Travel Letter for Minors 🧒🏻✈
download sample letter of consent to travel
A consent for a child to travel abroad - All you need to know
More and more families are choosing to send their children on international trips with grandparents, friends, or simply with their other parent. Regardless of the purpose of the trip—whether it is a vacation, a visit to relatives, or a trip with a classmate’s parents—there are several formalities that must be met to ensure a safe and hassle-free trip for the child, including crossing borders. When a child travels without one parent, or even both, one of the most important documents, besides an ID card or passport, is consent for a child to travel abroad.
A consent for a child to travel abroad - is it necessary or unnecessary?
A parental consent is legally required. Without it, in theory, a child has no right to leave the country of residence. A consent of both parents for a child to travel abroad is necessary when a child travels completely without parents and neither parent has limited parental rights or one parent has sole custody of a child.
When parents are divorced or separated, a consent is required for a child to travel with the other parent. Theoretically, even if parents are in a relationship, consent for a child’s departure may also be required by the Border Guard. So much for the theory.
In practice, such consent is unfortunately rarely verified. However, if the inspection falls on your child, you must take into account the consequences of returning your child from the border.
Consent for a child to travel abroad
Step-by-step guide
Is your child traveling abroad with only one parent/legal guardian or without them? To prevent your child from being detained/refused at the border, you should follow these steps:
1. Complete the consent form for your child to travel
The first step will be to complete the child’s travel consent form. Depending on whether a child is traveling abroad with one parent/legal guardian, only one parent/legal guardian or both parents/legal guardians must complete the consent form.
2. Sign a consent in the presence of a notary
The second step will be signing the consent form in the presence of a notary, certifying that the individuals identified themselves and, in his presence, signed consent for the child’s travel abroad. All notaries have specific rates for such services. Therefore, it does not matter which notary you choose. Below is a link to a list of notaries in Poland, where you can find a notary closest to your place of residence.
3. Order a sworn translation of a consent signed by a notary
The third and final step is to commission a sworn translation of the consent signed by the parent/legal guardian(s). The translation should be into the official language of the country to which the child is traveling. However, in most cases, a sworn translation into English will suffice.
What elements should a consent for a child to travel abroad include?
A consent for the child’s departure should contain elements thanks to which a border guard will be able to undoubtedly identify the child in order to avoid any problems during border control.
Templates for such consents vary, but a parental consent letter for a child traveling abroad should include information such as:
- the child’s personal data,
- travel document number (ID card or passport),
- travel purpose,
- duration of the trip,
- parents’ personal data,
- parents’ ID document number,
- parents’ contact information,
- personal data of a person the child is traveling with.
It would also be helpful to include a consent to take action in the event of a child’s illness, injury, or accident. This can be crucial in situations requiring urgent medical attention.
Who gives a consent for a child to travel abroad?
It all depends on the family situation and who the child is traveling with. Below, we present various scenarios and briefly discuss what a consent is required from whom and what additional documents may be necessary to allow a child to travel outside their country of residence and avoid problems at the border.
Especially in divorce situations, when one parent may be the sole guardian traveling with the child, written consent from the other parent is crucial to avoid unpleasant and stressful situations at the border.
When parents are in a relationship and a child travels abroad completely without their parents, it is necessary to have a consent for a child to travel abroad from both parents.
When parents are in a relationship and a child travels abroad with one parent, it is necessary to have a consent for the child to travel abroad from the other parent.
When parents are divorced and both have full parental rights, and a child travels abroad completely without their parents, it is also necessary to have a consent for a child to travel abroad from both parents.
When parents are divorced and both have full parental rights, and a child travels abroad with one parent, it is necessary to have a consent for a child to travel abroad from the other parent.
When one of parents has had their parental rights terminated and a child travels abroad without a parent who has parental rights, all that is required is a consent for a child to travel abroad from a parent who has parental rights and a court order stating that the other parent has had their parental rights terminated.
When one parent has had their parental rights terminated and a child is traveling with a parent who has parental rights, a court order stating that the other parent has had their parental rights terminated is sufficient.
When one parent is deceased and a child travels abroad without a parent who has full parental rights, all that is required is a consent for a child to travel abroad from a parent who has parental rights and a death certificate stating that the other parent is deceased.
When one parent is deceased and a child travels abroad with a parent who has obtained full parental rights, a death certificate stating that the other parent is deceased is sufficient.
Is a general travel consent sufficient or is notarized consent required?
A consent document itself can be created at home. However, such consent for a child’s departure must be signed in the presence of a notary who certifies this fact.
A notarial consent ensures that the border guard is sure that a consent has been signed by a child’s legal guardian, which is confirmed by a notary. This consent document is legally binding and accepted by the border authorities around the world.
A notarized parental consent is necessary to avoid complications when traveling abroad.
Lack of a notarial consent may result in problems at the border and refusal to travel.
Is a sworn translation of a travel consent required?
In the case of a child traveling abroad, consent for a child’s travel must be translated by a sworn translator. In other words, the translation of a consent for a child’s travel abroad must be certified by a sworn translator.
Additional documents, such as court decisions specifying the limitation of parental rights or a death certificate, should also be translated by a sworn translator.
It is important to remember that the translation should be into the official language of a given country. However, most border guards also accept translations into English, which is usually the cheapest option.
Who can travel abroad with a child?
A parent, legal guardian, or someone authorized by parents (e.g., grandparents, aunts, or uncles) can travel abroad with a child. In each of these situations, a person traveling with a child must have a notarized consent to travel. This is especially important for longer trips or trips to countries with more restrictive border regulations.
When traveling with a one parent, planning a child’s trip requires special attention to preparing appropriate travel documents. A one-time, a notarized consent from the other parent is essential. This helps avoid unpleasant situations at the border and ensures the legality of the trip.
When traveling with a legal guardian, travel documents must also include one-time consents confirming that a legal guardian has the right to travel internationally with a child. The same applies to travel with other guardians, such as grandparents or aunts, where a notarized authorization is also required.
Careful planning for a child’s trip includes preparing all required travel documents, including one-time consents, which are necessary when traveling with a one parent. Carefully prepared travel documents ensure that all formalities are completed legally, which is especially important when traveling with a legal guardian or with other caregivers.
A travel with one person and travel with a legal guardian require special attention when preparing travel documents. Each such trip must be carefully planned, ensuring that a one-time consent is properly prepared and certified. This ensures that travel planning goes smoothly and that all travel documents comply with legal requirements.
Traveling with children can be a wonderful experience, but it is worth taking care of all the formalities to avoid problems and stress. Preparing and translating a consent for a child’s trip abroad are key steps to ensuring a smooth trip. Obtaining a consent from both parents is essential, and the details of a child and an adult in whose care a child is traveling and with whom, in accordance with parents’ wishes, a child has the right to leave the country of residence should be precisely specified in the document. Parents granting consent to travel should prepare the document with meticulous attention to detail and obtain a certified translation of a consent into the language of the destination country, or at least into English. Using the services of a notary and a professional translation agency, such as Linguaforum, ensures that all documents are prepared in accordance with legal and linguistic requirements.
Author: Dominik Grott
Do you want to translate Civil Status Certificates, School Certificates, car documents and driver’s licenses or other documents issued by the state organs?
Go to the shop and order translating
If the list does not contain your document to be translated, fill up the contact form and send a scan or photo of documents to us.
