Editor: Irina
The first trip of a child abroad is a joyful business, but very troublesome and exciting. Especially at the stage of paperwork for visas.
Having undertaken to write an article, honestly, I considered myself quite well-versed in the topic: after all, my child has been traveling since 6 months. But it turned out that until now I was in blissful ignorance of all the bureaucratic intricacies.
I propose to figure out what needs to be done in order for the child to travel abroad in 2021 without unpleasant surprises at the border control.
Travel abroad of a child with one of the parents or both
When do you need consent and when not? We usually travel with the whole friendly company and have never signed a consent. However, different life situations may require the parent (or one of them) to permit the child to travel abroad.
According to Article 20 of Federal Law No. 114-FZ:
If a child travels outside the Russian Federation with one of the parents, consent to leave from the other is not required.
Moreover, consent is not required if the child travels with both parents.
PLEASE NOTE that this provision applies directly to the passage of border control. That is, when you are standing with your child in the same booth at a Russian airport.
About visa processing.
But for the registration of visas (mainly Schengen), the consent of the spouse may be needed for the consulate. When?
- One of the parents stays at home.
- In rare cases, cross permits are required from both parents (mom to dad, dad to mom), even if the child is traveling with them.
For information on the documents required for a minor's visa to another country, check the consulate's website. We have articles on Schengen registration in Spain, Germany and France (we also described instructions for children there).
Other nuances.
A tour to visa-free countries (for example, Turkey, Tunisia, Thailand) will not cause much trouble. No consent is needed. Until the child travels without parents at all - but more on that later.
I will tell you where to look for tours profitable. Online aggregators collect offers directly from tour operators, compare where which is cheaper, and supplement with real reviews of tourists about hotels:
- Travelata
- Level.Travel
- Onlinetours
Divorce a child's travel abroad with one parent is also possible without additional permits (for example, it is possible to go on vacation without the consent of the father, if the latter did not establish an official ban).
If, after a divorce, the child and the mother have different surnames, it makes sense to take documents on a joint trip that contain information about the changes (divorce certificate). This is important, because the mother's previous surname is indicated on the birth certificate.
In exceptional cases - death of a father or mother, deprivation of parental rights or the disappearance of one of them - you must have supporting documents (death certificate, deprivation of rights, loss).
Departure of a child abroad without parents (with third parties)
It is not uncommon for a child to travel abroad without parents. Children can travel with relatives, as part of a group led by a coach or teacher, sometimes even on their own. In all these cases, mom or dad draws up consent with a notary.
According to Russian legislation:
For a child to leave the Russian Federation without parents, permission from one of them is enough.
So, if a family plans to leave a child abroad with a grandmother, grandfather, nanny, etc., in advance:
- get a separate passport for a minor
- if visiting the country requires a visa, then do it too
- issue consent for the child to travel abroad from one of the parents
* for Schengen countries it will be needed at the stage of visa processing and, possibly, from both parents (see the requirements of the relevant consulate) - an important point is insurance for the child's travel abroad. Insurance shouldn't be neglected at all on any trip. It is easy and inexpensive to issue it online - on Cherehapa or Sravn.ru.
Consent to travel is issued both for a specific trip, and "multiple", for a period of up to several years. It depends on the situation: if your child goes in for sports and goes to training camps almost every month, a “child power of attorney” in the name of the coach can be issued for a long time.
Do not confuse leaving the Russian Federation and entering another country. For the first, consent from the parents is needed (if the child is without them), and for the second, nothing is needed. There is no such document or requirement for children. With one parent, without them - the child always enters a foreign country only with a passport (own or parental, where it is entered) and a visa (if necessary). Read about possible exceptions below.
About leaving without adults.
Children can fly to other countries on their own - unaccompanied by adults. For this, consent is made for independent departure from one of the parents.
The law regarding the minimum age at which a child can go abroad on his own is ambiguous. In the main document, "On the procedure for leaving the Russian Federation and entering the Russian Federation", there is no mention of age. According to the text, babies can also go on an independent voyage, the main thing is to grab the documents 🙂
Lawyers, when determining the lower age threshold for independent travelers, refer to the Order of the Ministry of Transport "General Rules for the Carriage of Passengers by Air". In the document, minors are divided into several age groups:
- Up to 5 years old - only accompanied by an adult.
- From 5 to 12 years old - accompanied by an adult, or under the supervision of a carrier (some airlines provide a similar service).
- From 12 years old - unaccompanied.
