How to get a child travel consent letter notarized online

Who signs, and which notarial act

Each parent or guardian who is not traveling signs. Two parents in two places can join one session from their own devices; that counts as two signers.

Usually an acknowledgment. Some templates are written as sworn statements; then the notary gives an oath on the call.

Ask the recipient first

Only the person or office receiving the child travel consent letter can say whether an electronic notarization works for them. Ask:

• The airline or cruise line: do you ask for a consent letter for this trip, and does it have to be notarized?
• The destination country's embassy or consulate: what does it ask a minor traveling without both parents to carry?
• If the letter is for use abroad: will it also need an apostille? If yes, ask us before you book, because we plan apostilles around ink signatures.
• Will a printed copy of an electronically notarized letter do, or do they want an original with an ink stamp?

If the trip is abroad and an apostille is asked for, read apostille after an online notarization before you choose how to sign. The letter is not the same as the U.S. passport application consent (Form DS-3053), which has its own rules: see passport consent.

Doing it online, step by step

1. Get the details right. The child's full name and date of birth, passport number if you have it, the travel dates, the destination and the adult traveling with the child.
2. Ask the airline and consulate. Find out whether they want it notarized and in what form.
3. Book for each signing parent. One signer, or two if both non-traveling parents or guardians sign.
4. Sign on video. Each parent shows ID and signs; the notary completes the certificate.
5. Print copies for the trip. Carry printed copies and keep the PDF on your phone.

Mistakes that stop the session

The traveling parent signing alone. The letter is the other parent's consent. If only the traveling parent signs, it doesn't show what it's meant to show.

Dates that change. If the trip moves, the letter's dates may no longer match. Sign close to the trip, after plans are fixed.

Different last names. If the child's surname differs from a parent's, bring what the airline or consulate asks for to show the relationship; the notary doesn't certify birth certificates.

Custody orders. If a court order governs travel, follow it; that is a question for your family law attorney, not the notary.

What it costs

$40 for the session, plus $10 for each extra signer. Any other fee shows in the booking form before you confirm. For the usual 2 signers on a child travel consent letter, that is $50 for the session. If a witness is needed, a video witness can be added in the booking form at $40 each.

Open 7 am to 9 pm ET, every day, by appointment. Have a current photo ID, a device with a camera, and the unsigned PDF.

Signing from outside the U.S.? New Jersey allows it only when the document is for a U.S. court, agency or other U.S. entity, involves property in the U.S., or relates to a transaction substantially connected with the U.S., and signing isn't prohibited where you are (N.J.S.A. 52:7-10.10). Check your document.

Related

• Child travel consent letter builder
• What to include in the letter
• Divorced or separated parents
• Child travel consent notary
• Every document we cover online

Other documents notarized online

• Bill of sale
• Lease
• Promissory note
• Gift letter
• Name change affidavit
• Residency affidavit
• Affidavit of identity
• Certification of trust

General information, not legal advice. We are not lawyers: we notarize, and we don't draft or explain documents. Whoever receives your document decides what it accepts, and we can't guarantee that any office or company will accept it. Updated November 8, 2026.