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Minor Travel Consent Letter — Reference & Mobile Notary Los Angeles

If a minor is traveling internationally without both parents, most border officers and airlines expect a signed — and usually notarized — consent letter from the non-traveling parent(s) or legal guardian(s). This page hosts two fill-in-the-blank templates and links to the authoritative government sources published by Canada, the United States, and Mexico, so the right one is available to you if it fits your situation.

We Are Notaries, Not Attorneys

Mobile American Notary & Apostilles is not a law firm. We do not provide legal advice, do not recommend which form or template you need, do not tell you how to fill it out, do not explain what your options mean, and do not review completed forms for accuracy. This page hosts fill-in-the-blank templates with California acknowledgment wording attached, plus links to authoritative government sources. Whether any specific template is accepted by any specific border officer, airline, or foreign authority is not something we can answer for you — verification with the destination country’s consulate, the airline, and (where applicable) a family-law attorney is your responsibility. When your form is filled out and you are ready to sign, we can notarize your signature as a mobile Notary Public across Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura Counties.

Get the Form

Option 1 — Standard round-trip template

  • Standard Round-Trip (PDF): Travel_Consent_Standard.pdf  ·  Word: Travel_Consent_Standard.docx A fill-in-the-blank template covering the most common scenario — one minor, one accompanying adult, one destination country, and one return-by date. California All-Purpose Acknowledgment (Civil Code §1189) is attached on the final page for a Notary to complete at signing.

Option 2 — Complex multi-leg template

  • Complex Multi-Leg (Word): Travel_Consent_Complex.docx A more detailed fill-in-the-blank template for less common scenarios — multiple children, multiple countries or legs, sole-consenting parent, court-appointed legal guardian, or an airline unaccompanied-minor arrangement. Includes California All-Purpose Acknowledgment wording. Word only — this template is designed to be edited: delete the sections that do not apply (extra parents, extra legs, extra minors) so only the blocks you need remain before printing.

Authoritative government sources

About These Templates

There is no single United States government-issued minor travel consent form. U.S. Customs and Border Protection publishes recommendations and sample wording but does not issue a fillable form. The two templates on this page follow the wording elements CBP describes in its published guidance and include the California All-Purpose Acknowledgment (Civil Code §1189) that a California Notary completes at signing.

Canada is different: the Government of Canada, through Global Affairs Canada, does publish a specific consent-letter template and an interactive form builder at travel.gc.ca/letter. If travel is to or through Canada, that official Canadian template is a reasonable choice; the completed letter can be brought to a California Notary for signature.

Mexico’s Formato SAM is an exit-authorization process for Mexican-national or Mexican-resident minors leaving Mexico. It is not a substitute for a notarized parental consent letter that a U.S. minor uses when entering Mexico. Mexican-national minors resident in the United States who plan to leave Mexican territory on the return leg may need SAM in addition to a notarized consent letter. SAM is processed by the Mexican Instituto Nacional de Migración directly, not by a U.S. notary.

Our role begins only once your document is completed and the signer(s) are ready to sign in front of a California Notary Public.

The templates above are fill-in-the-blank versions with California acknowledgment wording attached. They are not legal advice, not a legal opinion, and not guaranteed to be accepted by any specific border officer, airline, embassy, or foreign authority. Legal questions — including questions about custody, sole authority to consent, court orders, and international parental abduction — should be directed to a licensed California family-law attorney.

Once Your Form Is Complete, Call Us to Notarize It

We are a mobile Notary service across Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura Counties. We come to your home, office, hotel, or wherever works — including short-notice appointments the day before a flight. If both parents need to sign but cannot be in the same place, each parent can meet a Notary separately; a separate California acknowledgment is completed for each signature.

Call or Text (213) 933‑2507 Book Online

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers below describe our notary service. They are not legal advice. For questions about which template to use, what to write in it, whether a specific consulate or airline will accept it, or any custody-related question, please consult a licensed California family-law attorney or contact the destination country’s consulate directly.

Do I need a notarized consent letter for a minor to travel internationally?
Whether one is legally required depends on the destination country, the airline, and the minor’s specific circumstances. A notarized consent letter is not always mandatory, but it is strongly recommended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, by Global Affairs Canada, and by most major airlines whenever a minor is crossing an international border without both parents. If you have a legal question about whether a letter is required in your situation, please consult a licensed California attorney or contact the destination country’s consulate directly.
Which template should I use — standard or complex?
We do not select templates for clients. The standard round-trip template is written for a single minor traveling to one destination country with one accompanying adult and returning by a specific date. The complex multi-leg template covers scenarios that do not fit that pattern — multiple minors, multiple destinations or legs, a sole consenting parent, or a court-appointed guardian. Whether either template fits your situation is a legal question. If the answer is not obvious to you, please consult a licensed California family-law attorney.
Can you help me fill out the form?
No. Under California law, a Notary Public may not draft, complete, or advise on the substantive content of a document. We can notarize the signature once the form is completed and the signer is ready to sign. If you have questions about what to write in a specific blank — particularly the custody or authority language — please consult a licensed California attorney.
Does the destination country need an Apostille on the consent letter?
Some countries that are signatories to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention will accept a notarized consent letter only if it also carries an Apostille from the California Secretary of State. Countries that are not signatories may require full consular legalization instead. Whether an Apostille is required in your specific situation is a question for the destination country’s consulate. Once you know an Apostille is needed, we can prepare the acknowledgment as a separate page (not stapled) and either coordinate the Sacramento walk-through or hand it back to you for filing. See our Apostille service page for how the state-level step works.
Do both parents have to sign at the same appointment?
No. If both parents cannot be in the same place, each parent may meet with a Notary separately. A separate California acknowledgment is completed for each signature and attached to the same underlying letter. This is a common arrangement for divorced or geographically separated parents.
Is Mexico’s Formato SAM the same thing as a U.S. consent letter?
No. Formato SAM is a separate Mexican government exit-authorization process, published and administered by Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Migración, that applies to Mexican-national or Mexican-resident minors leaving Mexico. It is not a substitute for a notarized parental consent letter that a U.S. minor uses when entering Mexico. If a dual-citizen or Mexican-national child is traveling, both documents may be relevant on different legs of the trip. SAM is processed by INM directly; we do not process it. See the Instituto Nacional de Migración website for the current procedure and fee.
Do you provide the notary certificate wording?
We attach the California All-Purpose Acknowledgment wording (Civil Code §1189) as a separate page at the end of the document, which is what our templates on this page already include. Which certificate wording is required for your specific document — acknowledgment, jurat, or a foreign certificate — is a legal question, so please confirm with your attorney or the destination country’s consulate before your appointment.

Our Related Notary Services

Reminder: The information on this page is a factual reference (fill-in-the-blank templates and links to authoritative government sources) — it is not legal advice, not a legal opinion, and not a recommendation as to which template to use, how to complete it, or whether a specific border officer, airline, or foreign authority will accept it. Legal questions, and any question involving custody, sole consenting authority, or court orders, should be directed to a licensed California family-law attorney. Our role begins after your form is completed and you are ready to sign it in front of a Notary Public.