Taking children to Mexico--urgent!

I am planning to take my 5 year old with my mother and me to Ensenada. Does anyone know if I need documentation other than a birth certificate for her? My sister in law took her daughter to Canada recently and they told her she needed a letter from the child's father stating it was ok to take the child across the border. Has anyone here had experience with this?

Hi Sue, I'm assuming that you and your child are US citizens. According to the US Department of State (http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips_mexico.html): ...Parents of minor children (under 18 years old) should carefully document legal custody prior to traveling to Mexico. ...If a minor child is traveling with only one parent, the absent parent should provide notarized consent. ...If a child traveling to Mexico has a different last name from the mother and/or father, the parents should be prepared to provide evidence to airlines and Mexican authorities, such as a birth certificate or adoption decree, to prove that they are indeed the parents. ...Mexican entry regulations require Spanish translations of all legal documents, including notarized consent decrees and court agreements. Enforcement of this provision is not always consistent, however, and English-language documents are almost always sufficient. ***** I read elswhere that the notarized consent should include the dates you are traveling, and where you are staying. Hope this helps! Visit that website for more info. Jennifer

Hi Sue! Jennifer hit the nail on the head with her info. We were delayed a day flying to Cabo San Lucas because we didn't have letters from the children's other parents. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Keep thinking good thoughts! Kathleen

Thanks to both of you. I was able to get this taken care of. I am just so grateful my sister in law called and just happened to mention it. Someone was looking out for me. Whew! Sue F.

Just thought I would update to let everyone know how this turned out. I called the Mexican Tourist hotline and they told me I needed an affidavit of Parental Consent. They said they would email a form to me, but it never showed up. I went ahead and drew up my own form (I am studying to be a paralegal--good practice) and had my husband sign it and it was notorized. Then when we crossed the border with Bambi, nada. They just waived us through. No one stopped us, no one wanted to see birth certificates or the affidavit! Oh well, better safe than sorry.

So true Sue! It doesn't surprise me that they didn't check. Coming back into the US is another matter! Don't throw away those papers! Hope all is well with you.