Travel Consent

You can apply for Home Office Travel Document if you have been recognised as a refugee, your country of origin has refused to issue you a national passport and you have evidence of the refusal or there is no existing embassy of your country in the UK for you to apply for a passport. There are two types of documents the Home Office may issue depending on the status you were granted. These can either be the Convention Travel Document or the Certificate of Travel.

Travel consent refers to the formal written permission required when a child is travelling abroad without one or both parents or guardians. It is an important safeguard against child abduction and is recognised at border controls in many countries.

In the UK, taking a child abroad without the consent of all those with parental responsibility is potentially unlawful — constituting child abduction under the Child Abduction Act 1984. A travel consent letter from the absent parent or guardian helps demonstrate that the travel is consensual and authorised.

A good travel consent letter includes the full names and dates of birth of the child and the accompanying adult, the travel dates and destination, the details and contact information of the absent parent or guardian, and ideally, copies of the authorising adult’s and child’s passports.

While there is no single prescribed format for a travel consent letter in the UK, some countries have specific requirements. It is therefore advisable to have the letter prepared or reviewed by a solicitor, and in some jurisdictions, it may need to be notarised.

If one parent is refusing to provide travel consent unreasonably, the other parent can apply to the Family Court for a Specific Issue Order granting permission for the trip. Courts approach these applications by asking what is in the best interests of the child.

Terence Ray Solicitors can draft a legally sound travel consent letter for your specific trip, advise on any country-specific requirements, and represent you in court if consent has been unreasonably refused.

Call 020 3367 1430 or email info@trsolicitors.co.uk.