Travel Consent Letter in Canada: Notarized Letters for Children Travelling

Civitas Law is a team of legal professionals under the leadership of lawyer Nasibeh Mehrpouyan, a lawyer and notary public in Toronto. We prepare and notarize travel consent letters, review letters that parents have drafted themselves from the federal sample, and explain what else to carry when a family situation is more complicated. We work in English, French, Farsi, Russian and Serbian at 4789 Yonge Street, Suite 402, at Yonge and Sheppard in North York.

The letter's purpose is simple: to show that the people who share responsibility for the child agree to the trip. Without it, a family can face questions, delays or, in the worst case, a refusal to board, leave or enter a country. A letter does not stop a child from being taken abroad without permission and does not ensure that a child will be returned, so where there is a real dispute about travel, the answer is a court order or legal advice rather than a letter.

For our other notary services, such as certified copies and affidavits, see our notary public page.

As of November 2026, the federal guidance says any child under the age of 19 should carry a consent letter when travelling abroad without both parents or persons with decision-making responsibility. That covers more trips than most families expect:

• travelling with only one parent, even if the other parent joins for part of the trip;
• travelling with grandparents, other relatives or family friends;
• travelling with a school, sports, music, religious or other group;
• travelling alone, including as an airline unaccompanied minor;
• a teenager of 16 or older with an adult passport, since foreign authorities may still ask.

Leaving Canada, travellers are not routinely checked by a border officer the way they are on arrival, but airlines may ask to see the letter at check-in. Coming back, a Canada Border Services Agency officer may ask questions about the child and the adult travelling with them. Foreign immigration officers apply their own rules at the other end.

The letter should be signed by every parent or other person with decision-making responsibility for the child who is not travelling. That includes parents who are married, common-law, separated or divorced. Since the 2021 changes to the federal Divorce Act, court orders use the term decision-making responsibility rather than custody, and the federal guidance follows that language.

• Both parents staying home (for example, a child travelling with grandparents): both sign.
• One parent travelling: the parent who stays behind signs.
• Child in temporary care: the letter should be signed by the appropriate child welfare agency representative.
• Parent living abroad: that parent should ideally sign. A consular officer at a Canadian government office abroad can witness the signature, and consular fees apply.

Each signer attends the notary appointment with valid government photo identification. If one parent lives in another city, that parent can sign a separate copy before a notary there, and the child carries both originals.

There is no official form, and the federal sample letter can be adapted. As a minimum, the letter should contain:

• the child's full name, date of birth and passport number;
• the names, addresses and phone numbers of the parents or persons with decision-making responsibility;
• the full name, address, contact information and relationship to the child of the adult travelling with them;
• the destination, the purpose of the trip and the exact departure and return dates;
• a clear statement that the signer consents to the trip.

The more detail, the better. Add flight numbers, the address where the child will stay and a contact number that will be answered while the child is away. Avoid open-ended wording such as "any travel at any time". A letter for one trip, with dates, is easier for an officer to accept. Carry the original signed letter: border officials may not accept a photocopy or a digital version, and the original is less likely to be questioned. The federal sample is available as a fillable PDF and a printable document on the Government of Canada's consent letter page.

Family circumstances change what the child should carry:

• Sole decision-making responsibility: the federal guidance still recommends a letter from the other parent whenever possible or safe, plus a copy of the court order or parenting arrangement.
• Parenting order with travel terms: many Ontario orders set notice periods, require written consent or list permitted destinations. Read the order before you book, and carry a copy.
• Other parent cannot be reached: carry any relevant court order and consider legal advice before travelling.
• Other parent refuses or contact is unsafe: do not sign on their behalf. A family court can be asked to permit the travel. Our child custody and parenting and family law pages explain how that works.
• A parent has died: the surviving parent carries a copy of the death certificate. If the child travels without the surviving parent, the child carries the surviving parent's letter and a copy of the death certificate.

How we measured this: we reviewed the fees that 15 notary offices and law firms in Toronto and the GTA publish on their own websites, checked in November 2026. Figures are before HST unless stated. These are typical market fees, not Civitas Law's fees. Civitas Law tells you its fee in writing before any work starts, and any government fee is paid on top of the notary fee.

How Civitas Law can help

Affidavits and statutory declarations can also be commissioned by live video where Ontario's remote commissioning rules allow it, so you do not always need to come to the office. Mobile appointments at a home, hospital or office in Toronto can be arranged for an additional fee, which we confirm in writing before the visit.

A Canadian consent letter is accepted or refused under the rules of the country you are visiting. Some countries have their own forms or ask for the letter to be translated, notarized and authenticated. Some treat a child as their own citizen when a parent holds that country's citizenship, and then apply their own exit rules. Iran, for example, applies its own rules to children it considers Iranian citizens, including rules on a parent's permission for the child to leave the country, which a Canadian letter may not satisfy.

Before booking, read the entry and exit requirements in the Government of Canada's travel advice for the destination and, if needed, contact that country's embassy or consulate. If a foreign authority wants the letter apostilled or authenticated, it must first be notarized by an Ontario notary; our apostille page explains the next step at Official Documents Services. Check the airline's rules too, especially for unaccompanied minors.

Book an appointment and tell us the destination, dates and who is travelling. Bring the letter unsigned if you have drafted it, or ask us to prepare it. At the appointment:

• we review the letter with each signer, in English, French, Farsi, Russian or Serbian;
• we check identification for every signer against the names in the letter;
• each signer signs in front of the notary, and the notary adds signature and seal;
• we suggest copies of court orders or certificates the child should carry.

Bring the child's passport details and any parenting order. If both parents cannot attend together, each can attend separately. Related pages: certified true copies of a passport or court order, affidavits and statutory declarations, and immigration documents. If the trip involves a disagreement between parents, a 30-minute consultation is $150 plus HST, paid when booking. Call (647) 271-1646 or book online.

Book a consultation online or call (647) 271-1646 (the phone is answered Monday to Friday, 9 am to 8 pm, and Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm). 30-minute consultation, $150 plus HST, paid when you book. Legal fees after that depend on the work involved, and we explain them in writing before you retain us.