Travelling to US with a different surname to my child

[Girlmami]

Hi All,

I have a 5 year old daughter who has a different surname to me. I'm hoping to travel from UK to Orlando to take her to Disney World but I worry I will be stopped at border control. Her father has no contact at all and hasn't done for almost 5 years but she does have his surname. Contact between the 2 of us for a permission letter isn't an option.

Has anyone travelled to the US before with a child with a different surname? I would obviously have her birth certificate to show I am her mother but I wouldn't want to travel all the way there and be turned away by border control. Let alone then have to tell her we wouldn't be going to Disney !

I would also be travelling with my older daughter who has the same surname as me.

Thanks

I haven't travelled to the US but I have travelled abroad with my daughter who has a different surname and never been questioned.

We went to Orlando with DS and I still had my maiden name at the time and it was no bother. Just ensure you have Birth certificate, everything should be fine. BC will just ask questions just to make sure but they shouldn't turn you away.

Thank you ! Do you mind me asking did your husband travel with you or did you and your DS travel alone ?

Thanks, have traveled within Europe with DD but never America. Just had to show birth certificate in Spain is all.

Not quite the same situation but I have travelled to Orlando with my Dsis 13yrs (huge age gap). She's young enough to pass as DH and my daughter. The different name was picked up at border control and she was questioned who she was travelling with. I produced a signed consent letter from my DP's however it wasn't notarised which is apparently a requirement for the US. It was stressful but they just asked in depth questions and finally accepted the letter from my parents.

I'm sure if you take your DD birth certificate it shouldn't be an issue. You might not even be questioned at all.

It was me, DS and my brother who also has a diff surname

I went to New York with DS who has his dad's surname not mine and we were stopped at the border control and asked questions- eg purpose of visit, where is father, do you have father's permission to travel.

I showed them a copy of DS's BC and a letter from his dad giving his permission to take DS to USA.

The letter from DS's dad wasn't notarised as per PP but they let us through- after a lot of questions!

Don’t be alarmed by the posters above saying that US border control ask lots of questions. They ask lots of questions even if you have the same surname. On a recent trip to New York, they ask us whether our DCs were students. What else did they expect an 8 and 11 year old to be - chimney sweeps?!!! Then there was the time in Orlando when they asked us the purpose of the visit….the DCs were then 4 and 7 and decked out head to toe in Disney outfits!!! Just stay calm, answer the questions truthfully and I am sure you will be fine.

Thanks everyone. Her father has no contact at all and it isn't a situation where it is possible to ask for a permission letter. The questions at Border Control worry me incase I cant produce a letter. Do you think it would be a problem being there technically without his permission ? If I explained he has no contact ?

@Girlmami I’ve been to USA three times with my daughter, father left when I was pregnant and no contact, each time I was stopped and my daughter was asked who she was travelling with, I didn’t have a letter for the same reason and explained to border control who were all really friendly, I did take her birth certificate. (His name is in the BC) they just waved us through. We traveled each time with Virgin Holidays and their welcoming rep was also aware if their was any problems and looked out for us, they were fab!

*first time in USA she was 8.

I've been through this many a time travelling long haul with my dc.

What I've noticed is that they ask you casual small talk questions (or your child) at passport control.

'Daddy not coming with you on your holiday?' That sort of thing. I used to prep my dc on what not to say after one of them said the wrong thing. That's how I noticed on all of the subsequent occasions.

Decide what you could say that's the truth but is going to make it clear what the situation is.

Also, take her birth certificate.

People are going to tell you that they travel all the time and it's fine but it's probably because they aren't thinking about it and don't notice it.

Thanks so much this is really helpful. Does your daughter have her fathers surname or the same as you ?

My dc have the same surname as me but we are different races.

Once a man at passport control asked my dd in a relaxed and jovial fashion

'Aren't you taking daddy on your holiday'

my dd said 'no daddy hates England so we are leaving him behind and we are going to stay at grandma's'

which was technically all true but the way she worded it sounded like we were doing a runner.

Similarly my friend's dd was asked something like 'are you looking forward to coming back home to Australia after your holidays' and her four year old said 'no, I'm American but mummy says I'm not allowed to tell anyone'

which was because she kept talking with an American accent because of the TV she watched and my friend had tried to put a stop to it.