Family Question

Hello OV

I have been asked a questioned today by a friend and I have been stomped.

The answer he wants to find out is. The are a large family of over 7 travel to the states the same time as my family. Two of the kids in his group are step kids. He got married to their mum last year and the two older kids are his step and do not carry his last name and when they travelled before the mum had the older kids last name and the younger ones had his name, now that they are travelling for the first time after being married the older two still carry the mums old last name, will there be any problems at immigration.

Thanks

As long as the ticket booked is exactly as per the passport then it will be fine. My wife has a passport in her old name and we just book in her old name, no problems.

There won't be a problem. If they live at a different address from you though, they will need a separate customs form

I'm not sure about the customs forms, we just fill in one group form and there were 8 of us from 4 different addresses travelling.

hi we have travelled to florida since 1993 and since 2000 have taken my young daughter who has a different surname to myself and my husband she is privatly fostered and with signed paper from her birth parents have had no problems at all going through imigration we have never been asked for the paper and we have been 8 times since we had her with us first time she was only 17 mths old last ime being last year at age 11 yrs

When we travel there are 3 of us. I kept my maiden name and my sons name is double barrelled made up form mine and my husbands. So there are 3 different surnames.
We have never had any problems with this.

Bear in mind that you have to comlete a customs form for each different surname.

eg if you're all called smith one form for the entire party is enough.

if you have more than one surname then more than one customs form has to be completed.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by ujpest doza
Bear in mind that you have to comlete a customs form for each different surname.

eg if you're all called smith one form for the entire party is enough.

if you have more than one surname then more than one customs form has to be completed.

[/quote]

This depends on who you listen to.. Some times at the airport they are saying one customs form per surname, sometimes one per family.
We have only ever filled one out for the 3 of us - same address but 3 different surnames.

I think you are referring to Immigration rather than Customs, is that right?

Not sure how old the step children are but probably in their passport their Mums name is listed as next of kin (and assuming they had the passports before you were married), to be on the safe side if she carries your marriage certificate showing her old name then that should be enough to prove parentage, if questioned. Since it is a fairly comon scenario these days there shouldnt be any problem. You could always take copies of their birth certificates if you really want to be on the safe side. The chances are they wont get asked but if they have the "paper tail" that ties the names together they will have it covered.
The Customs form is easy really, as they are one household then he or she can fill it in as the head of the household.

Realised after I posted that my 2 nephews were in the same situation when they travelled a couple of years ago to US. They went with Mum , Stepdad and step grandparents and were the only 2 with different names, checked with their Mum today and nobody asked any questions.

When we had a child with us with a different surname, the immigration officer made us fill in a seperate customs form as she lives at a different address, even though I was responsible for her and what she was bringing in to the country. Everyone needs their own immigration form.

If they are all your own kids and live with you some of the time, I would just say they live with you and do one form

ooh never thought of this....

we're going in Sept and my partner never married although her kids have their fathers surname, and our 2 year old has my surname.

So we'll have 3 surnames albeit we all live under one roof. Should be fun :D

The customs form states at the top "Only ONE written declaration per family is required"

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Jill
The customs form states at the top "Only ONE written declaration per family is required"
[/quote]

Thanks Jill, Came back from Belgium through Calais on the Euro Tunnel and had to provide a full family history to the passport guy explaining the various surnames!! :(

He never asked about the booze and ciggies loading down the boot of the estate car :D (Joke!!)

We have taken foster children in the past and have taken AND BEEN ASKED FOR AT IMMIGRATION proof of our entitlement to travel with them. The customs bit is a red herring -to the original poster-I would definitely have some sort of paper trail with you-it's not worth the risk

We took a letter from my daughters mother just in case, I think it depends on who the imagration officer is and if he's had a bad day.
We've took loads of diffrent family and the kids freinds over and never had a problem.

I will echo Albert The Frog's advice: Take some evidence. We also have taken a fostered child with us twice, last year immigration at Philadelphia picked up on the different surname straight away and scrutinized the paperwork, this year they were much more laid back which made me wonder if it was still on record that the same child entered with us last year. HOWEVER, Manchester immigration were really over the top and wanted to know the full story of why we had a child with a different surname with us, and on both occasions we were grilled whilst they checked every piece of evidence we had with us.

It could be that your friend's step children have a great holiday and then can't get back into the UK !!!

