Travelling abroad with children with different surnames airport security customs

Yes, take copy of birth certificate and marriage certificate if you have later changed your name. Happened in Germany to us. it was horrid, although how anyone could accuse us of kidnapping a child who was clinging desperately to me at the time.....

DS (11) and I were both stopped and questioned entering the US this year about our different surnames.

Luckily we had a signed letter from my partner (DSs dad) giving his permission (!) for me to take DA abroad plus a copy of DS birth cert.

The airline has nothing to do with border/immigration policies though - these could also change at the drop of the hat.

I travel with both my children's full birth certificates. I have never been asked anything on the way out of the UK but on the way back into the uk have had to show the birth certificates 4/5 times. The one other time the children were asked who I was and where we'd been. I am not sure what would happen if we didn't have the birth certificates. I don't get a letter from their dad as we are not together, he has not seen them for over a year, lives overseas himself and has no idea what we are all up to!

I don’t understand why the UK passport agency doesn’t put a note in children’s passports listing their parents’ names. Would make things so much easier as so many people have different surnames these days!

yes kintan - especially as you put that information when filling in the child's passport form! had that argument the first time with a border guard at Calais as o my had the short birth very for one child at the time but prob not a good idea to be arguing with them!!

god I should proof read before posting! that should say I only have the short birth cert for one of my children

had
god!!!

Agree with the parents names should be on the passport. I have kept my maiden name after marriage so may come across this problem in the future, have yet to take them abroad without DH.

I don't c why try r checking in return, they should b checking when ur leaving the country, makes no sense whatsoever

Kintan you are so right. I am raising my DGD plus I am her legal guardian.
I tried to explain this when coming through Gatwick. He then had the nerve to ask me WHY I was raising her.
Yes; I am sure to explain that in front of the child in question

I don't understand why airport officials are so surprised to see women with different names from their children. There are many countries where people must keep their birth names for life so children usually have a different surname from at least one parent. . .

I also don't understand how a difference of names should be so unusual. My children have a different surname to me, but I have nephews with my surname. It doesn't make sense that I could waltz through checks with them but not my own kids, just based on surname alone.