Apostille Korea explains when a family relationship certificate and parental travel consent are required Explaining the parents' consent verbally was not accepted, and one traveller saw an entire itinerary postponed at the border.

Apostille Korea said the Family Relationship Certificate and the parental travel consent have become essential documents for overseas trips involving minors. In March, a guardian travelling to Mexico with a 10-year-old relative answered repeatedly that the child's custodial parents had consented, but immigration officers did not accept the explanation and entry was refused. Apostille Korea operates a document package covering minor travel worldwide.

Consent that words alone cannot prove

In March, a guardian living in Jongno-gu, Seoul, set out for Mexico with a 10-year-old relative. A problem arose on entry. Asked whether the child's custodial parents had consented to the trip, the guardian answered that they had, repeatedly, but the local immigration office did not accept the explanation. Entry was refused at the airport, and after considerable effort to resolve the situation, permission finally came only once the entire itinerary had already been pushed back. Countries around the world have been applying child protection rules strictly to prevent international crimes against minors, including trafficking and abduction. As a result, the documentary requirements for minors entering or leaving a country continue to be reinforced.

The documents depend on the relationship

Against that backdrop, the parental travel consent and the Family Relationship Certificate have become the most essential document requirements for a minor's trip. Embassies worldwide, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Guam and countries across Latin America, publish rules on minors under strengthened immigration law. Under those rules, an accompanying adult who holds joint custody must carry a Family Relationship Certificate as the supporting legal document, while an adult who is not a parent or legal guardian must carry a parental travel consent proving that authority was delegated by the legal guardian. Embassy notices state clearly that entry or departure may be refused if those documents are not in order. The foreign ministry says it publicises such changes through various channels and holds that the most important step is for each traveller to check and prepare the documents before departure, while a travel agency representative said nothing specific had been passed down from head office or diplomatic bodies and that customers are simply told to obtain the documents themselves. Apostille Korea said specialist assistance is warranted because documents used internationally must go through translation, notarisation and authentication.

Frequently asked questions

Source: FNTIMES · 2017-04-05