Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Flip

Original poster

Taking DD abroad alone - stopped by police for not having permission

16 replies

CalypsoFramboise · 07/07/2010 14:03

Upon my return from France, I was stoppped at UK passport control and taken aside by a policeman who queried my relationship with DD (9 months - have different surnames), and why I was taking her alone, did her father know where she was, etc.

Don't have a problem with it at all, but they advised me that I should have had some form of written 'permission' (in the form of statutory declaration?) from her father and birth certificate.

I'm going abroad to work in a couple of weeks (only for 2 weeks in Greece) and DH is bringing DD 4 days after me and it would be good to know what kind of 'permission' from me saying that I agree to his taking DD out of the UK alone? Does this need signing by a solicitor?

(apologies for x-posting)

OP posts:

omnishambles · 07/07/2010 14:06

This has never happened to me - my ds has a different surname to me and they have never questioned it or seemed remotely interested.

And why was it a police officer and not an immigration official? Weird.

bluecardi · 07/07/2010 14:07

Would contact the passport office to get the info relevant to your situation.

TwoCupcakes · 07/07/2010 14:10

sounds very wierd. I take my DDs (different surnames too) abroad with me when i go away for work sometimes and have never been asked by immigration or anyone else for that matter where my DH is. Likewise, i've done what you did before - i flew to istanbul for work and DH brought DDs out a few days later for a lnog weekend. again, no issue with the immigration. suggest you make further enquiries with the Home office on this.

SueW · 07/07/2010 14:12

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at OP's request.

Original poster

CalypsoFramboise · 07/07/2010 14:12

Having a different surname wasn't really the issue, I think it was my travelling alone that was causing concern...

Was my first time abroad with DD and thought I may have done something stupid going without permission, and am wondering if DH is going alone with DD (they have the same surname) he might get stopped?

Thanks for responses

OP posts:

omnishambles · 07/07/2010 14:23

Calypso - do you have different nationality passports or perhaps have committed the ultimate sin of being non-white ?

Actually I do remember when we went into Morocco and me and dh got split up - he was with dd who has a different name to him and they did ask him where I was and he pointed at me further down the queue so maybe its a bit arbitrary.

ilovemydogandMrObama · 07/07/2010 14:26

Wow. I'm American and DCs have dual (British and American) and I've travelled with both alone and have never had a problem, although have started taking long form birth certificate with me as have different surname.

leanne2000 · 07/07/2010 14:29

this happened to me a few weeks ago when i was going on holiday to France. My youngest (2) has a different surname to me & my other 2 children, she has my married name & other 2 my maiden name, which i still go by. i was also travelling with a female friend (obviously different name also) i had to prove youngest was mine. all sorts of questions were asked and i was asked to wake her up so they could see if she recognised me.

Original poster

CalypsoFramboise · 07/07/2010 14:35

Hmm seems to be random as to whether this really is an issue.

We're all white and on UK passports (although have dual French nationality)...

Policeman implied that there was some 'standard' paperwork to have ready in such a circumstance that I was oblivious too - seems not!

OP posts:

MollieO · 07/07/2010 14:35

I got stopped on coming back to the country in January. Ds was asked by the immigration officer who I was. Ds (5) answered that I was Mollie. Officer then asked who else is Mollie. Ds answered again Mollie. Third time does Mollie have another name? No said ds she is Mollie. Obviously officer wanted to check if I was ds's mother and wanted ds to confirm it. Ds didn't as he always introduces me to others as Mollie ('because you aren't their mummy so they can't call you mummy'). Odd as ds and I have the same surname so not sure what the questioning was all about. We also look alike (both gorgeous ).

Wordsonascreen · 07/07/2010 14:42

My ds aged 4 was asked his name and who I was on returning to Gatwick from UAE he was also asked where daddy was (who was at the other booth with dd (aged 2 at the time)

dd has also been asked on two other occasions what her name is.

We usually split up (queue together then go seperately) at passport control and take one child each as its easier to juggle paperwork.

We're emigrating shortly and I'll be travelling back and forth with the dcs on my own quite a bit

Maybe its beacause DH is a frequent traveller ( at least once or twice avery month) and I'm not they query us

SueW · 07/07/2010 16:40

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at OP's request.

omnishambles · 07/07/2010 16:44

It depends where you are - sometimes you try and do that and they motion one of the adults to get back - its all very confusing.

And sometimes you get split up - like when you have to send dh back for the buggy he has forgotten on the tarmac

QueenofWhatever · 07/07/2010 20:47

It happened to me a few months ago at Bristol airport on our way to Disneyland. DD and I have different surnames. The immigration guy suggested I carry a photocopy of her birth certificate. He also basically said that as I am white and middle class, I obviously wasn't dodgy .

exexpat · 08/07/2010 15:00

I've been stopped a few times travelling alone with DCs who have a different surname from me. I have been asked questions a couple of times at Heathrow, but the most intense questioning was on the way in to Canada from the US - I think it's because there have been issues with divorced parents/custody battles and children being taken over borders to get out of court jurisdictions.

I now travel with copies of birth certificates, and DH's death certificate to show why he is not travelling with us and why I don't have a signed letter of permission...

I don't think there is a standard piece of paper for parents who are travelling separately, whether divorced or not, but it wouldn't harm to have a basic letter from the absent parent confirming that you have 'permission' to take the DCs across borders.

LtEveDallas · 08/07/2010 15:42

When DSD and her friend traveled (unaccompanied) to visit DH and I overseas neither of them were questioned.

We weren't concerned about DSD as we have the same surname, but had asked her mates mum to write a letter giving DH permission to collect her just in case - no-one seemed to care!

However a friend of ours, travelling back from Germany with her DS1 and DS2 were stopped at Heathrow and questioned for quite a while. Her DS1 has a different surname to her and DS2 (prev relationship, she is now married to DS2's dad). Lots of questions asked, which my friend assumed was because of the different name........ no, turns out that the DS2 with the same name was the one they were concerned about - as he didn't look enough like her and she needed to prove she was his mother!
(She is mixed race, quite dark. DS1 has a black father and is roughly the same colour as his mum, DS2 has a white father and is lighter than his mum)
She was told that if she was going to be making this journey a lot then she must carry birth cert for DS2 and letter of permission from her husband...AND said they were keeping her 'name on file' to check next time..........of course, next time (and from then on) she flew to Luton!

Flip