If a child is travelling abroad without both parents, a child travel consent letter may be requested by border officials, airlines, schools, tour organisers or foreign authorities.
This is especially common when a child is travelling with one parent, another relative, a school group, a sports team or a performing arts organisation. With more families travelling internationally for holidays, concerts, sports events and competitions, preparing the correct documents before departure can help avoid problems at the airport or border.
In some cases, a simple signed consent letter is enough. In others, the letter may need to be certified and apostilled before it will be accepted abroad.
What is a child travel consent letter?
A child travel consent letter is a written document confirming that a parent or legal guardian gives permission for a child to travel internationally.
It is often used when a child is travelling:
- With one parent only
- With grandparents or relatives
- With a school group
- With a sports team
- With a coach or club organiser
- With a performing arts group
- With family friends
- Without either parent
The letter helps show that the child has permission to travel and that the accompanying adult is authorised to take them abroad.
When might you need a child travel consent letter?
A child travel consent letter may be needed for many types of international trips.
Common examples include:
- Family holidays abroad
- School trips
- Sports tournaments
- Music or dance competitions
- Theatre or performance events
- International summer camps
- Language courses
- Visits to relatives overseas
- Medical travel
- Relocation or temporary stays abroad
Even if the destination country does not always require a consent letter, airlines, border officials or immigration officers may ask questions if a child is travelling without both parents.
Does a child travel consent letter need an apostille?
Not always. Whether apostille legalisation is needed depends on the destination country and the authority requesting the document.
A child travel consent letter may need an apostille if:
- A foreign border authority requests a legalised consent letter
- The child is travelling to a country with strict entry requirements
- The letter will be presented to an embassy or consulate
- The child is travelling with someone who is not a parent
- The trip involves school, sports, performance or organised travel
- The letter will be used for a visa or immigration application
- A foreign authority specifically asks for an apostilled document
If the receiving authority only asks for a signed letter, apostille may not be necessary. However, for international use, many parents choose to have the letter certified and apostilled to reduce the risk of questions or delays.
Why certification is usually required first
A child travel consent letter is a private document. It is usually written and signed by a parent or legal guardian, not issued by a government department.
Because of this, it cannot normally be apostilled in its plain signed form. It usually needs to be certified by a UK solicitor or Notary Public first.
The solicitor or notary may:
- Witness the parent’s signature
- Confirm the identity of the person signing
- Certify the document as properly signed
- Add a recognised signature and stamp for apostille purposes
The apostille is then attached to the solicitor’s or notary’s certification, confirming that their signature is genuine.
What should a child travel consent letter include?
The letter should be clear, specific and easy for an authority to understand.
It should usually include:
- Child’s full name
- Child’s date of birth
- Child’s passport number
- Parent or guardian full name
- Parent or guardian contact details
- Name of the adult travelling with the child
- Relationship between the child and accompanying adult
- Destination country
- Travel dates
- Purpose of travel
- Accommodation details, if available
- Emergency contact details
- Confirmation of consent
- Signature of the parent or legal guardian
If both parents have parental responsibility, some authorities may expect both parents to sign unless one parent has sole parental responsibility or a court order states otherwise.
Supporting documents you may need
A travel consent letter may not be the only document required. Depending on the situation, the travelling adult may also need supporting evidence.
This may include:
- Child’s birth certificate
- Child’s passport
- Parent’s passport copy
- Accompanying adult’s passport copy
- Court order showing parental responsibility
- Adoption certificate
- Marriage certificate, if names differ
- Deed poll or change of name document
- Visa documents
- School or club travel confirmation
If any of these documents will be used abroad, they may also need apostille legalisation or certified translation depending on the destination country.
One parent travelling with a child
If a child is travelling with only one parent, the other parent may need to provide written consent.
This is often relevant where:
- Parents are separated or divorced
- Parents have different surnames
- The child has a different surname from the travelling parent
- The destination country has strict child travel rules
- The child is travelling for a long stay
- The trip involves visa or immigration paperwork
In these situations, a certified and apostilled consent letter may give additional reassurance that the travel has been authorised.
Children travelling with schools, clubs or teams
For school trips, sports tournaments, youth competitions and performance events, organisers may ask parents to provide signed consent forms.
If the trip is international, the organiser or foreign authority may request legalised documents, especially where children are crossing borders as part of a group.
This can apply to:
- Football tournaments
- Dance competitions
- Music performances
- Theatre groups
- Language schools
- Summer camps
- School exchanges
- International sports clubs
If multiple children are travelling, each child may need their own consent letter and supporting documents.
Does the letter need translation?
Some foreign authorities require the consent letter to be translated into the local language.
Translation may be required if the letter is being used for:
- Border control
- Visa applications
- Immigration offices
- Schools or camps abroad
- Court or family authorities
- Medical travel
- Long-term stays
Depending on the country, the translation may need to be certified or sworn. Some authorities may also require the translation to be completed after the apostille, so the apostille certificate is included in the translated document.
Paper apostille or e-Apostille?
For child travel consent letters, a paper apostille is often the safer option because the document may need to be carried physically during travel and shown to border officials, airlines or authorities abroad.
An e-Apostille may be suitable only if:
- The receiving authority accepts digital apostilles
- The document is submitted online
- The solicitor or notary certification is suitable for digital legalisation
- A physical original is not required
For travel purposes, always check whether the authority or airline will accept an electronic document before choosing an e-Apostille.
How long does apostille take?
The timeline depends on whether the letter is already prepared and whether solicitor or notary certification is required.
At The Apostille Office, the main apostille service options are:
- Premium Apostille Service — 1 working day
- Express Apostille Service — 5 working days
You should also allow extra time for:
- Drafting the consent letter
- Signing the letter correctly
- Solicitor or notary certification
- Translation, if required
- Embassy attestation, if required
- Secure delivery
If the child is travelling soon, it is best to start as early as possible.
What if the destination country is not in the Hague Convention?
If the child travel consent letter is being used in a country outside the Hague Apostille Convention, apostille may not be the final step.
The document may also need embassy or consular attestation after the apostille.
This can apply to countries such as:
- UAE
- Qatar
- Kuwait
- Saudi Arabia
- Vietnam
- Thailand
- Some other non-Hague countries
If embassy attestation is required, allow additional time before the travel date.
Checklist before travel
Before the child travels, check:
- Does the destination country require a consent letter?
- Does the airline or organiser require one?
- Should one or both parents sign?
- Does the letter need solicitor or notary certification?
- Does it need an apostille?
- Is translation required?
- Is embassy attestation required?
- Are supporting documents needed?
- Do names match across passports and certificates?
- Is the document ready before the travel date?
This helps reduce the risk of delays at the airport, border or visa stage.
Need help legalising a child travel consent letter?
If you need a child travel consent letter apostilled, our team can guide you through the process.
We can advise whether solicitor or notary certification is needed, arrange apostille legalisation, and help confirm whether translation or embassy attestation may be required for the destination country.
Contact The Apostille Office on +44 (0) 204 630 6700 and we will help you prepare the document before the child travels.
