Minor flying to Mexico

[ichbinsaege]

In May, my oldest son (who will be 17 years old at the time) will be flying down here for the summer. His dad will be taking him to the airport at the US side, and I will be picking him up here in Guadalajara.

I have seen several different things about the requirements. While he is older than 16 and does not require a parent to travel with him, Mexico does require permission from both parents if they are flying into or out of Mexico until they are 18 years old.

My questions are:

1. When he is flying here, to me - his mother, does he need a letter of permission ONLY from his father? Or does it need to be from BOTH of us? Is my picking him up at the airport sufficient enough?

2. Does the letter need to be in both English AND Spanish?

3. Does the letter need to be notarized or apostilled? If apostilled, where does my ex-husband need to get that done? The capital of the state he lives in?

Several people have told me to call the airline he is flying on, which I will, but I would think this would be more an issue when he goes through customs here in Guadalajara (and when he returns to the US). So it would be an aduana issue, no?

I have a couple of months to figure this out (and who knows, the laws could change again during that time).

Any relevant information would be really appreciated.

[austinx]

I would agree with advising you to call the airlines. Even though its an immigration issue, they should know what their passengers require to fly.

[RVGRINGO]

If INM reuires it at the customs/immigration area in GDL, the fact that you will be waiting for him outside will be no help at all. I suggest that you send a notarized letter to him, and that your husband provide the same at his end. Better safe than sorry. Be sure that the names match his birth certificate and passport, etc.

[snowyco]

Google-ing this turns up "New Rules and Procedures for Immigration, Visiting, and Staying in Mexico" yucalandia: ~ Entering Mexico with Children

"Entering Mexico with Children
Both the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and the Canadian government advise bringing a notarized letter from a parent who is not traveling with the children. The letter should certify that the children have their parent(s) permission to travel with the other parent. https://help.cbp.gov/…w/parental%20consent.

Jetblue airlines has announced updates to Mexico’s policies for admitting foreign minors, effective Feb. 15, 2013:

“**Important Mexico Travel Alert for travel on or after February 15, 2013**
A customer under 18 years of age is considered a minor for travel purposes. Very strict regulations govern international travel by minors into Mexico.Passports and tourist cards are required; please note the following requirements:

• Minors traveling with an adult other than their legal parents or guardians must have an original notarized letter of permission signed by both parents authorizing travel, and a photo ID is required. In addition, the letter should state the name, address and phone number of the person whom the child is traveling with.

• Minors traveling with only one parent or the sole custody parent must have a notarized letter of permission from the non-custodial parent or a “Sole Custody” or “Father Unknown” document. However, if the child’s last name is different from the last name of the accompanying parent(s), proof of parentage is required. Parents name changes must be documented (i.e. marriage certificate).

• Unaccompanied minors must have an original notarized letter of permission signed by both parents authorizing travel, and a photo ID is requred. In addition, the letter should state the name, address and phone number of the adult meeting the minor at the airport upon arrival. "

[ichbinsaege]

Since he is a minor, I would assume that at the Guadalajara airport I will have to enter the customs area to collect him. I have been told by others that minors cannot push the button, so I would have to go in there to do this.

I realize the above last statement of rules (the unaccompanied minors part) would apply to him, but it also appears that law is for parents sending their child alone to another adult. In this case, my EX-husband and I live in separate countries and I am the adult meeting my son at the airport.

I will be calling the airline, but I thought maybe there were some who have gone through this already that might be able to shed some light. I will probably get someone to talk to INM for me as well (at the airport) and see what they say.

I can get my ex-husband a notarized letter from my end, but I wasn't sure if his end would need to be apostilled, or just notarized.

It's all so confusing!

[Frog]

You should d ask a mexican attorney , like spencer.

[ichbinsaege]

You should d ask a mexican attorney , like spencer.

I have done so, but wanted to know if anyone had any current experiences with this since the law seems to change so frequently. Also, all the laws seem to point to either a child flying with only one parent, or flying alone to another adult who is not their parent. There really isn't much out there for parents who are divorced that live in separate countries. I was hoping to gain some knowledge from people who have actually had this experience.

[AlanMexicali]

I have done so, but wanted to know if anyone had any current experiences with this since the law seems to change so frequently. Also, all the laws seem to point to either a child flying with only one parent, or flying alone to another adult who is not their parent. There really isn't much out there for parents who are divorced that live in separate countries. I was hoping to gain some knowledge from people who have actually had this experience.

