If you have a child custody agreement for your children, you will have to plan carefully for travel if you are going to an international destination. One consideration here is that if both parents aren’t traveling with the child, you will need permission from the absent parent to leave the country with the child. This must be in written form.
You will likely need to have a passport for the child. The only exception to this is if the child is traveling with a school, religious, cultural, sports or social group into Mexico or Canada. In that case, there are other requirements that the organization will have to meet.
When you are going to travel internationally, it is a good idea to have the permission statement from the other parent notarized. This provides some assurance that the notice is valid and could help to prevent delays at the border. In the absence of a parental permission slip, you can also present a court order like a custody order that states you are able to travel out of the country with the child.
Even if you don’t have to present this documentation at the United States border, there is a good chance that you will need it at your destination. Many countries have very strict requirements, so be sure to find out what you need ahead of time. Failing to have the required forms and proofs could mean that you are detained until the matter is sorted out. You could even be denied entry into another country. Typically, the more proof you have, the less likely you are going to have a problem at a border.