Child Travel Consent for Mexico From Australia

Mexico's child consent rules apply when a child leaves Mexico, not when they arrive. They cover Mexican children, including Mexican-Australian dual nationals, and children resident in Mexico, leaving alone or with an adult other than a parent. A parent in Mexico signs the free SAM form; a parent in Australia signs before a notary, with an apostille.

Key takeaways

• Mexico's Formato de Salida de Menores (SAM) is an exit form for minors, run by the National Migration Institute (INM).
• It is for Mexican children and foreign children with temporary, student or permanent residence in Mexico, leaving the country alone or with a third adult.
• It is not needed if the child travels with both parents, one parent or a legal guardian.
• The SAM is used only when one or both parents live in Mexico. A parent living abroad gives authorisation before a notary where they live, and the document is then apostilled.
• A SAM is free, valid for six months, and can be used once. One is needed for each child and each trip.

Does an Australian child need consent to visit Mexico?

For most Australian families on holiday, the Mexican rules on consent do not come into play at all. The SAM, and the notarial alternative to it, are about children leaving Mexico, and they apply to Mexican children and to foreign children who hold residence in Mexico. An Australian child who is not a Mexican national and is visiting as a tourist is outside that group.

That said, check two things before you go. First, whether your child is also a Mexican national: a child with a Mexican parent may hold Mexican nationality even if they travel on an Australian passport, and the SAM applies to minors with dual nationality where one of them is Mexican. Second, what the airline and any transit country require, because they set their own rules for children travelling without both parents. Our general guide to travel consent letters covers that side.

What is the SAM?

The SAM, short for Formato de Salida de Menores, is a form the INM introduced as a protective measure against children being taken out of Mexico unlawfully. The Mexican consulate in Montreal, which publishes a clear summary, describes it as the document through which Mexican minors, and foreign minors with temporary, temporary student or permanent residence, can travel abroad alone or with an adult third party. It is an alternative to a notarial authorisation or a court document, both of which remain valid options.

The steps, as the INM and the consulate describe them:

1. Fill in the form online on the INM website and print it. The system prints three copies: one for the migration agent, one for the airline, and one for you.
2. Sign every copy: the child (or their fingerprint), the parent or guardian, and the accompanying adult if there is one.
3. Go to an INM office, or the migration point at the airport or border, in advance, with the child.
4. Bring the documents: the child's passport in original and three copies, three copies of the child's birth certificate, three copies of the parent's or guardian's current ID, and three copies of the accompanying adult's ID.
5. Have an INM agent stamp the forms. Only INM agents can stamp the SAM, and without the stamp the child cannot leave Mexico, even with a ticket.

The consulate notes that the SAM is free, is valid for six months from issue, and can be used only once in that period. A separate SAM is needed for each child and each trip.

Why does a parent living in Australia need a notary?

This is the part that matters most to readers here. The Mexican consulate in Montreal says the SAM is used only when one or both parents live in Mexico. Where a parent lives in Canada, it says that parent must give their authorisation before a Canadian notary public and then have the document apostilled so that it has legal effect in Mexico. The same logic applies to a parent living in Australia: the SAM process assumes the parent can appear in Mexico, and a parent who cannot gives authorisation through a notarial document instead.

In practice, that means an authorisation, often in Spanish or with a Spanish translation, signed by the Australian-resident parent before an Australian notary, and then apostilled by DFAT. The Mexican Embassy in Canberra is the right place to confirm the wording and any translation it expects for your situation, because the Montreal page describes the Canadian case.

The consulate also says that if you use a notarial authorisation or a court authorisation instead of the SAM, it must be presented in original and two copies, together with the other documents. Plan for that when you order copies.

Who completes the SAM?

The consulate explains who does the paperwork. If the child is travelling alone, one or both parents can carry out the procedure. If the child is travelling with a third adult, such as a grandparent or a teacher, that accompanying adult carries it out, having entered their own details when the form was filled in. The consulate adds that it is important for the child to attend on the day the form is stamped, to avoid problems, and that you should present only the original passports of the child and any accompanying adult; the other documents can be copies. For a family split between Mexico and Australia, ask the INM or the Mexican Embassy how the SAM and a notarised authorisation from the parent in Australia fit together in your case.

What should the notarised authorisation contain?

Mexico does not publish a fixed wording for a notarised authorisation in the pages we checked, so ask the Mexican Embassy what it expects. The authorisation will usually need to identify, clearly:

Part	Details to include
The child	Full name, date of birth, nationality and passport number
The authorising parent	Full name, identity document, address in Australia and contact details
The accompanying adult	Full name, relationship and identity document, if the child is not travelling alone
The trip	Departure from Mexico, destination and dates
The formalities	The notary's certificate, then DFAT's apostille, and a Spanish translation if required

A notary witnesses the parent's signature and confirms their identity; the notary does not decide whether the authorisation is effective under Mexican law. If the parents disagree about the travel, or there is a custody dispute, that is a question for a family lawyer, not the notary.

How does the apostille work?

Only DFAT issues apostilles in Australia. An apostille confirms the notary's signature and seal on the authorisation, never its contents. Mexico is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention; membership changes, so check the HCCH status table on the day, and check DFAT's current lodgement options on Smartraveller. Allow time for the apostille before the child's departure from Mexico, especially if the document has to be posted there. Our guide to apostilles for Mexico explains the DFAT step, and our apostille and authentication page covers the service.

When is none of this needed?

The consulate lists the cases where a SAM is not required: when the minor travels with both parents, with one of them, with their legal guardian, or is being repatriated to Mexico. So a Mexican-Australian child flying out of Mexico City with either parent does not need a SAM or a notarised authorisation for the Mexican exit check. The consulate also says INM staff may not ask for any requirement beyond those listed when stamping a SAM. Other countries on the route may still have their own rules, so check the airline and any transit country.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Assuming an Australian passport means Mexican rules do not apply to a child who is also a Mexican national.
• Trying to use the SAM when the authorising parent lives in Australia. The notarised route is the one for a parent abroad.
• Forgetting the apostille on an Australian notarised authorisation.
• Leaving the INM stamp until the airport on the day. The consulate recommends going in advance.
• Reusing a SAM for a second trip. It is valid once, for one child.
• Bringing too few copies. The notarised document is presented in original and two copies.

Here is an illustration, not a real case.

A Mexican-Australian boy of fourteen spends the summer with his grandparents in Guadalajara and will fly home to Sydney alone. His mother lives in Sydney and his father in Mexico. Because his mother is outside Mexico, she asks the Mexican Embassy what wording it expects, signs an authorisation before a notary in Sydney, has it apostilled by DFAT, and couriers the original and two copies to the father, who also consents. On the day of departure, the airline and the migration officer check the documents with the boy's passport, and he boards.

In short

Mexico's consent rules concern children leaving Mexico: Mexican nationals, including dual nationals, and children resident in Mexico, travelling alone or with a third adult. A parent in Mexico uses the free SAM form, stamped by an INM agent. A parent living in Australia gives authorisation before a notary, apostilled by DFAT, presented in original and two copies. An Australian child visiting as a tourist is outside these rules, though airlines and transit countries set their own.

People also search for

• Do I need a notarised travel consent letter for my child?
• How do I apostille a document for Mexico?
• How do I get a certified copy of a birth certificate?
• Is a notary the same as a Justice of the Peace?
• Which documents can be apostilled in Australia?

Send us the travel dates and who is travelling, and we will explain each step before you book.