Rules for grandparent flying with grandchild

cluey

Hi all, just looking for some advice on document requirements when travelling with a child with a different surname. All the various sites are not very clear for our situation, in fact most just seem to reference minors travelling alone.

situation is, my mother in law is flying from Dublin, with my daughter to Spain. Mother in law has an Irish passport, my daughter has a U.K. 

airline (Aer Lingus) only mentions minors travelling alone and has its own form (which it states parents have to sign at the check-in desk), as does the Irish Government website. EU websites links to Spanish immigration which only mentions children resident in Spain leaving Spain.

all very confusing so wondered if anyone had any practical examples of similar situations.

im probably just going to download the Aer lingus form, along with a letter and copies of mine and my wife’s passports. Just to try and cover different possibilities. But it’s still a shot in the dark..

any help appreciated.

thanks

 

theoretica

From a friend's childhood experience - if your daughter is talking age does she know her granny's real name as on her passport? 

powerspowers

I’ve taken many children that aren’t mine abroad and I agree that if they can talk, make sure they are confident saying who they are travelling with and why. 

I’m not sure if younger

geordiejon

If you travel with your grandchildren, all you need officially is their passport. But if there are any problems either at the UK border, or they need medical treatment while you’re away, officials might want to know that you’re allowed to be travelling with them. This is especially important if you have a different surname to your grandchildren.

Many grandparents choose to travel with a ‘letter of permission’. This permission letter is a note signed by the child’s parents that tells officials they’re happy to let you take their child on holiday. This doesn’t have to be a complicated as it sounds.

The letter of permission needs to state the following:

• Your full name
• The name of your grandchild/grandchildren travelling with you
• Where you are taking them
• The start and end date of the holiday (it’s advisable to add a few days to the end of the trip in case of travel delays)
• The names and signature of their parent or parents

It’s crucial to get this signed by at least one parent to show that you have their approval. If the parents of your grandchildren are divorced, it’s important that both parents sign this letter too.

Of course, it’s not compulsory to have a letter of permission, but it can speed things up if there are any concerns at the border.

geordiejon

also found this as its connected to ireland but looks the same type of document.
Child Travel Consent (Ireland) Form - LawDepot

jimi_man

A consent form is all that's required, however sometimes a copy of the parent's (who has the same surname as the child) passport can assist greatly. 

Brie

Might be good too to have something that proves the child is related to the grandparent.  So child's long form birth certificate which shows parents' names and parents' marriage certificate which would verify the name change for the mother (should she have changed it and child has father's surname instead of mother's)