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Original poster

Travelling with child with diff surname

29 replies

goforit99 · 06/04/2024 19:58

I’m travelling with my 4 year old with a diff surname to Egypt for a week and wanted to know if I need anything else as a “precaution” other than a birth certificate and a court order stating I have full-custody? Her dad is aware and happy for her to go etc. I read online that as I have the lives with order, that I don’t need “his permission” unless I go for over 28 days, not that this will be an issue if I ask him just wanted to cover all bases as it’s our first holiday together and her first trip so I didn’t want to spoil it .

thabk you

OP posts:
Original poster
goforit99 · 07/04/2024 11:05

@Shoutinglagerlagerlager thank you

OP posts:
Sashya · 07/04/2024 21:42

goforit99 · 07/04/2024 10:49

@ASighMadeOfStone thank you very much for this information. I will definitely take a letter with me. Just out of curiosity, if the law states that the parent doesn’t need a consent letter, why would airport control not adhere to that too if for example you have a birth certificate as well as a return date for your travels?

@goforit99

Of course the airport control people will adhere. It's just sometimes you have people at the passport controls in the UK who decide to use their power and question people unnecessarily. Wasn't there a female MP who talked about it - traveling with children on her own; not changed her name to her H's and airport clerk questioned her why....

And - more importantly - as the controls are ON THE WAY BACK to the UK - the passport control people have absolutely no power over returning citizens.

They can't NOT let you back in. If you have no birth certificates, or letters with you - they'll still let you in.
After your first trip you'll see you will be absolutely fine.

And as you are flying BA - they are a regular airline and they only police documents to make sure they are not liable to bring back a passenger that the arrival country refuses to admit. And as Egypt has no rules about this - you are well prepared with all your paperwork

jsku · 07/04/2024 21:51

goforit99 · 07/04/2024 10:55

@jsku i often wonder why these preventative steps, if they are so crucial, are not done at time of passport application whereby you have to provide certain documentation. Additionally, even when I called the airline to triple check, they said they never had any issues before with people being stopped (BA airline).

Thing is - passports are valid fir several years and relationships are fluid and can sour quickly.
So - there is really no simple solution to it at the point of document issuance.

But passport controls on the way out of the country solves a lot of these issues. Many European and Asian countries have them and it works well.
I guess its a matter of money here….

Incidentally - my kids are away abroad with Ex. Have never given him any papers to travel ever. Kids travel abroad most school holidays for years now. I am not even sure ex has their birth certificates…..

Zola1 · 07/04/2024 22:00

I have done 14 years of travel with my daughter who has a different surname. Sometimes on re entering the UK she will be asked who I am and where we have been. Since she was about 3 or 4 she was able to answer without difficulty.
Actually my sister has taken my daughter to Jamaica and my Mum has flown with my daughter to Mexico and Spain (family holidays where ive travelled later than the others for whatever reason) and I don't think either of them have had any issue.

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