Air carriers in Russia provide a service for accompanying children:
- Aeroflot - from 5 to 16 years old. 3800 rubles - domestic flights, € 60 - abroad.
- Ural Airlines - from 5 to 12 years old. 3500 rubles - domestic flights, € 60 - abroad.
- Victory - from 5 to 12 years old. 4500 rubles - all flights.
The requirements for consent are the same for all ages: whether it is a teenager or a child under one year old, traveling abroad without parents is possible only with all the necessary permits.
Form and type of consent for the child to travel abroad
An exit permit is done quickly and easily (this is already from the personal experience of a friend) - the most important thing is not to run into a 5-kilometer line at the notary's office!
The law does not stipulate a special form for obtaining consent, this document can be written in any form. A notary should prompt you for a sample on the spot.
- Period of validity of consent may be up to the age of majority - you indicate it yourself.
* It is another matter that a notary can ask for such a high cost, and for a basic price - "only for the dates of travel." Try to find another specialist.
** Please note that the consent is valid for the countries listed in it. Therefore, for "longer" you need to know the specific names of states (just "European Union" will not work). Or indicate 20-30 countries where the child can theoretically go - this is allowed.
*** But please note that some countries have certain consent requirements when applying for a Schengen visa. Including the date of issue. - Service cost in notary offices about 1200 rubles.
- In one consent, you can write several children.
Ban on the child's travel abroad
The departure of children abroad in 2021 was regulated by law in the field of filing applications of disagreement from one of the parents.The main changes concern the authorities, where such documents must be submitted - now to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
One of the parents can establish a ban on the child's travel abroad. Whether out of harm, or out of fear, but such a right exists. To do this, you must submit an application for disagreement with the child's departure abroad (even if he is traveling with one of the parents).
Since 2019, the law determines that it must be submitted to the migration department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (abroad - through the consulate).
In fact, you can only get an official travel ban through the courts. But immediately after the adoption by the authorities of the application (within 5 days after writing), the information is transferred to the FSB Border Service. The child is included in the list of temporarily restricted travel, he will not be released from the country.
Sometimes it turns out to be an unpleasant surprise right at the airport. In order not to find yourself in a similar situation, it is worth knowing in advance if your child is “on the lists”.
Where can you check the travel ban and how to cancel it?
You can check the possibility of a child's unhindered travel to other countries only through a request to the migration registration department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. There are no electronic services for obtaining information.
Since 2019, the applicant about not agreeing to leave is obliged to indicate the address of the second parent, to which the Ministry of Internal Affairs sends a notice of the ban by the Russian Post Office. But reviews say that often this system works like "pigeon mail", half of the messages do not reach.
➢ The restriction can only be challenged through a court. Temporary permits and certificates, even certified by a notary, will have no effect.
➢ The other parent or other legal representative of the minor must file a legal claim.
➢ In the document, among other things, it is necessary to indicate the purpose and duration of the trip, as well as information that the ban is not in the interests of the child himself.
➢ The lifting of the ban through the court can only relate to one specific trip.
What documents are required for a child to travel?
Until now, we have managed with a minimal set of documents, often consisting of one passport. Nevertheless, it is better to have a "complete set" on hand so that the border guards give the go-ahead.
1. international passport.
The child MUST have his own, can be issued from birth. Small children can be entered in the old-style passport of one of the parents (the one that is issued for 5 years).
Without a foreign passport, according to a passport of the Russian Federation or a birth certificate, entry to:
➢ Belarus
➢ Kazakhstan
➢ Kyrgyzstan
➢ South Ossetia
➢ Abkhazia
➢ Armenia - only with the passport of the Russian Federation
A child can get a passport for 10 years, but it is better to get an old document (for 5 years). Some countries (for example, the Czech Republic) may refuse to obtain a visa or enter the country if the child does not look at all like a photo in a passport. And children change quite quickly and dramatically 🙂
2. Child's birth certificate.
They can ask even if you have a passport, especially if the surname does not coincide with the surname of at least one of the parents. At airports they always ask, at automobile checkpoints - every other time. Better to have the original with you.
3. Consent for the child to travel abroad.
If a minor under 18 leaves the country:
- without parents: with relatives (for example, with a grandmother, with an aunt) or with third parties (with a nanny, coach, head of the children's team). A notarized consent is required indicating the specific state where the child is going, and the length of stay in it from one of the parents. No consent is required from the other parent.
- unaccompanied by adults.
