Tennessee Family Law: Can I Withhold Consent For My 13-year-old Daughter’s Passport Due To Concerns About International Travel With Her Father?

Location: Tennessee
I’m in Tennessee, divorced, and share approximately equal parenting time and joint decision-making responsibilities for my 13-year-old daughter with my ex-husband.
My ex recently requested that I sign paperwork consenting to a passport so he can take our daughter on an international trip this spring. I genuinely want her to have opportunities to travel, experience the world and make memories with her father. However, I have serious reservations based on previous experiences and our ongoing co-parenting difficulties.

Some background for context:
I was married for 13 years and was a dedicated military spouse, relocating nine times to support my former husband’s career. Our marriage involved what I experienced as emotional abuse and controlling behavior. Since our divorce, I have rebuilt my life and worked hard to establish a stable environment for our daughter.
Our co-parenting relationship remains high-conflict, and several issues contribute to my concerns:
Mental health: Our daughter receives mental health treatment and has been prescribed medication. Her father has expressed opposition to her medication, refuses to fill a prescription and does not participate in her therapy sessions.
Safety: When our daughter was younger, I obtained an order of protection following an inappropriate incident involving a neighbor near her father’s home. Despite the circumstances, there were occasions when she was left home alone at night without adult supervision.
Communication: Her father has blocked my phone number and recently implemented an AI-based system to screen my emails because he objects to some of our previous exchanges. I am concerned about our ability to communicate effectively in an emergency, particularly if our daughter is outside the country.
Emotional well-being: Our daughter has repeatedly expressed feeling excluded and emotionally unsupported in her father’s household, particularly in her relationship with her stepmother.
My primary concern is what happened during their most recent trip.
During that vacation, our daughter called me crying multiple times a day. She described situations in which she felt isolated, blamed and punished for things she believed were outside her control. She also expressed feeling emotionally unsupported by both her father and stepmother.
I recognize that children can experience conflict and difficult emotions during family vacations, and I only have my daughter’s account of some of these situations. However, the frequency and intensity of her distress were concerning to me.
Now, with another trip being proposed outside the United States, I am hesitant to sign passport paperwork without understanding my legal rights and what safeguards I can reasonably request.
I want to emphasize that I am not opposed to international travel itself, nor am I trying to interfere with her relationship with her father. My concern is ensuring her emotional well-being, safety and ability to communicate with me if she needs support.
My legal questions are:
Under Tennessee law, am I legally required to consent to a passport for our daughter simply because we share joint decision-making and parenting time?

Is there a legal distinction between consenting to the issuance of a passport and consenting to a specific international trip?

Can I reasonably request the destination, travel dates, itinerary, accommodations and emergency contact information before making a decision?

Can I request safeguards ensuring our daughter has unrestricted access to communicate with me during international travel, particularly given that her father has blocked my number and screens my emails?

Are documented concerns about a child’s emotional distress during previous trips relevant if a court becomes involved?

If I decline to sign the passport paperwork, can her father seek a court order overriding my refusal? What factors would a Tennessee court generally consider?

I understand that disagreements between divorced parents do not automatically justify restricting travel, and I do not want to make decisions based solely on our difficult relationship.

At the same time, I believe I have a responsibility to consider my daughter’s well-being, particularly when she would be traveling internationally with limited ability for me to intervene if something went wrong.

I’m seeking general legal guidance on my rights, responsibilities and reasonable options before making a decision.
Thank you to anyone familiar with Tennessee family law or international travel consent involving minor children.