Traveling with Minors

Whose signature is missing decides the paperwork, not the child's age.

A child doesn't need extra paperwork to travel with both parents, but the moment one parent, both parents, or a grandparent is missing from the trip, several countries want proof the other guardian agreed to it. This page covers general consent-letter practice, the specific rules for five countries that check hardest — South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, Canada and Chile — how a US minor's own passport application differs from an adult's, and how the major US airlines' unaccompanied-minor programs work. It doesn't cover the destination's own entry visa, which is on Visas, or general document rules for adult travelers, which are on Entry Requirements.

Consent letters Country rules Child passports Unaccompanied minors Common mistakes
Visas Passport Entry requirements
No single global rule
There's no US or global law requiring a minor to carry a consent letter. The requirement — when there is one — comes from the country being entered or exited, the airline, or both, and it depends on the child's own nationality as much as the destination.
One absent parent, one letter
When one parent isn't on the trip, the letter comes from that parent alone. When neither parent is traveling — a grandparent, a family friend, a camp group — most countries and airlines expect a letter signed by both parents or every legal guardian.
Notarized, dated, and specific
The letter that gets accepted names the travel dates, the flights, the destination address, and the accompanying adult by name. A generic "my child has my permission to travel" note is the version officials and airlines reject most often.

A home-country letter isn't universal. A consent letter that satisfies Canada or the US carries no special status in Brazil or Chile — both expect their own notarization language, and Brazil's Federal Police won't accept one witnessed by a non-Brazilian notary at all (see below).

Country-by-Country: Consent Letter Requirements

Five countries that check this hardest — not a complete global list, and rules below assume the minor is not a citizen of the destination unless noted. A country's own citizens can face extra requirements checked separately from what's below.

DestinationStatusRequirementTypical document
South Africa Legally required A parent traveling with the child alone needs the child's unabridged birth certificate plus a consent affidavit from the absent parent. If neither parent travels, both parents' (or the guardian's) consent is required, plus a letter from the South African host and their contact details. Unabridged birth certificate + notarized affidavit
Brazil Required for Brazilian minors A Brazilian-citizen minor traveling without both parents needs two original authorization letters from the absent parent(s) — notarized in Portuguese if signed inside Brazil, or executed at a Brazilian consulate if signed abroad. The law doesn't reach non-Brazilian minors, but Federal Police have delayed foreign children who arrived without one, so a letter is worth carrying anyway. Notarized Portuguese authorization, or consulate-executed
Mexico Airline may require, law doesn't Mexico's immigration authority (INM) doesn't require a consent letter from a foreign minor at the border. The departing airline often does anyway — a gate agent who doesn't want to be the one flying a denied-entry child back can refuse boarding without one. A notarized letter naming the travel dates, flight numbers and destination address heads this off at check-in. Airline-requested notarized letter (not an INM form)
Canada Recommended, not required Canada has no law requiring a consent letter, but CBSA and most airlines can ask for one when a child travels with only one parent, with grandparents, or alone — and can delay or refuse travel without one. The government publishes a fillable template and recommends having it notarized even though notarization itself isn't mandatory either. Government template, notarization recommended
Chile Legally required A minor not traveling with both parents needs a notarized authorization from the absent parent(s), in Spanish, naming the accompanying adult and the travel dates — checked by Chile's PDI at the airport and land borders on entry and exit alike. Even a minor traveling with both parents can be asked to show proof of the relationship. Notarized Spanish authorization (apostilled if signed abroad)

Requirements and enforcement change without much notice and vary by the minor's nationality and residency status — confirm the current rule with the destination's own consulate or immigration authority, and with your airline, before you book.

Child Passports (US)
1
Apply
In person, every time — Form DS-11
Every US minor under 16 applies with Form DS-11 in person at an authorized acceptance facility. There's no mail-in renewal for a child's passport, even for a second one — each application starts from scratch.
2
Consent
Both parents, or a notarized DS-3053
Both parents or guardians normally appear together with the child. If only one can come, the absent parent completes Form DS-3053 (Statement of Consent), notarized and dated within 3 months of the application, with a copy of their photo ID. If the other parent can't be located or reached at all, Form DS-5525 replaces the DS-3053.
3
Validity
5 years, not 10
A passport issued to a minor under 16 is valid for 5 years — half an adult's 10-year validity. Plan the renewal trip around that, since it always means another in-person DS-11 appointment, not a mail-in.
Airline Unaccompanied Minor (UM) Programs

A UM reservation is a separate booking step from the child's ticket — arranged when you book or by phone, not added at the gate — and every airline below caps how it applies by age band and by whether the itinerary connects.

Delta
Ages 5–17. Mandatory for 5–14, optional for 15–17. $150 each way, and one fee covers up to 4 children traveling together on the same booking.
American
Ages 5–17, mandatory 5–14, optional 15–17. Nonstop only for ages 5–7; a connection is allowed from age 8, through one of ten hub airports. $150 each way plus tax, and the fee covers siblings on the same flight.
United
Mandatory for ages 5–11, and only on nonstop flights — United won't carry an unaccompanied 5–11 year old on any itinerary with a connection. An optional service for 12–17 year olds is also nonstop only. $150 each way.
Southwest
Ages 5–11 travel as an Unaccompanied Minor on nonstop or direct flights only, for a $100 each-way fee. Ages 12–17 book as a separate Young Traveler, under different rules from the 5–11 program.
Common Mistakes
Treating a home-country letter as universally accepted
A letter that satisfies a Canadian or US border carries no special status in Brazil or Chile — both expect their own notarization language, and Brazil's Federal Police won't accept one witnessed by a non-Brazilian notary.
Assuming Mexico's rule is government policy
Because Mexican immigration law doesn't require a letter from a foreign minor, families skip preparing one — then the departing airline asks for it anyway at check-in, on its own policy, not INM's.
Booking a passport renewal by mail for a minor
Mail-in renewal only works for adults. A child under 16 still needs an in-person DS-11 appointment, even for a second or third passport.
Missing the DS-3053 notarization window
A Statement of Consent notarized more than 3 months before the passport application is refused the same as an expired one — the clock starts at notarization, not at booking.
Not checking both legs of a connecting UM booking
A connecting itinerary across two airlines can carry two different minimum UM ages and no guaranteed gate-to-gate handoff between them — some airlines won't accept a UM connecting onto a different carrier at all.
Sources

Consent-letter enforcement, notarization language and airline UM ages and fees above change with little notice — confirm current requirements with the destination's own consulate or immigration authority and with your airline before booking, not after.