Anyone been asked for birth cert as well as passport to prove motherhood?

[Leviathan]

Just been to Belgium on the Eurostar with DS aged 3.5. As we were leaving, Belgian border control guy asked if I had his birth certificate as we have different surnames. I didn't and he asked where his dad was (at work in the UK) and he said 'next time make sure you have his birth certificate'.

Anyone else had this problem? Doesn't that make the passport superfluous?

While he was respectful, it is none of his business where DS dad is, I could be single etc…

I was so shocked (visions of having DS taken from me crossed my mind) that I forgot to point out that one of DS middle names is my surname...

regularly.
we have the dc birth certs stapled into the passports so we don't lose them.

wingcommander in Spain children get one surname from each parent.
Spanish women do not change their surname when they marry - or indeed ever, Spanish people are amazed at the concept of changing your name by deed poll.

As a PP said, it's just easier to travel with the copies of relevant paperwork in case it's needed. When travelling with their grandchildren my parents always carry permission letters.

I'm looking into this at the moment as I'm travelling with DCs later this year and we don't share a surname. I've looked out their birth certs, though, and they just say when and where they were born, with no mention of parents' names, so how does that help?
(Was once questioned at Folkestone Eurostar terminal, while travelling with my dad and DS1, by lovely bloke who said "I don't think it's a problem because you all look exactly alike!")

jenny you can get (for a small fee) a copy of the full birth certificate, that shows all parent's names, at the registry office.
it's always wise to have this. afaik it's also needed to register dc for school (please correct me if that's wrong).

Thanks maus! My 3 seem to have managed to go to school without it, but that sounds like just the job (unless of course in a fit of postnatal marital devotion I registered them using my 'married' surname, in which case I guess the whole marriage cert and letter from xdh will be required, but oh well)

I've been questioned loads of times coming back in to Portsmouth from France but I have never been asked for birth certificates.

At one point they have had all of my kids out of the car asking the, questions, this is coming back in to the UK with British passports and having already asked for proof of my address via my driving licence. I am married to their Dad but I never changed my name.

The funniest thing is the only time they didn't do this was when I had my brothers kids with me as they had the same surname as me and they must have just assumed I had loads of kids.

Rootypig, Dh and Ds have the same surname, but when DH travels with DS alone, he is always asked where I am. He has not yet had to produce a letter from me, but he does always have to produce DS' birth certificate and I think he's offered our marriage certificate a couple of times.

I still think it would be easier if the child's passport included the names of those always allowed to travel with that child but in the absence of that, I'm actually okay with either me or DH being asked the questions. It's easy enough to prove that we are not abducting him. Both DH and I travel with copies of DS' birth certificate, the other one's passport, a letter giving permission for travel.

I do agree though that more consistency would be helpful. It does tend to be remarkably hit and miss.

we had this in the summer, luckily I had birth certificates with me. I have the same name as my children and on the way into the USA, they stopped to ask if I had proof of parentship for my 12yr old! Both ds1 and dd look alike, fair hair and blue eyes, slim build despite there being an 8yr age gap you can tell they re related, although they look nothing like me. However ds2 looks like me, broader shouldered, tall, dark hair and green eyes. We weren't travelling with H, just me and the 3 dc. The only thing that irked me is that they only asked for one child out of the 3 and if people are giving anecdotal evidence of not being asked as their dc looked like them, why was ds2 singled out when he is the most like me?

I had been warned by the travel agent the first time we booked to go without h that I might need birth certificates and a letter from H to say they could travel with me alone, along with a copy of H's passport. Luckily I always carry that when travelling alone with the dc. Due to work commitments H only comes on one holiday a year with us and I take the dc at least one other time.

This happened to us 2 years ago at Schipol airport when I was flying alone with my son. Ds also shares his last name with DH, unlike me. The IO was kind enough about it ( briefly questioned then-4yo DS about where he lives and who his mum was) then reminded me to bring a birth certificate or letter from H next time.

I have been asked a few times when travelling alone with DS.

Both when we had the same surname (my maiden name) and more recently now we have diferent surnames (i changed mine to my new DH's name).

However in all instances we were questioned coming back into the UK - leaving the 'forrin' country.

It perhaps does make a difference in that he looks nothing like me. I am white. he is mixed race. But I am sure that many families are the same.

For our most recent trips I have taken a photocopy of my marriage cert and his birth cert. But he is now 16 so I doubt will be asked to show them again.

wingcommander adding to raspberry answer, chinese doesn't change surnames on marriage. The name is your family name and it's your identity for life. There is a saying that if you change your name only because you have something to hide. Not sure what other Far East cultures do re surnames but I assume they don't change either. And we don't double barrel either.

I have heard there are other European cultures that does similar to the Spanish. For example the Hungarians.

But as someone who has answered up thread. It's to do with abduction. It's bizzare its screened by surnames though. Fathers are just as likely to take the children away from the mother surely?