Observations from personal experience: in addition to looking through all the papers, border guards may unexpectedly ask a child questions, such as: “Who are you traveling with? What's your mom's name? What's daddy's name? " It is very important to set the baby up for this in advance, as from surprise he can get embarrassed and stop talking. Often such questions are asked to children who outwardly are sharply different from their parents.
Registration of a Schengen visa
It stands apart, since almost always for the registration of the consulate, consent to leave is required. List of documents required to obtain a "children's" Schengen:
- international passport
- questionnaire and photos
- birth certificate
- certificate from school (of course, for schoolchildren)
- sponsorship letter
- medical insurance
- consent to leave
Consent is drawn up by:
✓ In all cases when one of the parents does not travel with the child / flies a day later / on another flight / meets the family already abroad - from the one who “strayed from the flock”.
✓ Parents' permission to travel abroad in duplicate will be required if the child travels without them (with third parties or alone).
✓ Sometimes a cross (issued to each other) consent is required, if at the same time a mother, father and child receive Schengen visas, the parents are issued a multiple-entry visa, and the child is only given a trip. Usually, such a document is asked as an additional document when accepting documents.
Countries where you need permission
ONLY FOR REGISTRATION OF A VISA.
- Schengen countries
- Australia
- Japan
- Great Britain
An exception may be joint - both mom and dad - trips.
WHEN ENTERING THE COUNTRY.
- South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe - if the child is with one of the parents, you need consent to enter from the other.
- Australia, Japan, Great Britain - they are mischievous, but oh-oh-very rarely. And since when you receive visas to these countries, consent is still given, why not take it with you?
An exception may be joint - both mom and dad - trips.
An official document is not required to enter Ukraine. In practice, if at least one parent does not accompany the child, they may not be allowed in without permission.
DIFFERENT SURNAMES.
Very rarely do the countries of Europe "take a pose". But the reason is the same - different surnames in the passport of the child and the parent. In general, they are allowed to pass freely, but one border guard did not have a day and ... it is necessary to prove the relationship. For this one-in-a-million-case, you can play it safe and make a notarized translation of the birth certificate. Of course, the names must match there.
Countries where permission is not needed
As long as it is not taking the child abroad without parents, consent from the parents is not required in any country. And think about it, this is consent to EXIT, and even in Russian - in most cases - language. Who will need it on the other side?
In which countries is a permit translation required?
List of countries requiring a document translated into English or the national language of the country of entry:
✓ Slovakia - translation into Slovak or Czech
✓ Switzerland - translation into English, Italian, German or French
✓ Australia and UK - English translation
✓ South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe - into English
Results - briefly and step by step
After all the provisions, recommendations and other useful information, you can exhale and take stock:
- When traveling with your child / children, ALWAYS take their birth certificates.
- If your surnames do not match, bring along a document confirming the change of surname (for example, about a divorce).
- Do I need permission to travel to… (insert any country in the world) from the father / mother if the child is traveling with the mother / father?
NO. - Consent to travel is REQUIRED when:
- the child leaves without parents. Moreover, enough from one - from mom or dad.
- a visa is issued - Schengen, Japanese, Australian, etc. - Consent is required for children UNDER 18 YEARS OLD.
- If one of the parents wrote a statement of disagreement about the child's departure abroad, it can only be canceled through the court (the cancellation process takes about six months).
- Do not forget that consent is for EXIT FROM RF. And ONLY Russian border guards know about him. That is, any foreign country does not care about this piece of paper and who the child enters and leaves with 🙂
- And yes, the consent to leave is checked by the border service, and not by customs (she looks through things :))
I consider to highlight the following as a separate paragraph.
If you have read / heard that the child will not be allowed into any country because the accompanying person does not have parental consent; or mother and child are deployed at the border in ... (insert any country), because there is no permission from the father and vice versa - all this does NOT correspond to reality.
Firstly, there is no official consent from the parent for the ENTRANCE of the child to another country in nature.
Secondly, countries that suffer from a similar bureaucratic syndrome and require a document can be counted on the fingers of one hand (4 sections above) - and these do NOT include directions popular among Russians.
Thirdlymost likely, “they won't let you in” means “they won't give you a visa” - on the Internet you often find such a wording about a Schengen visa. For this, it is really necessary to give consent to the departure of the child from the parent or parents to the consulate. The consulate, not the border guard at the airport.
And do not forget about travel insurance - both for the child and for yourself. Costs a penny, saves a fortune. We take on Cherehapa.