(I've just spotted that the original question was asked last March! However, to anyone in a similar situation reading this, I hope my advice is of use)

I just thought I would update this thread with our experience at Heathrow last week. Our middle two children are mine from my previous marriage and have a different surname form the rest of us. Just to be on the safe side I took our marriage certificate with me so that the immigration at FLORIDA could see that the children were mine. We had no problems at all at Miami and were through in 10 minutes.

On our return, I thought there would be no problems so packed the marriage cert in our hold luggage - BIG MISTAKE! At Heathrow we were given the third degree by the Immigration Officer as to why they had a different surname, did I have their father's permission to remove them from the country (which I don't need as I have parental responsibility) and so on and so on. Eventually I managed to pursuade him that I have travelled for 10 years with my kids with a different surname (as I had reverted to my maiden name when I got divorced and kept this until Danny and I got married last year) and had never had any problems in the past. I also told him that the marriage cert was in the hold luggage as I never dreamed that there would be a problem getting back INTO the UK!! He recommended that in future I always bring some sort of evidence with us so that we don't have problems in the future.

I did wonder what would have happened if I had just said, ok then, I'll leave them here.......???[msnsmile2]

I'm quite glad that this area is being tightened up and as with the increased security have no problems jumping through this particular hoop.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Albert the Frog
I'm quite glad that this area is being tightened up and as with the increased security have no problems jumping through this particular hoop.
[/quote]

Totally agree, it's a shame that the IO's weren't as diligent when they left the UK.

Dave

We dint have any problems two years ago with my to oldest so I had nevert thought this could be a problem. Guess I better get at note from their dad...

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Albert the Frog
I'm quite glad that this area is being tightened up and as with the increased security have no problems jumping through this particular hoop.
[/quote]

I must admit when they bought in the microchip on the passport I hoped it would be used to good effect to prevent children being removed from the country by an estranged parent, but even now dont think it is happening.
To my mind with the barcode in place that obviosuly brings up a file on computer if ,for example, there was a suspicion a prent might remove them to another country as has happened previously the record would flag up that they were not allowed to travel unless in the company of xxxx. Similarly when they have had trouble with football hooligans, it would help prevent them travelling if the alert was raised when their passport was swiped. Not sure if it does work this way, I'm assuming the terror watch list does or is it not linked to passport number?

My daughter-in-law was gruelled by the IO at MCO. My son has a fear of flying so she was travelling with their 2 children aged 10 and 7 last October. She was asked to provide a letter from their father giving permission to take the kids out of the UK. Of course she didn't have one but was told very off handedly that she would not be allowed in the next time she travelled with the children unless she had a letter of authority from my son. By this time my 2 grandchildren were extremely upset and crying as they thought their visit to Mickey Mouse was not going to happen. I can see the need, but not the attitude!!! It is shameful the IO can get away with this. My DIL was pretty shaken up when we met her off the plane, not a good start to their vacation especially when you are tired.

Sandra

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by SDJ
My daughter-in-law was gruelled by the IO at MCO. My son has a fear of flying so she was travelling with their 2 children aged 10 and 7 last October. She was asked to provide a letter from their father giving permission to take the kids out of the UK. Of course she didn't have one but was told very off handedly that she would not be allowed in the next time she travelled with the children unless she had a letter of authority from my son. By this time my 2 grandchildren were extremely upset and crying as they thought their visit to Mickey Mouse was not going to happen. I can see the need, but not the attitude!!! It is shameful the IO can get away with this. My DIL was pretty shaken up when we met her off the plane, not a good start to their vacation especially when you are tired.

Sandra
[/quote]

This got me wondering.... In France when married both parents have authority and I've never had trouble before leaving the country alone with our kids. I've never done this going to the US though but intend to soon, as we're going to take a Florida vacation with my Mom and DH probably won't be able to come. Is this letter of authority from the father thing specific to entering the US, should I have DH write a letter saying he knows I'm taking our kids out of the country? But how do they know it's actually a letter from the father and I didn't make it up in the plane?

Get the letter notarised, that should satisfy any pedantic IO.

Dave

The same thing happened to us at Manchester in April Daneska18. I did comment that they never bothered to ask for proof that we had permission to take him out of the UK when we left so I was rather annoyed to be given the third degree when we returned. Oh the custom guy did say that we should carry a copy of his fathers passport with us!!!!God know`s what that is suppose to prove.Flew out to MCO Newcastle via Amsterdam in July and returned September nobody at any of the airports asked for paperwork to say he could travel with us. ( mind I always carry it and you can bet the one time I don`t I will be asked for it!! )