Can a minor passport be mark before traveling without written consent?

Question:  My ex-husband is trying to obtain passports in order to take my children on a vacation to Italy. I have nothing against these actions. But, I am weary that he might take them out of the country without my written consent in the future. Being that his current wife is not a U.S. citizen and is from France, I wouldn’t put it past my ex-husband to take them to France without my permission.

Do custodial issues affect his ability to take my children overseas?  I will have to sign for the passports that they are going to receive now. So, I want to know if there is a way to mark the passports to prevent him from taking my children out of the country without my written consent.

Answer:  Currently there is no way to “mark” their passports. Even so to prevent them from leaving the country without your written consent. Many countries will require the parent of a minor traveling to provide a notarized consent letter. This is necessary from the parent who is not traveling. Without the written consent, then both parties will not enter permission to enter the country. Being that many countries are accepting tourists to boost their revenue, this rule is really not enforce.

Contacting a lawyer will help a great deal in this case. A lawyer will present the opportunity of possibly amending the custody agreement or creating a court order. This will require your ex-husband to retrieve written notarized consent from you every time he wishes to take the children abroad. This will benefit you two-fold, for one you are less weary about them leaving the country and secondly, you will not have to deny consent for your children to obtain passports.