Child Travel Consent for Canada From Australia

Canada does not legally require a consent letter for a child, but the Canada Border Services Agency says to carry one if the child travels with only one parent or with someone who is not their parent. It must include the absent parent's full name, address and phone number, and the agency advises notarising it to avoid delays.

Key takeaways

• The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) advises carrying a consent letter when a minor travels with you and the other parent or guardian is not travelling, or when you are not the child's parent or guardian.
• The letter must include each custodial parent's or guardian's full name, address and telephone number.
• The CBSA says: to avoid delays, have your consent letter notarised to support its authenticity.
• Carry identification for the child and copies of any custody documents.
• A consent letter is not a legal requirement in Canada, but border officers can ask questions and may ask to contact the absent parent.

Does Canada require a consent letter for a child?

Not by law, but you should carry one. The Government of Canada's guidance on consent letters says a letter is not legally required, but may be requested by immigration authorities, airline agents, and Canadian officials when a child enters Canada. It adds that failing to produce one on request may result in delays or a refusal to enter or leave a country.

The CBSA, which runs Canada's border, is more direct. Its page on documents for entering Canada, updated on 5 June 2026, says that when travelling with a minor you should carry a consent letter if you share custody and the other parent or legal guardian is not travelling with you, or if you are not the minor's parent or legal guardian. It says border officers are always watching for missing children and may ask questions about minors travelling with you.

What must the consent letter include?

The CBSA sets a minimum: the letter must include the custodial parents' or legal guardians' full name, address and telephone number. The Government of Canada's broader guidance says there is no official format, and offers a template and fillable form on its travel website. It suggests the letter should also cover the purpose of the trip and the name of the adult accompanying the child. In practice, a letter that border officers can check quickly includes:

Part of the letter	What to write
The child	Full name, date of birth and passport number
The consenting parent or guardian	Full name, address and telephone number, as the CBSA requires
The accompanying adult	Full name and relationship to the child
The trip	Purpose, destination in Canada and dates of travel
The signature	Signed by the consenting parent, ideally before a notary

If the child travels regularly, write a separate letter for each trip rather than an open-ended one. A letter with specific dates reads as more credible to a border officer, and it will not be questioned for being out of date.

Who should sign it?

The Government of Canada says a consent letter should be signed by any parent or other person who has decision-making responsibility for the child and who is not travelling with them. That includes parents who are married, in a de facto relationship, separated or divorced. It recommends a letter even if a parenting order or agreement allows one parent to make travel decisions alone, because border or airline staff may still ask to see that all parents agree, and suggests carrying a copy of any relevant court order as well.

If the other parent has died, the guidance says to bring a copy of the death certificate. If getting the other parent's consent is not possible, or would be unsafe, it suggests getting legal advice. From Australia, that means seeing a family lawyer; a notary cannot supply a consent the other parent has not given.

Why notarise it?

The CBSA's advice is short: to avoid delays, have your consent letter notarised to support its authenticity. A notarised letter answers the question a border officer is really asking: did the absent parent genuinely sign this? An Australian notary confirms the identity of the parent signing, watches them sign, and adds a notarial certificate and seal. That is much harder to doubt than a signature on its own.

A Justice of the Peace is a free witness for documents used in Australia, but NSW Communities and Justice says NSW JPs are not authorised to witness documents for use overseas. For a letter a Canadian border officer will read, a notary is the choice that matches the CBSA's advice. For how a notary handles a consent letter, see our guide to travel consent letters.

Does the letter need an apostille?

Neither the CBSA nor the Government of Canada's guidance mentions an apostille for a consent letter. Their advice stops at notarising it. Canada joined the Hague Apostille Convention with effect from 11 January 2024, so if a Canadian body ever asks for an apostille on an Australian document, DFAT can issue one; check the HCCH status table on the day. For a family holiday, a notarised letter is what the border guidance describes. Our guide to apostilles for Canada covers documents that do need one.

What if the absent parent lives overseas?

This comes up often for families split between Australia and another country. The Government of Canada's guidance says the letter should ideally be signed by the parent living abroad, and that the signature can be witnessed by any adult, including a consular officer at a Canadian government office abroad. It says digital signatures may be accepted, but that carrying the original signed letter is the recommended option, to reduce the chance of officers questioning its authenticity. If the absent parent is in Australia and the child is flying from here, the notary can be in Australia.

What else should the child carry?

The CBSA says to carry acceptable identification for the minor, copies of any legal custody documents, and the consent letter where it applies. For an Australian child, identification means their passport. Australian passport holders flying to Canada generally need an Electronic Travel Authorization before boarding, and that applies to children as well as adults; check the requirements on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website before you book. A copy of the child's full birth certificate, naming the parents, can help if an officer asks how you are related.

What about a child who is 18?

The CBSA's guidance speaks of minors, meaning children under 18. The Government of Canada's broader consent letter guidance goes further for trips abroad, suggesting that any child under 19 should carry a letter when travelling without both parents, to avoid complications. For an Australian teenager of 18 visiting Canada, a letter is unlikely to be required, but if they are travelling with one parent or another adult and you want to avoid questions, carrying one costs little.

How do you prepare a consent letter for Canada?

1. Use the Government of Canada's template or write your own, covering the child, the parents, the accompanying adult and the trip.
2. Include each absent parent's full name, address and phone number, as the CBSA requires.
3. Give exact travel dates and the child's passport number.
4. Have the absent parent sign before a notary, with photo ID, so the letter carries a notarial certificate.
5. Attach copies of any parenting order, custody document or death certificate that applies.
6. Carry the original in hand luggage, with the child's passport.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Leaving out the absent parent's address or phone number. The CBSA names both.
• Relying on a parenting order alone. The guidance recommends a letter as well.
• Having it witnessed by a JP for a document read by a foreign border officer.
• Carrying only a photo of the letter on your phone instead of the original.
• Writing an open-ended letter with no travel dates.
• Forgetting the child's own travel authorisation before the flight.

Here is an illustration, not a real case.

A father in Adelaide is taking his twelve-year-old daughter to Vancouver for a ski holiday in July, while her mother stays in Australia. The parents share parenting under a court order. The mother fills in the Government of Canada's consent template with the dates, the flights, her full name, address and mobile number, and signs it in front of a notary, who adds a notarial certificate. The father packs the original letter, a copy of the parenting order and a copy of his daughter's birth certificate with her passport. At the border the officer reads the letter and hands the passports back.

In short

Canada does not legally require a consent letter, but the CBSA says to carry one when a child travels with only one parent or with someone who is not their parent. The letter must include the absent parent's full name, address and phone number, and the CBSA advises notarising it to avoid delays. Carry the child's passport, copies of any custody documents and the original letter. A notary, not a JP, is the right witness for a document going to a foreign border. Our document notarisation page explains the notarial act.

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