Do I need a notarized letter of permission to travel?

[Neatfreak]

Oh! DH is a professional accountant! So, he can now do both my travel letters *and* my passport applications!

I've been talking to my Cdn friends who are still here in Thailand, and they have never had anything notarized either. I'm comfortable flying back to Canada with an unnotarized letter, and when DH joins us later in July we'll have something certified if he goes back to Bangkok separately from us.

[bubbaray]

Oh! DH is a professional accountant! So, he can now do both my travel letters *and* my passport applications!

I've been talking to my Cdn friends who are still here in Thailand, and they have never had anything notarized either. I'm comfortable flying back to Canada with an unnotarized letter, and when DH joins us later in July we'll have something certified if he goes back to Bangkok separately from us.

Nope, he can't witness his own signature for the travel letter (he signs that). He can, however, sign your passport application and your DDs, as long as YOU are her applicant, not him.

[bubbaray]

You've probably already had this taken care of, but here's some additional info just in case. As an American I've always been puzzled by the Canadian process of "certifying" documents, rather than the American process of having them "notarized" (and don't throw the Quebec way into the mix).

So, here's the list of people authorized to certify copies that came in my permanent resident renewal app: chiropractor; commissioner of oaths; dentist; funeral director; justice of the peace or judge; lawyer; manager of a financial institution; medical doctor; member of a provincial legislature; member of parliament; minister of religion; municipal clerk; notary; embassy official, consulate or high commission official accredited to Canada...; official of fed. or provincial govt. dept.; pharmacist; police officer; postmaster; primary, secondary or univ. teacher; professional accountant; professional engineer; social worker; vet.

So, get out there are ask your local funeral director to sign!
HTH

Well, there isn't really a difference between US and Canadian notarized documents. However, some government agencies in Canada do not require a notary and allow other "professionals" (the list changes via agency) to witness a signature. The reason for that is both historical and geographical -- in the early days, there simply weren't enough lawyers or notaries throughout the whole country. That is, in some areas, still the case. Rather than have people living in the north travel to a major city to have something notarized, gov't allows certain forms to be signed in front of various officials.

However, if you need to send a document out of the country (or travel to a different country with it), you'll still need it notarized. Which means a trip to a lawyers or notary's office for signing and sealing the document. I have no idea how it works in Quebec....

[MontrealMum]

I have no idea how it works in Quebec....

Of course Quebec is different, like in everything else...

This stems from the early days of New France when attorneys (who were seen as corrupt in France) were forbidden to practice in the colony by the King. Notaries did most of the things that those of us used to common law associate with lawyers (mostly drawing up contracts - it wasn't New England with a large population) as well as sitting as judges. Other judges (when they weren't temporarily on loan from the mother country) were prominent local businessmen. No law schools, all notarial training was either done in France, or through apprenticeship.

After Conquest, English (and American) lawyers emigrated but had trouble practicing in the colony since it was still a civil, not common law system; also there was the language problem. Little by little common law practices crept into usage, and there was a dual system for awhile, then you had the problem of Upper Canada and massive Loyalist immigration. I'm sure you know most of the rest from school, but what it leave us in Quebec with is notaries with - what someone like me sees since even though I am a legal historian, I didn't grow up in this system - as "extended" powers, doing much of the work that lawyers do in other provinces/states. If you want to practice in Quebec AND elsewhere in NA, it's a 4 year program, not 3 like elsewhere because of this - fun.

ETA: Canada's geography and far-flung communities had other people doing legal work from the beginning. Many of the documents that I use in my work are drawn up by priests, not notaries, especially if the community was far from an urban area, or it was wintertime. Let me tell you, priests have much better writing!

[bubbaray]

Of course Quebec is different, like in everything else...

This stems from the early days of New France when attorneys (who were seen as corrupt in France) were forbidden to practice in the colony by the King. Notaries did most of the things that those of us used to common law associate with lawyers (mostly drawing up contracts - it wasn't New England with a large population) as well as sitting as judges. Other judges (when they weren't temporarily on loan from the mother country) were prominent local businessmen. No law schools, all notarial training was either done in France, or through apprenticeship.

After Conquest, English (and American) lawyers emigrated but had trouble practicing in the colony since it was still a civil, not common law system; also there was the language problem. Little by little common law practices crept into usage, and there was a dual system for awhile, then you had the problem of Upper Canada and massive Loyalist immigration. I'm sure you know most of the rest from school, but what it leave us in Quebec with is notaries with - what someone like me sees since even though I am a legal historian, I didn't grow up in this system - as "extended" powers, doing much of the work that lawyers do in other provinces/states. If you want to practice in Quebec AND elsewhere in NA, it's a 4 year program, not 3 like elsewhere because of this - fun.

ETA: Canada's geography and far-flung communities had other people doing legal work from the beginning. Many of the documents that I use in my work are drawn up by priests, not notaries, especially if the community was far from an urban area, or it was wintertime. Let me tell you, priests have much better writing!

Its somewhat similar in BC -- technically, I am a "barrister and solicitor". Because when the colony was first established, there weren't enough barristers to go around, so the imported solicitors were allowed to be barristers too (you probably know that in England, there is a huge divide between barristers & solicitors and until recently, barristers weren't permitted to have contact with clients, only with solicitors who met with the clients).

So, technically, I'm a B&S. Or, just skip the "&". I'm just BS.... LOL.

[Neatfreak]

I never thought this thread would get so educational - hee!

[MontrealMum]

I am now thinking of the John Cleese character in A Fish Called Wanda - ha ha ha...

[Neatfreak]

Update: M and I arrived back in Thailand yesterday just short of midnight. Exactly zero people asked if I had permission to take her out of the country on departing flight, which was somewhat disappointing, because I was all ready with my notarized travel letter!

On the way into Canada, my customs agent at YVR merely asked where her dad was and if I had a letter with me. Oh well. Maybe next summer things will be more exciting LOL!

[MontrealMum]

Glad there were no red-tape hangups, and hope you both had a great trip