So I want to go with the baby to the warm "foreign" sea, or send my child to improve English, and my grandmother from France has been persuading me to come with her grandchildren for half a year. But sometimes obstacles at the border cancel a planned trip, and the basic ignorance of the law is to blame.
Child travel abroad
A trip with a child abroad is a great opportunity to open for him a new wonderful world, make friends, get a lot of impressions and positive emotions. Most often, an exciting trip takes place without the slightest complication, but only if mom or dad responsibly approaches its preparation. When preparing documents for a trip abroad, parents must take into account not only the requirements of Russian law, but also the host country.
A minor child has the right to go abroad with mom, dad, or both together. In addition, his fellow travelers may be guardians and adoptive parents, a trainer and school teacher, grandmother and aunt, in general, any person who is entrusted with the support of the child. The option of independent travel is quite acceptable. Depending on the purpose and duration of the trip, as well as on who the baby will go abroad with, a list of documents is required to leave Russia and stay in another country. Their list may vary, but the main document, a passport, is necessary in any case.
Previously, your child could be easily taken outside the homeland, provided that his data is entered in the passport of the parents. With the introduction of biometric documents, this possibility has disappeared. Now even a very small Russian citizen can get his own foreign passport. The proposed options are an old-style passport or containing biometric data, they vary in validity. However, if the baby is very small, it is much better to opt for the usual form of the document, as the baby grows and changes, and his photo in the biometric passport, which is issued for ten years, at some point can cause undesirable doubts of the border guards about its authenticity.
Registration and issuance of a passport is carried out at the place of residence of the parents or guardians of the potential traveler. It will be required to present:
- a form with the baby’s data, including information about the parents or guardians;
- copy and original of birth certificate;
- copy and passports of parents;
- 4 photographs of 3.5 × 4.5 centimeters on matte paper;
- proof of citizenship;
- receipt of payment of state duty;
- A copy and passport of the child, if he is already 14 years old;
- A copy of the previous passport (if any).
Attention! The presence of a children's foreign passport is not a basis for its owner to independently cross the border.
Departure of a child with two parents
A joint family trip abroad does not cause special difficulties with passport control. If the baby is the owner of their own passport, the border guards will only ask for a document that confirms the relationship. A birth certificate or a copy notarized is suitable for this. This is especially true if the baby's last name is different from the parent. Many countries when passing through passport control and issuing permission to enter the country put forward similar requirements.
If the mother or father’s passport was issued before 01.03.2010, and the child is included in it, it can serve not only as evidence of the existence of family ties, but also enable the child under 14 to travel without his own document.
Attention! If the parent’s passport does not contain a photograph of the child or a stamp, he will not be allowed into the territory of another state!
The presence of a new type of passport for parents does not give such permission, the baby must have his own document. You do not need a children's passport when traveling to Belarus, Abkhazia, Kazakhstan and several other countries of the former Soviet Union.
When visiting most countries, you need a visa, and for young children there is no exception. To obtain a Schengen visa for a child, the following documents will be required:
1. An application signed in person by parents, guardians or proxies.
2. Foreign children's passport with at least 2 blank pages, its validity should not expire earlier than three months after the trip.
3. Photos.
4. Receipt of payment of the visa fee.
5. Birth certificate - copy.
6. Insurance for medical care.
7. Parent visa, if it has already been received - a copy.
This list is subject to change, therefore it is better to clarify it in advance on the website of the embassy of the country selected for the trip.
Single parent travel abroad
When going with a child on an exciting journey abroad, mother does not have to stock up on his father’s permission for the upcoming trip, at least Russian law does not require this. However, the border guards of most countries will not let the baby go into the country without this paper. At the same time, the fact of a divorce or marriage does not play a role, just the possibility of abduction should be excluded. Therefore, there are two options: to find out the requirements of the country chosen for visiting or to stock up on a document certified in a notary's office. Only friendly Turkey and sunny hot Egypt let the child pass without additional conditions.
Despite the requirement of a power of attorney from the spouse who is at home, sometimes they may not require it. The reason for presenting vigilant border guards are usually:
- The apparent dissimilarity of the child and one of the parents;
- Inadequate behavior of one of them or both;
- mismatch in the appearance of the baby and its accompanying;
- entry with a baby from a country where human trafficking is flourishing.
