Can 17y.o. travel by himself from UK to Slovakia? Is this legal?

[Bubblyb00b]

Hi, this basically - my friend's kid wants to go and visit his mates in Slovakia, even went as far as buying himself tickets )) He is very mature and sensible young man so my friend is happy for him to go; but we are both unsure though if he's allowed to travel by himself, legally? Or is there some paperwork she needs to provide? There seem to be conflicting information available.

Of course he can. I travelled all round Europe at 17.

We did, but it was a long time ago. We bought a wreck of a car and continued travelling. It was £20 I think 😂

Most airlines allow children aged 15 and above to fly unaccompanied - it would be a bit ridiculous if a 17 year old had to be with an adult. What are the concerns?

Yes of course

Yes I think I was 16 first time I traveled by plane to Scotland and 16/17 to mainland Europe.

It's not about is this desirable, it's about what is legal. In the UK, over 16's can travel on their own passport independently. In some other countries, the age is 18 and you need parental permission such as a letter to travel. I know this as my dd travelled to Spain and back, and going was fine, but in Spain the authorities wanted to know where the letter was! So, you are right to check.

https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/travel-documents-minors/index_en.htm

Of course it’s legal!

Thanks! @Highdaysandholidays1 - totally agree, its not about whether its a possibility or whether its ok for him to go in terms of being responsible tec - he is very independent and worked to earn the money for the trip - all I'm worried about is the legal side, as he is not 18 and legally still a child.

So if she writes a letter saying she is ok for his to travel, this should cover it?

It's not about is this desirable, it's about what is legal. In the UK, over 16's can travel on their own passport independently. In some other countries, the age is 18 and you need parental permission such as a letter to travel. I know this as my dd travelled to Spain and back, and going was fine, but in Spain the authorities wanted to know where the letter was! So, you are right to check.

I had no idea! 17yo ds travelling to Spain on Wednesday!

I travelled from London to Bordeaux and back alone on a coach when I was 14. Can't imagine my now 14 year old DD doing that today. I remember being quite nervous and my parents were extremely relieved to see me when I got home. It never crossed our minds that it wouldn't be legally permitted. I don't remember even having my passport checked on either journey.

@Bubblyb00b Dc are flying all the time to access boarding schools. They are not accompanied. Usually (check age) they are registered as minors. At 17, probably not. When DD’s flew to see friends, they always were known to the airline. At 13 plus they flew without us. Just check what the airline says. It’s legal though and certainly is for younger Dc to travel unaccompanied.

@Zwicky if you look on the link then it says that as a non-national coming back out of Spain you have to have the documentation expected for your country, which is none I guess in the UK, so it should be fine. My dd was stopped by a zealous immigration person- that said if she was Spanish or resident Spanish she would need specific letters/permission documents to travel up to age 18. My friend who was with her explained the situation and they let her travel.

People saying it's legal perhaps don't realise that in much of Europe, legal is 18 and not 16 for travel without parents' permission, or requires documents proving this.

Yeah when I was 13 my parents put me on the cross channel ferry at newhaven to visit my French exchange friend from the previous year. Her parents had called to arrange it ( basically a privately arranged repeat of the previous year s school one as we got on really well) and said they would meet x ferry on x date, so off I went.

@illiterato yes mine was similar. I'd been on the school exchange trip to the Loire valley and then the following year the family invited me to spend three weeks in their beautiful summer house on the coast near Bordeaux. I had the time of my life!

Ha ha yeah- mine lived in this gorgeous little village called Le Treport and I had an awesome time playing crazy golf and eating pizza with her and her v cool cousin who was 15.

I used to fly to visit one of my parents in the USA every summer from the age of 12 onwards, no adult with me. It's not an issue.

Have heard of teenagers going on holiday at 17 having issues as the hotel wanted an adult (over 18) to rent the room to, they wouldn't let under 18s rent rooms by themselves. Ended up with the one friend who was over 18 effectively taking full responsibility for all his mates as all the rooms were booked in his name.

I was 17 when I went to Germany, albeit with a friend, but we split up and went our separate ways when we got there to stay in different places.

Eh? Why would she need to write a letter? People go travelling aged 17 all the time, easily.

Thanks for everyone's help. Writing a letter is a quick and easy thing to do but it looks like it may prevent a lot of hassle )) better safe than sorry!

I did a lot of flying alone or with a friend as a teen- never thought twice about it but it was within the eu so maybe that makes a difference.

Check with airline or embassy.