Do I need fathers permission to take children on holiday?

[novanoir]

Basically what the title says!
Im taking my children away for 2 weeks to America in September with their grandparents.
Their father and I were not married and do not have any court orders or agreements in place, amicable split so work things out between ourselves.
Do I need any form of permission from him?

Oh wow 😂. Yeah, I'd have been outraged if he HADN'T been asked in that situation!

I guess my point is that having the same surname is no less likely to mean you don't have permission. You can have the same surname and be divorced / divorcing. Or be related by some other means other than parent. So it seems odd to me that you should be asked more questions If you have a different surname. If airlines are worried about one parent travelling against the wishes of the other, then a letter/birth certificate should be expected in all cases.

I’ve been asked for birth certificates and my DC have been questioned by border force agents coming back into the UK on 3 occasions (different surnames). Never questioned in destination countries though. I have a standard letter from my Ex that I always carry with me just in case but never had to show it.
Friend took children to Netherlands 3 years ago (different surnames but partner was following on a few days later), Dutch border control asked for a letter from their father giving permission. She had to wait at the airport till he emailed it through.
Moral of the story is you probably won’t get asked, especially if surnames are the same, but if easily obtainable it is worth carrying one plus the birth certificates for peace of mind.

Thanks everyone, sounds as though it’s definitely worth taking! I asked their father on Saturday who’s going to do me a letter to take just in case. 🥰

Random question, I am taking dd away, I have a CAO, do I need to take a copy of her birth certificate as well?

Sorry, just seen others say you should 🤦‍♀️

Nope, dicorcee of 5 years now and I've took the children away every year. I've reverted back to my maiden name too, and I've took my new partner a couple of times, never any questions asked

I think legally it doesn't have a bearing, but in practice the surname might usually the trigger for any questioning. I have different surname from DC as kept mine when married, and have been questioned a few times. My surname is their middle name, and when I've pointed this out and offered further documents, they have never pushed it further. A couple of times they've subtly questioned DC.

I think it would be an issue otherwise if their Father challenged them being taken out of the country, and pursued this legally. This happened to a friend, but again, the court favoured her and deemed his behaviour to be aggravatory.

It's daft really, I get a letter too, but I've ended up feeling like I might as well write it myself! How would they know?!