taking friends on hols

[truckerdave]

hi all,
we are taking our son and his friend (both 17)off to the land of fun end of sept,do we need any written permission off my sons friends parents regarding medical or any other issues that may arise?are we likley to be quizzed at sanford airport when showing our passports,has anyone taken friends or relitives on holidays and has there been any problems.

thanks,
truckerdave honk honk.

[lausan]

have taken friends kids...... have taken written permission from their parents never was asked for it always make sure about medical problems if any

[_tinkerbell_]

Hey Trucker Dave, Welcome to the Dibb :wavey:

For the past 6 years ive taken either my neice or my sons friends on holiday with us. Again this year i have a neice 16 and my DS's friend 16 and never once have i been asked for any form of letter to show i could have them in the country. Whether or not this has got to do with them having their own passports or not i dont know.

If you wish however, you could ask for the parent to write a wee note saying they gave you permission and also to say that he can recieve medical treatment if necassary.

I will also say that 4 years ago my sons friend, aged 12 at the time got a really bad ear infection that we had to get treatment including a doctor call out to our hotel. I was never asked once to show any sort of letter to say he could receive treatment although i did have to sign his forms.

Its up to you and if its for peace of mind then get something from the parent but at 17 he is an adult with an adults passport so i dont see their being a problem.

Have a great holiday

xx

[Shellzbelz]

Defintely get the written permission from the parents just in case. We took my cousin (12 at the time) with us to Orlando and I just never thought about it. Because the names were different on the passports they asked who she was and if we had permission for her parents to travel with us. For one heart stopping minute I thought they weren't going to let us into the country but they just told us we should get written permission in future and let us go on.

[Cal and Dave]

when you think about it, if your child was going away with the school, or with any other group, then you would need to sign a parents consent form, not that they may ask for it, but for your records.

I think this is especially important on medical conditions. You need to know if they are allergic to anything, if they have any medical conditions you should be aware of etc :)

[LisaH]

Thanks for the post Dave, as I was just about to ask this question myself.

We have taken my niece before (just took a letter from my brother, but never needed it), but next year am thinking about taking my daughters friend and was wondering if I should do anything else.

[disney dave]

weve been there and done that!! we got written permission from shells parents that she was happy that she was on holiday with us and also that we could given consent for any medical intervention should it be necessary. :smile:

[floridahippy]

We took dd's friend with us years ago and we just had a letter from her mum saying she had permission and that she was ok for us to make decisions etc re medical emergencies. Its just to be on the safe side and to save possible crucial time if needed.
I was never asked to produce it going in to USA though

[PompeyPete]

We have taken my sons friend (10) and got aletter of permission from his mum and dad signed. We were not asked at immigration and had no problems at all. The only other advise would be make sure you know what you are doing on the hol as it can be that everyone just ends up doing what the guest wants to do and age 10 that would not be good. Prob wont be a issue at age 17 though. good luck getting them up in the morning though. My son aged 15 didnt want to get out of bed when there a few months back

[speedwayfan]

My son, who was 17 last year, travelled to Florida the day before we arrived. He was travelling with a 21 year old and as we were arriving the next day we didn't foresee any problems.

However, on arrival at SFB he was told that at 17 according to US law he was not emancipated until 18 and was interviewed quite thoroughly. Bascially, he was asked where he was staying and who with etc. and because they could check our US address everything went smoothly although he was quite 'freaked out'.

I honestly doubt if this would happen each time, although it is not a problem now as he is 18, but I think it's best to be prepared.

I would never take a person under 18 without written permission from the parent/s or guardian and I think the medical letter is vital for you own peace of mind and safety of the child/teenager.

HTH
Jill

[envoguemia]

We have taken two nieces on seperate occasions and whilse we were chatted to at immagration about who she was (different surnames)they happily processed through as normal. I took written consent just saying that I was temporary guardian and authorised medical assistance if needed but that was just to cover us.

[madwife]

We took DD's friend when they were both 15 - didn't realise we might need anything in writing but wasn't asked at all so didn't matter :)

[truckerdave]

thanx for all the advice,we will be getting two letters,one for permission to take him out of the uk and one for permission for any medical problems that may occure,as it happens he has the same surname as mine so we may not get asked anything.with regards to getting the little darlings up in the morning pompeypete, a cup of cold water usually does the trick!!.
thanx again, truckerdave.
honk honk.

[essexmick]

i took my nephew in 04, so would have been 14 or so and wasnt asked at all

[Suzie&Stuart]

Truckerdave, we too took a friend of our DDs a couple of years ago. We did take a letter, but when we asked the Immigration Officer if she'd like to see it she told us we didnt need it and furthermore , unless signed by a solicitor or judge, wasnt worth the paper it was written on.
Personally I wouldnt go to the trouble.
The friend will be processed seperately though. The lass who came with us was just 13 and still had to be processed seperately. This was because she didnt live at the same address as us. Suzie was allowed to stand with her , but couldnt butt in during the process.
All went smoothly and we went on to have a great time.

Trucker Stu