Apostilled is for US state documents etc. You will need a notarized letter explaining the situation from you and your husband and give it to your son to bring with him as far as I know. We had taken my wifes´s niece [Mexican National] to the US with us and that was what Mexico required. She was 15 at the time. They looked at it for about 1 second. US Immigration looked at this letter more closely and asked her what she was studying and where. It needed the travel dates and itinerary of where we were going to be and everyones full name on it notarized. Not like the Mexican Immigration officers with English the US Immigration officers speak and read Spanish. The letter was in Spanish.

In your case 2 notarized letters with the same information, I suspect. Possibly one letter from your husband with details about you would suffice.

Her sister got the information from a visa processing agency here . They can get you travel visas for all over the world, and they were familiar with the Mexican rules and the US rules.. There are several in El Centro here I pass by.

You could check with one of these agencies in Guadalajara or your husband could check with one in the US.

http://www.visasexpress.com.mx/

[ichbinsaege]

Apostilled is for US state documents etc. You will need a notarized letter explaining the situation from you and your husband and give it to your son to bring with him as far as I know. We had taken my wifes´s niece [Mexican National] to the US with us and that was what Mexico required. She was 15 at the time. They looked at it for about 1 second. US Immigration looked at this letter more closely and asked her what she was studying and where. It needed the travel dates and itinerary of where we were going to be and everyones full name on it notarized. Not like the Mexican Immigration officers with English the US Immigration officers speak and read Spanish. The letter was in Spanish.

In your case 2 notarized letters with the same information, I suspect. Possibly one letter from your husband with details about you would suffice.

Her sister got the information from a visa processing agency here . They can get you travel visas for all over the world, and they were familiar with the Mexican rules and the US rules.. There are several in El Centro here I pass by.

You could check with one of these agencies in Guadalajara or your husband could check with one in the US.

http://www.visasexpress.com.mx/

Thanks. I know apostilled is for US documents, but since my EX-HUSBAND (he is not my husband, hasn't been for 14 years) lives in the US and my son will be traveling from the US to Mexico, I wanted to know if he needed to get his letter of permission apostilled. I'm not worried about his leaving Mexico to go back to his dad's, it's just the traveling here to Mexico that I want to assure goes smoothly.

[snowyco]

No need for apostilles.

Just a notarized letter from the father, and a notarized letter from the mother, each granting their personal permission for the minor to travel alone to Mexico by flying in, with each letter stating the name, address and phone number of the adult meeting the minor at the airport upon arrival.

As Alan explained above, apostilles are for government or school or agency official documents, where the apostille is proof that the document is a legitimate valid record of birth, university or high school transcripts, marriage certificates, or professional certifications issued by governing agencies. Apostilles are not for personal letters - notary stamps and signatures are sufficient for personal letters.

In other words, follow the instructions listed above:

• "Unaccompanied minors must have an original notarized letter of permission signed by both parents authorizing travel, and a photo ID is requred. In addition, the letter should state the name, address and phone number of the adult meeting the minor at the airport upon arrival. "

[mudgirl]

Whether he is your EX-husband or your current husband is of no interest to the authorities. If both of your names appear on your son's birth certificate, your son needs notarized permission from his father to travel to visit you, and the US will probably need a notarized letter from you (which might explain that he came to visit you in Mexico and is returning to his place of residence with his father in the US) when he goes back. If the boy's father has full custody, you may not need to do a notarized letter to send him back with. The father should check with US immigration.

[mudgirl]

P.S. It appears from the above posts that you will also need to sign the notarized paper for your son to travel from the US, but as you are here, and the father is there, it is obviously impossible for you both to sign the document in front of a notary. You may need to get a notarized letter from the US consulate and send it up north, stating that your son is coming to visit you and that you will be picking him up at the airport. It is best not to mention specific travel dates if possible, as flights can be cancelled, etc, in which case you would have to do it all over again.

[snowyco]

The notarized letter from the mom is for the Mexican authorities, so, she could also use any Notaria here, (maybe easier and faster than dealing with the Consulate?), and send her notarized version of the letter to him in the USA, for him to carry and show to Mexican authorities. Mexican authorities would accept a letter notarized by a Mexican Notaria.

[snowyco]

For when your son returns to the USA, the US Customs and Border Patrol advises:

"Parental consent/permission letter

What should a parental consent/permission letter look like? Is there a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) form?

There is not a CBP Form letter, however, the parental consent letter should include: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and contact information for the absent parent(s).

Having the letter notarized is not necessary but highly recommended. For frequent border crossers, the letter should not exceed one year. It is recommended to have the letter in English." https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/268/kw/parental%20consent

[ichbinsaege]

Thank you all for the information!

I know it isn't important whether he is my ex or not, but it was driving me nuts reading "your husband" over and over when he is not mine. There is a reason he is an ex.

