Wife & kid travelling to India

[amaran18]

Hi,

MY wife and daugther will be travelling to India next month. Heard from someone at work that they need to carry a notarized no objection letter (or something in those lines) from me. Is that required ?

Thanks.

[XOXO]

would you ask that someone of why would your wife need a no objection certificate from you if they have valied visa?

I am hearing this for the first time that a wife/child neading a no objection certificate from a husband for a travel as if the husband owns the wife/child as a commodity.

[r2i-mumbai]

I think OP is referring to international parental child abductions. Here is a useful link

http://travel.state.gov/abduction/abduction_580.html

Another one.

http://travelwithkids.about.com/cs/carplanetips/a/crossborders.htm

My personal experience is that DW has traveled with kids without me to India few times and she was never asked for any additional documentation other than a visa or PIO. Carrying birth certificate with mother's name on it (that match her name on passport) is a good idea as you will already have the birth certificate.

[amaran18]

Seems odd to me too. But I guess there have been instances where the spouse travels to home country with kid(s) and never returns. But still, that doesn't warrant a NOC for every spouse traveling alone with kid. Just wanted to check if any members were aware of such a requirment.

would you ask that someone of why would your wife need a no objection certificate from you if they have valied visa?

I am hearing this for the first time that a wife/child neading a no objection certificate from a husband for a travel as if the husband owns the wife/child as a commodity.

[r2i-mumbai]

US does not have exit controls so nothing will be required to leave US. If the destination country is a signatory to 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction then it may ask for such a consent letter from non-traveling parent. India IS NOT a signatory to Hague Convention so I guess it may not ask for such a letter.

http://travel.state.gov/abduction/country/country_4441.html

On second thought, caring a birth certificate will not address the parental abduction issue but will address general abduction issue especially if parent and child have different last names.

On a side note I found an interesting page about traveling to India.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1139.html

[okonomi]

Good info...

US does not have exit controls so nothing will be required to leave US. If the destination country is a signatory to 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction then it may ask for such a consent letter from non-traveling parent. India IS NOT a signatory to Hague Convention so I guess it may not ask for such a letter.
http://travel.state.gov/abduction/country/country_4441.html
On second thought, caring a birth certificate will not address the parental abduction issue but will address general abduction issue especially if parent and child have different last names.
........[/URL]

One of the problems of travel with minor children is that the AIRLINE EMPLOYEE who looks at the passport and visa knows how to recognize a minor child but then there is a good chance they do not have any knowledge of the Hague convention. Indian parents have taken along an affidavit from the non-travelling spouse, just in case....No need to present that, unless asked for. If there are objections at the ticket counter, ask to speak to a "supervisor" and take a print out of the website information from the US state department ...just the first paragraph will do.
Good luck.

[ahirman]

Seems odd to me too. But I guess there have been instances where the spouse travels to home country with kid(s) and never returns. But still, that doesn't warrant a NOC for every spouse traveling alone with kid. Just wanted to check if any members were aware of such a requirment.

Its not very odd as it doesnt apply to every travelling single parent and kid. Its only applicable to single non US citizen parent travelling out of US with minor US citizen kid(s).

US doesnt have defined exit controls but they have right to check exiting passengers randomly on suspicion.

I think your spouse should carry one just if the combination applies to your situation. There is no defined exit control for this but it may be checked randomly for minor kids who are US citizens and are travelling with single non US citizen parent especially on one way tickets to the home country of parent.

[moneyIsNot_funny]

Hi,

MY wife and daugther will be travelling to India next month. Heard from someone at work that they need to carry a notarized no objection letter (or something in those lines) from me. Is that required ?

Thanks.

Was that someone at work talking about Mexico, perhaps? I heard they do have some kind of policies for outbound flights to control minor children kidnapping, etc.

[GutsyGibbon]

Back in 2003, in LAX the airline employee/security personnel had asked my wife (travelling with USC child) for such a doc. She did not have such a doc, she was warned that she may get into trouble on her way back, better to travel internationally with such a letter. Wife said, "oh, doont woory about India, its easy there". I was there at the airport dropping her off, I could have written that letter, wife was too eager to check in and go home asap. She carried the letter next time around, but has never been asked for such a letter ever since.