Title
Told that a passport was enough, and then her child was refused departure She had checked with the travel agency and the airline in advance, but was never told about the documents a minor needs.
- Связанные страны
- 한국, 미국
Content
Apostille Korea said travellers should verify the documents required for a minor's departure in advance rather than relying on a travel agency or an airline. Refusals for missing paperwork are increasing, and explanations differ from one point of contact to another.
- Late last month a resident of Gangnam-gu in Seoul, surnamed P, saw her child refused departure at Incheon Airport before a language school tour.
- P had checked with the travel agency and the airline in advance and was told a passport was all that was needed.
- Embassy websites, including those of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the United States, Vietnam and the Philippines in Korea, publish tightened rules on minors crossing borders.
- Because the documents became standard internationally only recently, travel agencies, embassies and notary offices explain them differently.
What happened on the way to a language school tour
Late last month, a resident of Daechi-dong in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, surnamed P and aged 42, went to Incheon Airport to see her child off on a trip abroad. The child was to join an Ivy League tour with peers from the same language school and a supervising teacher. At the airport, however, the child was refused departure. The check-in desk explained that a Family Relationship Certificate and a parental travel consent are required whenever a minor crosses a border, and that with those documents missing the rules did not allow boarding passes to be issued. P said she had been worried about exactly this and had checked with the travel agency and the airline, only to be told that a passport was all that was needed. She said the difficulty would not have arisen had she been informed of the required documents in advance.
What to rely on when the guidance conflicts
Countries around the world strongly require travel guarantee documents such as the Family Relationship Certificate and the parental travel consent 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 before, stating that entry or departure may be refused if the documents relating to a minor's travel are insufficient. Because these documents became established internationally only recently, expert understanding is still thin, and travel agencies, embassies and notary offices explain them differently, leaving travellers confused. The reliable reference point is who is travelling together. Departing with both parents calls for a notarised Family Relationship Certificate; departing with one parent or with a third party adds the parental travel consent. Both documents can be used internationally only after translation into the relevant language, notarisation and authentication by the embassy and the foreign ministry.
Frequently asked questions
Is guidance from a travel agency or airline enough?
Explanations can conflict. One traveller was told a passport was sufficient and then had her child refused departure at the airport.
What is needed when parents do not travel along, as on a language school tour?
Both a notarised Family Relationship Certificate and a parental travel consent are required.
Is it enough to have the documents issued?
No. They can be used internationally only after translation into the relevant language, notarisation and authentication by the embassy and the foreign ministry.
Source: 불교공뉴스 · 2017-07-19