Title
Minors travelling without both parents can be refused entry without a parental travel consent The document is requested even when one parent travels along, or when grandparents or acquaintances accompany the child.
- Related countries
- 필리핀, 미국
Content
Apostille Korea said it handles the drafting and notarisation of the parental travel consent required for minors travelling abroad. As countries tighten rules protecting minors against international crimes such as trafficking and abduction, more destinations now ask for the consent letter. A traveller who flew to Manila with her three-year-old daughter was refused entry and sent home because she could not prove the consent of the father, who had not joined the trip.
- A parental travel consent legally proves that parents have agreed to the overseas trip of a child under 18.
- It must state the travel period and purpose and carry the consenting parent's signature, and must be drafted in English or the destination language and notarised to be valid.
- Most countries in the Americas, Europe and Southeast Asia set it as an entry rule or a recommendation, and the United States and Australia ask for proof of family relationship even when parents travel along.
- Apostille Korea handles drafting, translation and notarisation of the consent letter.
Why the consent letter became a travel essential
As countries strengthen rules protecting minors from international crimes such as trafficking and abduction, the parental travel consent has become a standard item in travel preparations. When a minor leaves the country alone for backpacking, a language course or volunteer work, or travels with only one parent, the absence of the document can lead to refusal of entry on arrival. The same paperwork applies when a relative such as a grandparent, or an acquaintance, accompanies the child. Some countries, including the United States and Australia, state that documents proving the family relationship should be prepared even when both parents enter together. Southeast Asian destinations such as the Philippines, popular for travel, language courses and volunteer programmes, also apply strict immigration screening to minors. In one case a traveller flying to Manila with her three-year-old daughter was refused entry because her surname on the passport differed from the child's and she could not prove the mother-daughter relationship.
How the consent letter is prepared
The parental travel consent is a document that legally proves parents agree to the overseas travel of a child under 18. It must contain the period and purpose of the trip together with the signature of the consenting parent. The document has to be drafted in English or in the language of the destination country and then notarised for its legal effect to be recognised. Some countries also ask for a document confirming the family relationship, so checking the destination's requirements in advance is safer. Travel industry officials note that even where the document is only a recommendation, skipping it can block both boarding and entry and derail the whole trip. Apostille Korea handles drafting, translation and notarisation as a single process.
Frequently asked questions
Is a consent letter needed when only one parent travels along?
Yes. Whenever both parents are not accompanying the child, a document proving the consent of the absent parent is required. The same applies when grandparents or acquaintances accompany the child.
Is a consent letter written only in Korean accepted?
It has to be drafted in English or in the language of the destination country and then notarised to have legal effect.
What happens without a consent letter?
Boarding can be refused, or entry can be denied at immigration on arrival. Refusals occur even in countries where the document is only a recommendation.
Source: 한국경제 · 2019-07-21