Traveling to usa

[NicNat01]

Myself and my children are traveling to florida on 11/9/16. One of my children has a dif surname to me but i have no contact with the father. I have read a few thing about border controll in usa being quite strict. Has anybody had any issues

[Fourormore]

How old are the children and is the father on the birth certificate?
It's not having different surnames that are the problem, though that often flags an issue to officials. If you don't have a residence order in your favour and the father is listed on the birth certificate then you need the fathers permission to take the children out of the country.

[NicNat01]

Yes hes on the birth cert. They are 13 and 11

[tupperwareAARGGH]

I went to Canada with my DS a couple of years ago and he has different surname to me and they are pretty similar in border control as USA.

I was interrogated in front of my DS for ages and had to say I had no idea where his dad was to even get a consent letter. I was asked on front of DS why he doesn't see his dad it was awful. This was despite having a court order stating I had residence.

Luckily I had a feeling that I would get stopped so I went armed with a letter from work, mortgage statement, bank statements etc to show I had commitments in UK and that I wasn't absconding with child. However, at one point I thought they were going to put me on plane back.

In the end I had to give detailed account of what I was going to do, where I was going and who with. I had to show texts and emails from my friend who lived there to show I was indeed just having a holiday. Plus Facebook messages.

You can apply to the courts for a letter I believe that states no contact with father and so can leave the country. I'm not sure though. Your DS is old enough to be able to say he doesn't see his dad mine was only 4 so it was all a bit confusing for him and distressing after a 10 hour flight plus time at airport beforehand.

Take everything you can to show you will be returning, write up an itinerary even if you don't intend to stick to it. Ring the American embassy beforehand and ask for their advice.

[tupperwareAARGGH]

Actually if you were not married and your child was born before a certain year that he wouldn't have parental responsibility so you wouldn't need permission.

www.gov.uk/permission-take-child-abroad

[PhilomenaFlump]

We travel to the US with my stepchildren and have never had any hassle. The US doesn't require a letter from the other parent but does recommend it.

help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/268/~/children---child-traveling-with-one-parent-or-someone-who-is-not-a-parent-or

[lookluv]

Who knows - the worse place to come back into is the UK. I did take the birt cert for a while, I got told I was a bad mother, poor Christian, Catholics would not do this, in a muslim world I would lose my child etc etc.

I now refuse to take the birt certs and circa London City 2 weeks ago - got a female immi official once again explaining to me, that they were protecting the children and could I not see that not having the same surname was a warning to them.

I pointed out that their father whom they see less than 30 days per annum, has a foreign passport, family overseas - yet the do not stop him because he has the same surname. She could not see how effing stupid the rule is - kept saying yes but..., if you ahve BC - I told her I was sick of the immi official abuse and she said you do not get it do you.

I said I did but the stupidity of their selection criteria and the abuse I have suffered makes carryingt he BCs irrelevant.

9yr od DC piped up - you never ask our Dad, just Mum and we live with her!!!!

It was all fine and was never asked until evil new DP of EX reported me for possible abduction risk, along with other issues!!!

[megletthesecond]

tup that's what I would do if I went abroad. Can't get anything from absent xp so I would take mortgage, council tax paperwork, job contract, maintenance paperwork etc. And probably do the court thing too. Obviously I have to find the money for this theoretical holiday first .