When going on holiday overseas, passport, tickets, sun-cream are usually top of the list of items to remember to take with you. However, if you are a single parent or parent travelling without the other parent or, indeed, the grandparent or other family member or friend travelling with a minor, you also need to think about whether you need valid consent for the children to travel.
Sadly, child trafficking is a growing problem and border security and airlines are becoming increasingly vigilant regarding the paperwork and written authorities they require where children are travelling with only one adult or adults who are not their parents.
Ann-Marie Aston, Partner and Notary Public at The Wilkes Partnership Solicitors in Solihull has experience of dealing with cases where a parent or grandparent is travelling overseas with a minor and paperwork has been required. If the accompanying adults do not have the valid consent, problems could be encountered on arrival if only one parent or neither parent is accompanying the minor.
To avoid the risk of being turned away on arrival at the destination country or questioned by border police, it is well worth checking with the airline or on the country’s website about their rules and policies on children arriving at their border with only one parent or neither parent.
Ann-Marie Aston advises that “often, a signed letter of authority from the other parent or parents, stating who is travelling with their child, and details of the travel together with dates which is then notarised by a notary public, will often suffice.
Particularly, travel to the United States and Canada will require this but increasingly other countries as well as cruise holidays have been known to require documentation also”.
For further information on this and other notary services you may require, please contact Ann-Marie Aston of The Wilkes Partnership Solicitors on [email protected] or 0121 733 4336.