Who’s calling the shots for your child in an emergency when you are on the road? Maybe you travel for business (or that much needed getaway) and rely on family or a sitter for childcare. Perhaps your child is headed off to a sports competition or a school trip, or maybe your ex is taking the kids on a vacation out of the country. Savvy parents prep for travel – no matter who is traveling, parent or child – by filling out medical authorizations, insurance information and custodial authority forms.
Steven King, a Fort Worth attorney specializing in family law, recommends the following tactics for optimum peace of mind:
Parents traveling without their children should consider executing a Limited Nondurable Power of Attorney for Child Care, which allows parents to designate a person to have temporary custody of a minor child. This limited power of attorney is only valid for the time specified by the parents, or until they revoke it.
Even if both parents have custody of a child, it is still a crime in most states and under U.S. federal law for one parent to remove the child from the United States against the other parent’s wishes.
Many foreign countries require minors not accompanied by both parents to have additional documentation in order to enter the country.
Consult your own attorney for specifics, or download forms from www.formsforparents.com, which offers a handy guide to help you identify documents you may need.
