travelling to U.S. with DS whose surname is different from mine

[chandellina]

Hi - has anyone had any issues travelling with their DC who has a different surname? This is our first time travelling without DH. We are going from the U.K. to the U.S., both travelling on our U.S. passports.

If you have a copy of his birth certificate it will prove you are his mother (don't get the marriage certificate thing as you could easily not be married).

Apparently you can have a note put on your Uk passport saying you are also Mrs ( dh surname). In many European countries you do not automatically take your dh surname. At the mo on the dc id cards it states can be travelling with both our names. However I have a copy of certificate stuck in my passport as despite the passport control people seeing this happening with Europeans coming to the Uk ,with British passports they seem to have a problem understanding it. I have friends who have opted to keep their own surname and have had problems.

i never had any trouble with ds1 when we went to the US. ds1 has dp's surname and were not married. we also dont have the birth certificate with both of our names on for ds1 (we do for ds2 though for some reason) so that would be a problem for me.
(now live in a different county to which he was born so hassle to get a new birth cert)

Yes -my son has a diff surname to me, and I was asked at Amsterdam airport (we were flying via there to US) if I had proof that he was my son.

Luckily I still had his name (officially crossed out) in the back of my passport from when kids could travel on parents passports. That was all the proof I needed - but the guy did say 'next time you travel with birth certificate.'

I have since, and of course have never been asked, but better to be safe....

No experience myself but I would recommend taking the birth cert

You might have issues trying to leave the US - sometimes they expect to see authorisation from the other parent

info from NWA

Since my remarriage 4 years ago I've travelled to the US 3 times with my DC's from first marriage who have different surnames and never had a problem. Might be worth taking the birth certificate just in case though

mumoverseas - were you travelling on a US passport though?

no, sorry, on a UK passport. Would they really give a hard time on a US passport? I've heard lots of stories with people having problems in Canada but thought USA was ok?

It's possible if, as the OP will be, you are leaving the US with a US child who doesn't share your surname

I was questioned by UK passport officials coming back from Brussels with the boys and without DH; he was advising me for the future, really, rather than suspecting me. I was told to make sure I had both birth certificates to prove I was their mother.

I always take marriage certificate and birth certificate (to prove I'm DS's mum and have right to travel with him)