baby and me from Colorado to California and my baby has a different last name than me and I didn’t have any trouble. No one even questioned me about it.

Only if it is in court records that you cannot take the child out of state

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If your not married even if the baby has his last name. He can’t really do much about it unless he takes you to court.

Not enough info. In the u.s you can’t get a passport for your child unless the father signs. If I go to mexico with my kids through the border all I do is take their birth certificates with me. (Still married). But if the father doesnt agree he can go to court and put a stop to it honestly you should talk with a lawyer or travel agency. Because facebook opinions are many.

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Absolutely not! That is your baby regardless of the last name. You don’t need permission from anyone

Depends where you live, canada, you need permission! States? Well they’re all different. Best to get legal advice not gonna find out answers here

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Sometimes i regret not giving my daughter my last name or at least hyphenated it.

Might sound a tad silly but if your with him like you say, why on earth would you take baby and go on vacation alone??? As a single mum I cant even afford a holiday lmao. Hes a partner for a reason, should be equals and should other want to take baby on holiday together, it’s what families do

Please please educate yourself before giving birth. You are the child’s mother and if you’re with the dad you shouldn’t need permission to go anywhere but be respectful and talk to him about it. You can go anywhere with your child and technically dad doesn’t need to give you permission. Now if you were split up and there was a court order stating that you couldn’t go out of the country without the other parents approval than you’d have issues but you shouldn’t since you’re still together. Take a few parenting classes while youre at it. Good luck!

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No you don’t I’ve traveled multiple times with both my kids & my son has his dads last name & since we’re not married it’s not the same as me. Just bring the birth certificate

Well if u still with the father whats the point in asking the question

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My daughter is 6 and we go to a new state or 2 every year. Nothing was established in court other than child support, I have sole custody in my state, we were never married, and she has his last name. I usually tell him where we went, whether that’s before or after the trip :sweat_smile:
Now when she gets her passport, I may need his signature for that. Otherwise we just go as we please. :woman_shrugging:

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Uhm what ? You need to not listen to those friends. You don’t need permission from anyone to travel with your child. Maybe abroad or something but not in the US

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If you are leaving the country and need a passport he has to sign too. But if you’re just leaving town simply just let him know when and where. As a couple you should be communicating like that any ways.

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I think babies get their own passports now so it doesn’t matter who they are with. Might not be a good thing really. Was better when children were on their mums passport.

Yall not married and if he is not on the birth certificate then you have sole custody and free reign to so whatever

To add my daughter and I had different last names til recently and I took her out of state no problem and to get her passport I won’t need his permission because he is not on the birth certificate

I’m UK I didn’t have to he’s on birth certificate an sees her but she has my last name I’ve been abored twice with her an my other daugther no problems

In the UK I would have to take my sons birth certificate with me to prove I’m his mum as he has his dads surname with we are no longer together

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Look up the laws where you live, not everyone here knows where you live so they cannot give accurate suggestions

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No you don’t, but take the birth certificate to prove your the mum , you won’t have a problem x

My son has his dads surname ( we are happily together though) and I take him to lanzarote to visit my mum and her partner and have never been pulled on this is 5 years. Not sure if it is different elsewhere. He was asked once when he was 6 on return if I was him mum but that’s it xx

If the father is on the birth certificate take a letter of consent when travelling.
I’ve never been asked for anything but I always travel with letter of consent, birth certificates, marriage certificate and deed poll. I’d rather be prepared than have travel plans stopped.

So are you leaving state or the country

And why would you need a letter to go on vacation :thinking:

And your with the father I’m so confused here

Doesn’t matter the last name… you need this to leave the country

In the us you just need their birth certificate. No letter needed.

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Not if you are together you need noithing. It’s only if your ain’t together you can’t move instate ect without his permission

Not for your average vacation, but probably for out of country vacations.

I always brought a signed and notarized letter if travelling out of country/ province without

Why would the child’s father not join you on vacation if the two of you are together and you are a family?

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So this is a kind of difficult question. I can only tell you my personal experiences:
When my ex and I split…I had a lot of harassment from him. He was on birth certificate and we were legally separated. No custody order at all. At one point he called the police and told them that he thought I’d taken our son our of state.
Now in this case it was completely false. I was at work and answered my cell phone. Was able to invite the officer to come to my job and see for himself. Offered to video call my mom as proof (which he said wasnt necessary).
I remember growing up that my dad had to give permission for me to go out of state. I did not have his last name but my mom and dad had a custody order in place.

I have no idea what exactly would have happened in either case but my guess is accusations and possible charges of parental kidnapping would have been on the table.

In order to protect yourself I would get a letter from him (notorized) saying that he does in fact agree for you to take your child to such and such places between such and such dates.

To travel in the United States you do not but some countries with high sex trafficking and kidnapping you do.

In the UK you need a letter of permission to leave, especially if there are issues between you and the father. You won’t get stopped from leaving without a letter, but if the father hasn’t given you permission it is classed as abduction

Depends on custody agreement and state. But yea I know someone who didn’t have a letter and took kids on a vacation and almost got arrested for kidnapping because the father wasn’t notified and hasn’t consented in a letter. Be careful.

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if you’re with him why don’t you just ask him…its not kidnapping that kind of stuff is if you’re divorced or theres custody disputes. To my knowledge

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Every state is different, but in my state the only way you have to is if you have a custody agreement stating that you have to.

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I live in Ohio & it’s a mother’s state! I think every state is a bit different. But, you got me messed up…

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Anything more than 150 miles away from your ex can be considered kidnapping.

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My son doesn’t have my last name. When I went to scotland I just had his birth certificate and passport. Because I was on his birth certificate they didn’t say anything but I also don’t have his dad on the certificate so it might be a little different but I think you are fine.

2 years ago I went to Germany with my son and he has his dads last name , we were never married and weren’t together at the time, no questions were asked about it just passports no birth certificate or any other documents

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Well I know you have to have a notarized letter from the father when you go out of country because my sister-in-law’s had to get notarized letters from the baby’s daddy’s to take them to Mexico or another family member took them to Mexico and they had to have permission by both parents

In the USA it just depends on if there is a custody arrangement. If there’s no courts involved then no.

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I would just tell him if your together and theirs no custody agreement then be open.

I told my husband last year I need time out me and my friends booked here fir this day thru this day taking kiddo with enjoy your quiet time. 0 fucks given

No you can leave whenever you want for vacation as long as you got the babies birth certificate just in case . It’s your kid, unless you are going to court for custody and a judge said no , you can do what you want

I think that’s only when there a custody agreement or divorced

Last name on the birth certificate does not matter when it comes to asking any permission to leave. Just so that clear. Having his name on the birth certificate gives him more of a opinion. If your going on vacation just simply tell him where give him the number to the hotel ur staying at in case he gets worried. Especially if your with the dad

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My kids have a different last name as me (their fathers). We are divorced. I have brought them on a plane and had zero issues. Didn’t need anything from their dad. TSA looked at my kiddos and said “who is this?” While pointing at me. They both said “mommy!” So they let us through.

No my kids have there dads last name but he’s not on birth certificate bc I want want him to ever be able to take them so just bc last names different don’t matter it’s who has custody has to approve