Title
Travelling abroad with a minor requires a notarised English Family Relationship Certificate and parental travel consent When only one parent travels with the child, or when a third party escorts the minor, both documents are required, and missing them can mean refused check-in and refused entry.
- Связанные страны
- 필리핀, 베트남
Content
Apostille Korea said it has released a document package covering travel by minors worldwide. The company said that as countries apply child protection rules more strictly, the evidentiary requirements for travel documents are being tightened alongside them. One traveller was in fact stopped at an airport check-in desk for lacking the paperwork.
- When a minor departs with both parents, a notarised English Family Relationship Certificate is required.
- When the minor departs with only one parent or with a third-party escort, a parental travel consent form is additionally required.
- Embassies of the Philippines, Vietnam, Guam, Saipan, the United Kingdom, Canada and South American countries state that entry or departure may be refused if the documents are incomplete.
- An English Resident Registration (Full) extract is treated as carrying a higher forgery risk and lower reliability than a notarised English Family Relationship Certificate.
A family trip halted at the airport check-in desk
A traveller living in Gangnam-gu, Seoul bought a six-night, seven-day Southeast Asia package through a travel agency in March. Because she was travelling without her husband and with two minor children, she chose a well-known agency in case anything went wrong, and asked repeatedly whether any documents were needed, but was told only to bring passports and tickets. The problem surfaced at the check-in desk at Incheon Airport. Check-in was refused because the mother and the children had different surnames, which made a notarised English Family Relationship Certificate mandatory. With a seven o'clock morning flight there was no time to visit a community service centre, and the airport's self-service kiosk failed to read her fingerprint, so she had to call her husband and have a residence extract faxed to the airline. Because an English Resident Registration extract is regarded as carrying a higher forgery risk and lower reliability than a notarised English Family Relationship Certificate, she also had to sign a statement accepting full responsibility for the incomplete paperwork.
The requirement changes with who travels together
The first thing a traveller should check is who is departing together. If a minor leaves the country with both the father and the mother, a notarised English Family Relationship Certificate is required. In every other case, meaning departure with only the father or only the mother, or departure with a third-party escort, the notarised certificate must be accompanied by a parental travel consent confirming that the person holding parental authority has agreed to the trip. The requirement continues to tighten as countries around the world apply child protection rules strictly against international crimes targeting minors, such as trafficking and abduction. Embassies of the Philippines, Vietnam, Guam, Saipan, the United Kingdom, Canada and South American countries state that entry or departure may be refused where the documents are not sufficiently in order, yet the changes are not communicated widely enough and travellers continue to be caught out. Apostille Korea said professional support is needed because legal documents used internationally extend into translation into each country's language, notarisation and legalisation.
Frequently asked questions
A mother is travelling abroad alone with her minor children. What documents are needed?
Both a notarised English Family Relationship Certificate and a parental travel consent are required. This applies both when the child travels with only one parent and when a third party escorts the child.
Can an English Resident Registration extract be used instead?
It is not advisable. An English Resident Registration extract is treated as carrying a higher forgery risk and lower reliability than a notarised English Family Relationship Certificate. In the reported case the traveller had to sign a statement accepting responsibility for the incomplete paperwork.
What happens if the documents are missing?
Airline check-in may be refused, or entry and departure may be refused at the destination. Embassies of the Philippines, Vietnam, Guam, Saipan, the United Kingdom, Canada and South American countries state this explicitly.
Source: 산업일보 · 2017-04-24