Fathers permission for travel

[Scher9]

We have a holiday booked for Christmas (our first holiday) my eldest daughters father is on her birth certificate. Do I really need he’s permission or a court order? The court shuts on Saturday apparently and the tracing agent has a back log till January. I have no idea where he is living. He hasn’t had contact for years!

If you don't have contact with him then I'd just take the birth certificate with you just in case. What age is your dd?

Do you have the same surname? I've never been questioned when taking my DC abroad but we do all have the same surname.

Sorry what does DD mean?

Dear/darling daughter

She has a double barrelled surname, so he's and mine! which is obviously different to my other children! I contacted a tracing agent to find him and they said they have a backlog till January and the courts are prioritising emergencies and they wouldn't class this as an emergency!

Yes you do. Both parents have to agree. However the likelihood of being stopped at the airport is slim.

She is 11

The problem is we have no idea where he is and the tracing agency can't do anything till January we are meant to be leaving in 4 weeks [confussed]

Just go, take birth certificate and say you have no contact with him/don't know where he is in the unlikely event you get stopped

Take the birth certificate and a copy of the return flight to show you are on holiday and that its not a one way trip just incase. I always take this regardless of the fact my court order says as the resident parent I can take her out if the country for up to 28 days. I have never needed either document, DD is also double-barrelled, the only questions we've had are when they talked to her directly and asked if I was her mum.

Ask the court for permission?

My children have double-barrelled surnames in the same way yours do, and I’ve never been challenged, even entering the US.

They are good suggestions as to taking her birth certificate and evidence that it is a return trip.
I doubt you will have a problem though.

I've travelled solo with my children with different surname, with same surname, when married to dad and after. Ive never been asked anything .
Since divorced i do however carry birth certificates, and one country we went to required the absent parent's approval on a form- noone asked for it.

Personally if i were you id not worry too much and take the birth certificate just in case.

Where are you going on holiday? it might affect things as some countries are stricter than others. Technically yes you do need permission but I've never been asked or had to show the birth certificate (in my case he isn't on it so it would be ok)

After nearly being blocked from flying within the UK with my two sons who have their Dad's surname (he was actually in sane airport flying somewhere else) I've travelled with their full birth certificates.
Only once had to use them and they also asked DS2 who I was - think he was about 12-13 at the time.

I've flown internationally on my own with DS who has a completely different surname. I carry his birth certificate but have never once been asked for it or questioned.

Guys, Thank you so much for all of your advice we will take the advice on board and take her birth certificate. This has taken a huge worry off fo my shoulders hearing that its unlikely we will be stopped!

Are you even allowed to travel on holiday at this stage in covid?

We aren’t supposed to travel outwith our council area. Let alone go abroad or anything. And I doubt I’d want to go abroad anyway, you don’t know what the healthcare will be like where you go, or what could happen if corona gets worse and you are infected, and you may not be able to get back if borders lock down. Who will look after your kids in a foreign country if you get sick?

Wouldnt be me. But I hope things are safer by the time you travel.

Thank you so much for all of your help!

It really will depend on which country you are visiting!

DD1 has a different surname to me and like your situation, her father wasn’t in contact or traceable a lot of the time (twat!). I had zero problems in Europe but when I took her to Canada when she was 2, we were kept in immigration for about 2 hours and I was questioned and eventually let in. This was a really horrible experience and I was pretty tearful. DD was too young to confirm anything as well.

From then on I wrote & printed a letter stating that under U.K. law I was her sole legal guardian & that she lived permanently with me , gave flight details and address we were staying & had this counter signed & stamped by a solicitor (cost about £30). I only ever had to show this and her birth certificate on a subsequent trip to Canada and the States but it was worth the hassle and cost to avoid my earlier experience!