Checking a minor's documents before departure, because a passport is not the end of it What has to be prepared changes depending on whether the minor travels with both parents, with one, or with a third party.

Apostille Korea said the supporting documents matching the composition of the travelling party should be checked before a minor departs. As embassies tighten their rules on minors at the border, they state that entry or departure may be refused when the paperwork is insufficient.

What to prepare depends on who is travelling

The document requirements for a minor at the border can be pinned down by checking the composition of the travelling party. When a minor departs together with both parents as legal guardians, a notarised Family Relationship Certificate is required. Because that certificate can be issued only in Korean, it must be translated into the language of the destination country and notarised before it can be used at immigration. When the minor departs with a third party who is not a parent, or with only one parent, the parental travel consent is required in addition to the notarised certificate. The parental travel consent records that the person with parental authority agreed to the minor travelling with the accompanying guardian. This document too can be used internationally only after notarisation and authentication.

The embassy notices have already been tightened

Countries around the world strongly require travel guarantee documents when a minor crosses a border, in order to prevent international crimes such as human trafficking and abduction targeting minors. Embassy websites worldwide, including those of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the United States, Vietnam and the Philippines in Korea, publish rules on minors that are stricter than the previous requirements. Those notices state that entry or departure may be refused if the documents relating to a minor's travel are insufficient. Because the documents became established internationally only recently, expert understanding remains thin, and travel agencies, embassies and notary offices explain them differently, which leaves travellers confused. Late last month a resident of Gangnam-gu in Seoul, surnamed P, was told by a travel agency and an airline that a passport was all that was needed, and then saw her child refused departure. Allowing for the time that translation, notarisation and authentication take, it is safer to prepare well ahead of the departure date.

Frequently asked questions

Source: 엠디저널 · 2017-07-20