Permission to travel

truescot

Apologies as this isn't money-saving but I can't get an answer from either Easyjet or the Edinburgh French Consulate. Just booked a last minute city break to Nice next week with my 16 year old daughter. My wife isn't coning as she has to work but I've read somewhere that I may be asked for a letter of permission from her to authorise the trip (to avoid abduction etc).  I've never heard of this before and we also went to Barcelona last year no problem before I was aware of this.

Anyone any experience of this?

Brie

The only time I've heard of it is in reference to children with a different surname, particularly those who are very young.  Do you have a copy of your daughter's birth certificate that names you as her parent?  Presumably your daughter is of an age where she could travel by herself and answer any questions the airline might ask if they had any concerns.  

MyRealNameToo

truescot said:

Apologies as this isn't money-saving but I can't get an answer from either Easyjet or the Edinburgh French Consulate. Just booked a last minute city break to Nice next week with my 16 year old daughter. My wife isn't coning as she has to work but I've read somewhere that I may be asked for a letter of permission from her to authorise the trip (to avoid abduction etc).  I've never heard of this before and we also went to Barcelona last year no problem before I was aware of this.

Anyone any experience of this?

It's a theoretical risk but practically almost never is questioned but clearly a problem if it is and you dont have evidence. 

Things like having different names, them looking distressed etc possibly increases the risks of questions being asked but then it also depends on other factors like in some countries names work differently and so an allegedly father/daughter (or potentially more likely monther/daughter) routinely wouldnt have the same name so raise less concerns. 

mebu60

Travelled all over with my daughter from when she was age 10, never an issue. We do have the same surname and unfortunately for her there is no doubt that she is physically my daughter.

She would have been perfectly capable of answering any questions if we had been challenged and they could always have called her mother from either of our phones. 

I expect body language would play a significant part in their decisions whether to investigate. Possible less of an issue too the older the child becomes.

user1977

Seems even less likely with a 16 yr old - aren’t they deemed old enough to travel independently?

greyteam1959

When I travel with my great granddaughter to Spain several times a year I always carry a permission to travel letter. 
She is 7 years old. 
I have actually been asked for the letter three times over the years. 
By UK border force.

truescot

Thanks for the replies. Pretty much what I expected. Seems the letter of the law and advice (on every travel website I found, including gov.uk) is that you could be asked for evidence of permission to travel for anyone under 18, but seems very unlikely. I have been ultra cautious and printed a letter that my wife has signed but I have no doubt it won't be required.

Flugelhorn

I have had friends travel alone with their kids who had different surnames and have done so myself - never any problem. At one point I got them to put that I was Mrs <husband's surname> in the depths of my passport, it was on a page no -one ever looks at I am sure but it was never needed

p00hsticks

user1977 said:

Seems even less likely with a 16 yr old - aren’t they deemed old enough to travel independently?

Perhaps these days there are more potential reasons to be concerned about a teenage girl travelling abroad with an older man than there are if they are alone.....

la531983

16 year olds are allowed to use the eGates on their own on return to the UK, cant see much of an issue cropping up here tbh. Not as if you have to go to the manned gates if its a big airport on return. 

Depends how anal the French are.

mebu60

truescot said:

Thanks for the replies. Pretty much what I expected. Seems the letter of the law and advice (on every travel website I found, including gov.uk) is that you could be asked for evidence of permission to travel for anyone under 18, but seems very unlikely. I have been ultra cautious and printed a letter that my wife has signed but I have no doubt it won't be required.

After I'd replied above, remembered that one of the reasons we didn't bother with a letter was that someone travelling with malicious intent probably would be able to produce one, albeit a forgery!