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OMG I must say thanks in advance for finding this thread as we are taking one of my sons friends with us this time (aged 14)and we will now make arrangements to get some authorisation letter from his parents. My other son will also be taking his girlfriend with him who is 16. Will she be Ok in American law to be responsible for he own well being including immigration and any medical treatment or will the same apply to her as it will my sons 14 year old friend? Your advice would be appreciated
Update,
My Nephew came and went without any questions/problems.
Nobody in customs or immigration asked anything and no problem at check in either.
Best to be safe though!
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by shaunboxer
OMG I must say thanks in advance for finding this thread as we are taking one of my sons friends with us this time (aged 14)and we will now make arrangements to get some authorisation letter from his parents. My other son will also be taking his girlfriend with him who is 16. Will she be Ok in American law to be responsible for he own well being including immigration and any medical treatment or will the same apply to her as it will my sons 14 year old friend? Your advice would be appreciated[/quote]The legal age of consent for medical treatment, etc is 18 in Florida, unlike the UK where it's 16. So you would need to arrange for the same documentation for your son's girlfriend.
Hopefully you won't need either whilst you're in Florida but it's better to be safe than sorry, even more particularly where other peoples' kids are concerned.
You are right Blott thanks for all the advice. I can't believe looking back at this we never considered these issues, then again it is the first time we have ever taken anyone else's children on holiday. I am sure glad I learnt my lesson on this forum and not when we are in Florida[beer]
We take our kids boyfriends, girlfriends with us nearly everytime they come with us and so far so good but once we had a very nasty ear infection develop with my sons friend and when we took him to a doctor they wouldnt treat him with just the letter we had from his mum (he was 17 at the time). We had to get his mum to ring them and they were happy once they had spoken to her but that said, how they could tell it was his mum they spoke to I dont know!!
Dont take any chances folks and cover yourselves with a notarised letter and copy passport. A notary should only charge around £25 max for notarising an authority. Gill
Sorry for asking a stupid question, but could the family doctor, or a police officer who is friends with the family act as a notary?
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by orlandochris
Sorry for asking a stupid question, but could the family doctor, or a police officer who is friends with the family act as a notary?[/quote]In the UK, a notary is only ever a solicitor who is registered with the Notary Society - they have a special stamp confirming their status which they put on documentation they have signed and for which US officials will be looking. So the quick answer is no as the people you mention aren't notaries and therefore their signatures wouldn't be valid.
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by blott
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by orlandochris
Sorry for asking a stupid question, but could the family doctor, or a police officer who is friends with the family act as a notary?[/quote]In the UK, a notary is only ever a solicitor who is registered with the Notary Society - they have a special stamp confirming their status which they put on documentation they have signed and for which US officials will be looking. So the quick answer is no as the people you mention aren't notaries and therefore their signatures wouldn't be valid.
[/quote]
Thanks for the quick response - that's really helpful.[msnsmile]
I've been looking at the Notary requirements (they are actually appointed by thee Archbishop of Canterbury) recently and you dont actually have to be a Solicitor or Barrister to qualify one of the criteria is that you must hold a degree but not necessarily Law. If you havent studied any of the legal requirements then you do a 2 year course and if you meet the legal ones just do the 2nd year, apparently,
Who is a Notary?
A Notary is a qualified lawyer – a member of the third and oldest branch of the legal profession in the United Kingdom. He is appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and is subject to regulation by the Court of Faculties. The rules which affect Notaries are very similar to the rules which affect Solicitors. They must be fully insured and maintain fidelity cover for the protection of their clients and the public. They must keep clients’ money separately from their own and comply with stringent practice rules and rules relating to conduct and discipline. Notaries have to renew their practising certificates every year and can only do so if they have complied with the rules.
Qualification as a Notary
The Notaries Society is the representative and membership organisation for the profession of notaries public and although it assists in the qualification process it is not the body that admits or has control over the appointment of new notaries. In addition to its involvement in the training of new candidates to the profession the Society organises seminars and training days for its members which are open to candidates on a voluntary basis.
Qualification as a notary is regulated by the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury under the direction of the Master of the Faculties. Details of the Faculty Office and all the Rules governing the qualification and admission of Notaries can be found at their website www.facultyoffice.org.uk. The main regulations are contained in the Notaries (Qualification) Rules 1998.
These notes do not apply to Notaries already qualified in the European Union or the European Free Trade Area, although the Master may require candidates from Europe to comply with all or part of the requirements of the Rules.
The Notaries (Qualification) Rules 1998
The main points to consider in the Notaries (Qualification) Rules 1998 before deciding whether to qualify as a notary are as follows. Candidates should check ALL the various requirements, not just those summarised below, before embarking on the qualification process.
Under Part II: General Provisions as to Admission - Rule 3 – Qualification for Admission as a notary public.
No person shall be admitted as a notary public to practise in England and Wales unless such person:
3.1 Is at least 21 years of age and has satisfied the requirements of these rules,
3.2 Has taken the oath of allegiance and the oath required by section 7 of the Public Notaries Act 1843, and
3.3 Is, except where such application is made under rule 4 (ecclesiastical notaries) or Rule 9 (European Economic Area notaries) either a solicitor of the Supreme Court, or a barrister at law, or holds a degree.
Under Schedule 2 – Prescribed Subjects
Constitutional/Public Law
The Law of Property
The Law of Contract
The Law of the European Union
Roman Law or Civil Law
Equity and the Law of Trusts
Conflict of Law
Conveyancing
Business Law and Practice
Wills Probate and Administration
Notarial Practice (including Bills of Exchange)
Applicants who have the following qualifications will normally be exempt from further study of most of the above subjects except Roman/Civil Law, Conflicts of Law and Notarial Practice on the basis that they have already studied them to an acceptable standard.
Solicitors and barristers who have qualified within the last 5 years
Holders of a law degree from an English University awarded within the last 5 years
Those who have successfully completed a CPE or LPC course within the last 5 years
Solicitors and barristers who qualified more than 5 years ago must be employed in gen
Indeed Steph but Throughout England and Wales, all, save about 70 notaries, are also qualified as solicitors. There are 1000 of them, not counting another 30 who are Scrivener Notariess in the London area, so 70 is a very small minority and almost negligible country wide.