Cruising with a child when the other parent or legal guardian is not traveling? A signed or notarized consent letter can help show that the non-traveling parent gave permission. Whether it is required depends on the cruise line, itinerary, destination country, airline, court order, and family situation.
Published and reviewed by iRemoteNotary
Last reviewed September 14, 2026
You may need one, and many parents choose to prepare one even when the rule is not universal. Cruise-line policies, destination-country rules, airline requirements, custody documents, and family circumstances can all affect whether a signed or notarized consent letter is requested.
A notarized letter can create a clearer record that the non-traveling parent verified identity and gave permission for the child to travel. MSC currently requires a notarized absent-parent letter. Carnival currently recommends an original signed letter. Other lines publish a notarized form only for some scenarios, such as travel without a legal guardian.
Check the cruise line’s current policy and the receiving party’s requirements before you book a session. If a signed or notarized consent letter is requested, or if you want a clearer record of permission, iRemoteNotary can help complete an eligible online notarization. A notarized letter does not guarantee boarding or acceptance.
iRemoteNotary can help the non-traveling parent or legal guardian complete an eligible child travel consent notarization online. The signer verifies identity, meets with a commissioned notary by video, and signs during the session.
This can help when the child is cruising with one parent, a relative, a stepparent, a grandparent, a school group, or another adult, or when the itinerary includes international ports.
Check the cruise line’s current policy for your sailing. Requirements may vary by itinerary, destination country, airline, court order, school, or receiving party. iRemoteNotary does not provide legal advice or decide cruise-line acceptance. Remote online notarization may not be accepted for every receiving-party requirement.
If your cruise line, destination country, airline, court order, school, or family situation calls for signed or notarized permission, prepare the letter before travel. A notarized letter does not guarantee boarding or acceptance.
This table is the carrier layer only. Read destination rules after it.
| Cruise line | Carrier one-parent status | Notarization | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSC Cruises | Currently requires a notarized absent-parent consent letter | Required | MSC guide |
| Carnival Cruise Line | Strongly recommends an original signed absent-parent letter | Not stated as required | Carnival guide |
| Princess Cruises | Recommends notarized statements from spouse/ex-spouse when traveling alone with children under 18 | Recommended | Princess guide |
| Holland America Line | For certain foreign-country travel: both parents or notarized consent from the non-traveling parent(s) | Required where that rule applies | Holland America guide |
| Royal Caribbean International | No published rule that one legal parent must bring an absent-parent letter on every sailing | Not a universal one-parent carrier rule | Royal Caribbean guide |
| Celebrity Cruises | The published rule is a minor traveling without a parent or legal guardian | Not a blanket one-parent carrier rule | Celebrity guide |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | Carrier form is primarily the non-parent/non-guardian scenario. Canada itineraries add a preferably notarized letter for a child traveling with person(s) other than both parents | Required for the non-parent form; Canada letter preferably notarized | NCL guide |
| Disney Cruise Line | Current Minor Authorization Form is for a child traveling without a parent or legal guardian, not ordinary one-parent travel | Needs verification for the reservation-based form | Disney guide |
Use this page when one legal parent is sailing and the other parent is not coming — including a vacation without dad, without mom, a single-parent cruise, an overseas non-traveling parent, sole custody, or a deceased parent. Those phrases all belong on this page, not on separate URLs.
Check the cruise line’s current policy for your sailing. iRemoteNotary does not provide legal advice or decide cruise-line acceptance.
Even where the cruise line itself does not impose an absent-parent rule, the destination country may. Check the Family Travel Center destination comparison after you identify the cruise line.
People describe this trip as taking a child on vacation without the other parent, cruising without dad, cruising without mom, a single-parent cruise, the other parent isn’t going, the other parent is overseas, one parent has sole custody, or the other parent is deceased. Those are ways into this page, not separate URLs.
If MSC’s one-parent rule applies, the non-traveling parent must give notarized permission, signed in the presence of a notary.
If sole custody applies, or the other parent is deceased, supporting court or civil-status documents often matter as much as a consent letter. Carnival currently mentions a court decision, death certificate, or birth certificate naming only one parent.
The non-traveling parent may still need to sign. If that parent is outside the United States, use international online notarization only when the document is eligible and is not a government or consular process that ordinary remote online notarization cannot replace. Form DS-3053 remains a separate passport-consent form.
Jamaica, The Bahamas, Canada, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic can impose separate one-parent, non-parent, or government-process rules. See the Family Travel Documents & Minor Consent Center.
MSC Cruises currently does not publish a confirmed public U.S. parental-consent PDF; the required document is a notarized letter. Carnival currently points families to its Minor Guest Policy rather than a consent PDF. Disney’s current Minor Authorization Form is not ordinary one-parent travel.
Use the current official cruise-line instruction. iRemoteNotary does not rehost carrier forms.
Where an absent-parent letter applies, it should authorize the specific cruise, identify the traveling parent and child, and cover permission for the child to travel. MSC currently also requires the letter to be signed in the presence of a notary.
Carnival currently recommends an original signed letter. MSC currently says a copy of the signed notarized form is presented at check-in. Confirm the live official instruction before relying on an electronic file.
MSC Cruises currently requires notarization for one-parent sailings but does not expressly state that remote online notarization is accepted. Carnival currently does not require notarization. Princess currently recommends notarized statements. Holland America currently requires notarization for certain foreign-country one-parent travel.
A document required to be notarized is not automatically eligible for remote online notarization.
If the other parent is deceased, has sole custody documentation, or names differ, extra records often matter as much as a consent letter. No family needs every item.
Check the official page again before you travel.
Often yes, with the document that cruise line and destination ask for. MSC currently requires a notarized letter from the non-traveling parent. Carnival currently recommends an original signed letter, and many families still notarize it. Royal Caribbean currently does not publish a universal one-parent carrier letter. The destination may still require one. A notarized letter does not guarantee boarding.
Carry the court order, death certificate, or one-parent birth record the carrier or destination is likely to ask for. Holland America currently asks for a notarized statement in that foreign-country scenario. Carnival currently mentions supporting paperwork rather than a universal notarization mandate.
The following primary sources support the legal and procedural information in this guide. Requirements can change, so confirm current rules with the receiving organization before relying on a notarized document.
Children & Teens On Board — FAQs(opens in a new tab)
MSC Cruises
Accessed September 14, 2026
Minor Guest Policy: Effective February 1, 2025(opens in a new tab)
Carnival Cruise Line
Accessed September 14, 2026
FAQs: Onboard Experience(opens in a new tab)
Princess Cruises
Accessed September 14, 2026
Can guests under 21 travel alone?(opens in a new tab)
Holland America Line
Accessed September 14, 2026
What identification does a child need to cruise?(opens in a new tab)
Royal Caribbean International
Accessed September 14, 2026
Preparing for Boarding Day FAQs — Travel Documentation for Minors(opens in a new tab)
Celebrity Cruises
Accessed September 14, 2026
Age Requirements for Travel(opens in a new tab)
Norwegian Cruise Line
Accessed September 14, 2026
Disney Cruise Line
Accessed September 14, 2026
If your cruise line, destination country, airline, court order, school, or family situation calls for signed or notarized permission, prepare the letter before travel. iRemoteNotary can help complete eligible online notarizations so the signing parent or guardian does not need to appear in person. Check the cruise line’s current policy for your sailing. A notarized letter does not guarantee boarding or acceptance.