Under 18s travelling unaccompanied to Portugal - help!

[Wigeon]

So my DD and two friends have decided they want to have a foreign holiday this summer and booked a youth hostel in Portugal (they all work as swimming teachers which is how they are paying for it). They will be 17, 17 and 16 when they travel.

Because they are unaccompanied under 18s, to enter the country, Portugal requires them to have a letter of authorisation from their parents certified by a notary. All fine - but the letter has to give the name of the adult in Portugal who will be responsible for them while they are there. The youth hostel has told me that I can't use their manager's name.

Help! Has anyone else got round this?

Here's the Foreign Office advice about how the letter has to state the name of the responsible adult:
www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/portugal/entry-requirements

Booking onto the same cheap flight but ignoring them other than for going through passport control would probably be the cheapest way of doing this. You could potentially just fly straight back home again. Certainly cheaper than 4 x £80.
I have taken children who were not mine to Portugal and was questioned at passport control. One child had an EU passport and they were fine with that child but the child with a British passport required a letter for travelling with us. (Not the same situation I know but they were very strict- luckily we did have a letter)

Different I know but when I have flown to Portugal with the DC's friends under 18 I had to produce a letter from their parents, luckily I knew and so did have one.

It is fairly ridiculous that the cost of their flight - £150 - is indeed cheaper than 3x £80 notary (three of them not four). But for the hassle of flying there and back, I think I'd rather suck up the notary cost...

Has anyone else been in the situation where they sent their teen with a notarised letter, but didn't state the name of a responsible adult in Portugal?

Bump for anyone else who has sent unaccompanied teens to Portugal who didn't have a named responsible adult in Portugal?

I think Slightly new rules for Portugal just come in last couple of weeks worth checking I think a child under 18 needs the accompanying letter to have the parents signature witnessed by a solicitor possibly. My sons friend was looking on the EasyJet website as will be a month short of 18 when they travel Worth a check they may be incorrect but worth a look

DD17 traveled alone last year to meet us there; we went early. They almost didn’t let her get in when she got to immigration at Faro airport. She said we were waiting for her outside which we were. I had sent her photos of our boarding passes just in case. I am glad they let her in. But would not send under 18 alone.

I’m totally missing the point but there’s no way I’d allow my 16/17yr old to do this.
i know this is just my opinion but i just couldn’t…sorry.’ Anyone else feel this way?

my DD and her friend are travelling to Paris this summer. Both 16. Eurostar is fine. The hostel has a templated letter for each parent to fill in and take copies of ID. I’ve got her insurance - in her name. They will have a ball.

I think those have been the rules for many months (or at least since I started looking into this) - see my OP with a link to the Foreign Office advice which says a letter of permission from the parents signed by a solicitor or notary. This thread is about the bit of the Foreign Office advice which says the letter should say who is responsible for the young person while in Portugal, although I haven't found anything from the Portugal government themselves which says you have to include that.

In fact, I've tracked down a page from the Portugal government about this which doesn't say you have to state the name of the adult who will be responsible for them in Portugal:

https://www2.gov.pt/en/cidadaos-europeus-viajar-viver-e-fazer-negocios-em-portugal/viajar-para-portugal

@Sunrisingsunsetting - but presumably your DD didn't have this notarised letter of authorisation allowing her to enter the country unaccompanied? We are definitely going to do that for our DC - it's just the bit about a named responsible adult that we are a bit worried about.

@Loveduppenguin - for what reason? That they are going to get drunk /get robbed/generally get into trouble?

@fufulina - but France and as far as I can tell, pretty much all other European countries, allow under 18s to travel there without a letter of permission from the parents notarised by a notary or solicitor. It's just Portugal with those rules. The airline is fine with them flying unaccompanied - in fact they are counted as adults by EasyJet because they are 16+, so they aren't even "unaccompanied minors" on the flight.

yeah I don’t know, it’s just too young for me. Mostly afraid that they will end up in a situation that is beyond their years i suppose, but I don’t know at 16 I was two years away from finishing school and had never had a boyfriend nor had I been in pub/club so it all alien to me for that age.