trillian42

I don't think that a different name is considered strange at all. I think that they are even used to seeing parents traveling with kids of a different nationality. the question here is that they need to know that the other parent is aware that you are traveling with the kid or not. So, even if your name is the same, you should have a letter of consent with you. notarised is the best, but within the EU we just do it with the signature of two witnesses. they don't usually ask for the paper, but in the rare chance that they do and you don't have it, it can be quite horrible. We started carrying it when we learned that when entering the US, a friend traveling alone with her small child was requested to prove that she is not abducting the kid, and until they could reach the father to verify, she was separated from her child. for over 7 hours. if you've ever been around American immigration officers, you know how horrific all this had been. oh, and we do the same for when the grandparents travel with our kids. btw, our children have both of our surnames, but right now their travel documents are of a different nationality from mine. also, it's important to mention that women are much less questioned about this than men.