Taking a minor other than your own on vacation>

I realise a lot of travellers to Jamaica are from America and Canada and :

I now know that to have a notarised letter of consent to give authority for taking a minor other than your own child on holiday and getting permission for medical issues that may arise is pretty standard over there BUT I live in the UK and there has never been any advice or officials stressing the importance of having this document over here for travel.

I guess the rules here are a bit more laid back.

I understood I would need a letter from the parent of the child granting permission for her sons holiday but I did not realise the importance of having the letter officially stamped and sealed so I am passing this information on to others who may be in the same situation to save stress.

I found out on the last minute before my trip (thanks to this board and people on it) how important this piece of paper is.
I called solicitors and lawyers in the UK who said there is no actual law about this in England although some places do "advise" you have this letter "just incase" and while there is no law in England that states I MUST have a notarised copy it is then up to immigration at destination of travel if they want to allow you in the country or not.

So I called immigration in Jamaica who confirmed they DO want a notarised letter with permission and consent to take my nephew on holiday signed by EITHER/OR parent/parents .
I was frantically calling all out of hours lawyers locally who wanted $160 to sign the document.

Luckily our GP who is also my nephews GP is a notary public.

A notary public is similar to a JP in Jamaica.

Not many people in England use services like these and they are not commonly heard about as law here is what we say is the truth unless proved otherwise (so I am led to believe) so a lot of people may have never heard of a Notary public,
not ALL solicitors or Doctors are registered as Notary publics,

So you have to be specific as to what you require as in some countries a solicitors stamp/signature is NOT enough.

I shall update you further when we actually get the form signed.
Thank you to the board for highlighting this MASSIVE serious issue that is NOT common knowledge where I live and a notarised letter can save you from being turned away at destination-sent straight home or put in jail
Thanks for the heads up.