Holiday abroad and AO not granted

[Hitchyhero]

My little one has been with just short of a year.

The family (grandparent, aunties and cousins) all want to go on holiday abroad together later this year. But we've had a few set backs with birth mum contesting and LO social worker leaving, putting the court date back for the adoption further away.

I've asked my SW if the adoption is actually granted at the next court date and she's said no, it's usually about a month after. Then we obviously have to think about how fast the birth cirtificate comes (been told 8 weeks) before we even order LOs first passport. Its cutting it incredibly close, and Its just a concern even thiniing about booking it.

I had a quick word with my SW about it and said there may be something we can do but it's a bit complicated. I don't know what in particular. She's looking into it.

Has anyone had experience of going abroad on hols before AO granted?

Yes we went about a month before the AO. It's shouldn't be that complicated, your SW just has to make am effort. She needs to apply for the passport in his current name and they give you a letter of permission to travel. My son had been abroad with FC so had a passport. When the AO went through and we had all the paperwork I just reapplied for the passport in his new name.

As @Ted27 said. Exactly the same situation here. Our court order was granted the day after we got home from a holiday abroad. We knew when booking it it was unlikely that AO would be through so we booked flights in children’s birth name, social worker applied for passport in birth name. We had plenty of time though and passport did take a while to come through so put pressure on them to start sorting passport now! If BM is born after a date in the early nineties then a maternal or paternal grandparents birth certificate is also need which can take time to get so make sure you put pressure on them to start soon

All LAC are supposed to have a passport. In reality it doesn’t happen. But it’s not complicated for them to apply for one.

Thanks. I think I need to speak to the social worker again.

What happens in the case of-963 I book the holiday in LOs current name, I get the passport in the current name, but the adoption order is granted a week or two before we are due to go on holiday (but I don't have new birth certificate or new passport)

They just travel under their birth names. There is no issue as long as the names on the flight booking match the name on the passport you are travelling on.

We travelled before we'd even got the court date for the adoption order. We asked SW for a passport and they got it for us. They sometimes discourage it as it means them paying for it....
They also gave us a letter explaining the name difference on LO's passport and mine and my husbands, and gave a number to call for any security if we were stopped, but we didn't get stopped at all!

If you get your SW to get the passport in the current name, and you then get the adoption order through before you fly, you just fly with your child under their original name. Like when you get married, if your passport still has years left on it you might not change it to your married name straight away.

Also, not sure if you're aware but you don't get a new 'birth certificate' as such. I thought we would, that it would be like a normal birth certificate and say that, but it's not, it's an adoption certificate and says that on the top. :(

The people at the general government registry who distribute the adoption certificate are very helpful. I phoned a couple of days after AO court hearing and explained I wanted to sort passport ASAP ; they looked it up and sent out the new certificate there and then.

Over 10 years ago now so things might have changed.

But when we got our AO they only gave you 'short' birth certificates as standard, so we range them and paid for long ones to be sent as well, as that is what you need for passports.

I took DS to Australia before AO granted. He already had a passport as he had been on three foreign hols with foster carers. I just had to get permission letter from LA although no one asked for it.