I feel a little bit better as to knowing a little more of what to do.

[mudgirl]

If the parents have shared custody, it may still be necessary for the mother to send a notarized letter of travel permission (in English) in order for the son to board the plane in the US, even though she is picking him up at this end. Like I said, the boy's father should check with US immigration as well as the airline.

[snowyco]

I'm confused about why we should think US Customs and Border Control ("immigration") would have anything to say about a US citizen still in the USA? US Customs and Border Patrol describes US policies (above) for minors entering the US when returning from abroad, but they do not have policies for US citizens departing from the USA. The unaccompanied minor only needs to have the travel letters required by Mexican authorities, as described above. We did this for our daughter, with letters from her mom and from me that she carried, and it all worked out fine.

The airlines have policies that match the destination country that the US child is entering, because they want the child to successfully enter the foreign country.

[ichbinsaege]

I'm confused about why we should think US immigration would have anything to say about a US citizen still in the USA. US Customs and Border Patrol describes US policies (above) for minors entering the US when returning from abroad, but they do not have policies for US citizens departing from the USA. The unaccompanied minor only needs to have the travel letters required by Mexican authorities, as described above. We did this for our daughter, with letters from her mom and from me that she carried, and it all worked out fine.

The airlines have policies that match the destination country that the US child is entering, because they want the child to successfully enter the foreign country.

That is my thought too. I know I need to know what the MEXICAN authorities want, which well, could be anyones guess on any given day from what I have seen. I just want to have all my bases covered. I'm not worried about him getting back into the US, just him getting here. To Mexico. I intend on having him have letters from both me and his dad, both in English and Spanish (for the Mexican side so there are no delays at the GDL airport in my retrieving him) and have them notarized. Thanks again for all your help. I do appreciate it.

[lobita]

I'd be interested to hear how it goes for you, saege; my husband will be going through the same thing with his minor daughter this coming August.

[Joyfull]

Having been a ticket agent for a major U.S. carrier, we had to check to make sure all documents were in order prior to sending a passenger off to security. I suggest you call the airline and check with them. They have access to TIMATIC which gives all the rules for international travel based on the two countries involved and any stopovers enroute.

[mudgirl]

I'm confused about why we should think US Customs and Border Control ("immigration") would have anything to say about a US citizen still in the USA? US Customs and Border Patrol describes US policies (above) for minors entering the US when returning from abroad, but they do not have policies for US citizens departing from the USA. The unaccompanied minor only needs to have the travel letters required by Mexican authorities, as described above. We did this for our daughter, with letters from her mom and from me that she carried, and it all worked out fine.

The airlines have policies that match the destination country that the US child is entering, because they want the child to successfully enter the foreign country.

Although it likely would not be an issue with the original poster's son, as he is 16 and able to speak for himself, the issue has to do with one parent in a joint custody situation trying to "abduct" the child. Which one could do without actually accompanying the child, but sending them off somewhere to a friend where they would not be found and joining them later. This is a hypothetical situation, but the airline could be held responsible to child protection and police agencies should such a situation occur, if they did not see permission from both custodial parents for the minor to travel. I don't know if US immigration concerns themselves with this.

[snowyco]

The good news is: no, US CBP does not have the requirements you proposed.

My wife put our 7 year old daughter on the plane, with notarized "approval to go to Mexico" letters from each of us, and I met my daughter at the airport here in Mexico. Yes, the airline wanted approvals from both parents (because she was flying unaccompanied) to be sure she would be allowed into Mexico. Yes, Mexico INM also wanted notarized approvals from both parents.

[ichbinsaege]

The good news is: no, US CBP does not have the requirements you proposed.

My wife put our 7 year old daughter on the plane, with notarized "approval to go to Mexico" letters from each of us, and I met my daughter at the airport here in Mexico. Yes, the airline wanted approvals from both parents (because she was flying unaccompanied) to be sure she would be allowed into Mexico. Yes, Mexico INM also wanted notarized approvals from both parents.

Good to know, thank you for this information.

[jak]

snowyco: did you meet your 7 year old daughter and help her through customs or did she have to negotiate immigration and customs on her own? My daughter will be coming to Guadalajara and I will meet her at the airport - and getting notarized letters will be no problem - but I'm concerned she won't understand how to negotiate customs and immigration on her own (although in my experience, it's the trip back into the US where customs is more annoying).

[luisa]

Our experience. Wait by the glass doors outside immigration/customs. Your child will peep out with an immigration agent. After your child points you out the agent will escort you back to go through customs with the child. Take all your ID, passport and whatever else you have. They will hold your passport until you complete customs.