# Can a parent take their child out of the US without the other parent's consent? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 20, 2010, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-parent-take-their-child-out-of-the-us-without-the-other-parents-consent/554414 "2010-09-20T15:31:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-parent-take-their-child-out-of-the-us-without-the-other-parents-consent/554414/21 "2010-09-20T20:58:50Z")
Maggie, I’d recommend that you or other friends shop around for a jurisdiction within reasonable traveling distance that has both a strong CPS program willing to go the extra mile and a judge(s) that will back them up. Be prepared to move them into a place within that jurisdiction and get emergency/temporary custody placed in her alone – with sworn statements from her (and what the five-year-old can say about “Daddy being mean” that will corroborate it) justifying why. Ensure the judge includes in the decree the children are not to leave the U.S. without her consent and get that in the hands of CPIAP ASAP. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-parent-take-their-child-out-of-the-us-without-the-other-parents-consent/554414/22 "2010-09-20T21:29:45Z")
The danger of one parent taking a child out of the country contrary to the wishes of the other is a real one. [This site](http://bringseanhome.org/) may of be helpful to you. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-parent-take-their-child-out-of-the-us-without-the-other-parents-consent/554414/23 "2010-09-20T22:11:00Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > When my French class went on our big field trip to Quebec our parents just had to sign the standard overnight field trip permission form. It didn’t have to be notarized and I didn’t run into any problems with only Mom signing it. :dubious: The Canadian customs agent didn’t even look at the copies Mme X brought along… You had a French teacher named Mme. X? :: jealous :: Mine was only named Miss Philip. (Very good teacher though…) ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-parent-take-their-child-out-of-the-us-without-the-other-parents-consent/554414/24 "2010-09-20T22:26:14Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > You had a French teacher named Mme. X? Remember, in French it would be “Madame Eeks,” which somehow doesn’t sound quite so alluring. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-parent-take-their-child-out-of-the-us-without-the-other-parents-consent/554414/25 "2010-09-20T23:26:18Z")
Once she leaves with the kids, he has to take her to court to get visitation and she doesn’t have to let him see the kids until ordered to by a judge. This doesn’t really look good to a judge as many mothers do that out of revenge and it’s quite common for women to claim abuse for the same reason, so it would look better if she left and filed first instead of having to explain why she kept the kids from him later. > [@Polycarp](#): > > Maggie, I’d recommend that you or other friends shop around for a jurisdiction within reasonable traveling distance that has both a strong CPS program willing to go the extra mile and a judge(s) that will back them up. Be prepared to move them into a place within that jurisdiction and get emergency/temporary custody placed in her alone – with sworn statements from her (and what the five-year-old can say about “Daddy being mean” that will corroborate it) justifying why. Ensure the judge includes in the decree the children are not to leave the U.S. without her consent and get that in the hands of CPIAP ASAP. You can’t shop for jurisdictions. Wherever the kids lived for the past six months has jurisdiction of the first custody decision. If they spend 5 months in one place, then 5 in another, etc, the last place they spent 6 months has jurisdiction. If necessary, have a child psychologist or guardian ad litum get involved but don’t drag the kid into saying things against dad. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-parent-take-their-child-out-of-the-us-without-the-other-parents-consent/554414/26 "2010-09-21T04:56:10Z")
She needs to register the kids with the [Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program (CPIAP)](http://www.travel.state.gov/abduction/prevention/passportissuance/passportissuance_554.html) as soon as possible. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-parent-take-their-child-out-of-the-us-without-the-other-parents-consent/554414.md?page=1)