The consent of the spouse remaining “on the farm” is not required if he has no parental rights or is restricted in them, has died, his place of residence has not been established. In each case, there must be documented evidence of the event. Permission to travel a joint child abroad is issued in the prescribed manner. It is given for visiting the country indicated therein in strictly agreed terms. Generalized language and a “vague” permission to travel abroad without time limits are not allowed. In the case of planning visits by children to several countries, this fact should be reflected in the document.
Sometimes, when passing through passport control, you may encounter an unexpected situation - the spouse has officially forbidden the child to travel abroad by submitting an application to the relevant authorities. This often happens if the hostile relationship has developed. Only the court has the right to cancel the ban, so for this you will have to file a lawsuit. So that the problem does not spoil the upcoming vacation, you can submit a request in advance about the existence of a veto on the baby’s departure on the website of the FSB border service, or obtain the necessary information from the FMS. If the ban exists, the trip may not take place without the consent of the second parent certified by a notary.
Taking a child abroad without parents
It is not always a fascinating overseas trip takes place in the presence of dad or mother. Holidays in an international camp, participation in competitions, a school trip or a trip with your grandmother at sea mean that another person takes responsibility for the health and well-being of the offspring in a foreign voyage. This is only possible with the required documents:
- children's passport for traveling abroad;
- a copy of the birth certificate certified by a notary office;
- consent to the departure of his child abroad from at least one parent, certified and written out to a specific person.
Changes in the legislation of Russia now allow to give such permission for a rather long period, up to the age of majority, with the obligatory indication of the countries allowed to visit. However, sometimes such loyalty is not justified - sometimes notaries flatly refuse to certify a document with such a long validity period, and sometimes the country of visit limits the period from the date of issuance of such a document. In France, for example, a permit must be issued no earlier than 3 months before the trip. When sending your baby accompanied by an outsider, you should first make sure that one of the parents is not banned from leaving.
Power of attorney for the child’s export abroad - when the procedure for registration is also required
If your child is traveling abroad, accompanied by his beloved grandmother, sports coach or school teacher, a duly executed notarized power of attorney or mother’s and father’s consent to the removal of children will be required. The document is intended to serve as protection against the illegal export of children from the country and determine who will be responsible for the child in a foreign country, make operational decisions in the event of unusual situations. The power of attorney cannot be written by hand, it is made in form and must be certified by a notary. This will require:
- birth certificate;
- passports of parents;
- an indication of the countries chosen for visiting and the duration of the stay;
- passport data of the one who is entrusted to accompany the baby on the trip.
A notary may very well ask for additional documents - a marriage or divorce certificate, for example. Most often, this is required if the parental name does not match the child’s name indicated on the birth certificate. If one of the parents cannot be present, the notary has the right to demand documentary evidence of the validity of his absence - a certificate from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, for example, or a death certificate. In case of a parent's long-term stay in another city, two power of attorneys may be issued - separately from mom and dad.
Consent of parents to leave the child abroad - when the procedure for registration is also required
According to a law designed to protect the safety of a child, young children have the right to leave the country only with parental consent. If the trip is supposed to be independent, you will need permission from both parents. In the case of a joint trip of the baby with mom or dad, the parent remaining at home must agree to this. The document must be certified by a notary, to visit it you will need:
- passports of parents or guardians;
- birth certificate;
- children's foreign passport;
- travel documents, which indicate the start and end dates of the trip and the country of destination;
- data on the escort who will be fully responsible for the baby during his stay abroad;
- a visa, if it is required to travel to this state.
When visiting a number of countries, what you need to know before traveling, require translation into the desired language of parental consent. The translator's signature is notarized, the document must have the seal "apostille".
Permission to travel a child abroad - when required and the procedure for registration
The strict migration policies of most European countries facilitate the presentation of special requirements that relate to border crossing by young children. It is necessary not only to allow the absent parent to travel, but sometimes border guards, when traveling with the whole family, ask both mom and dad to give their consent to the voyage of the child with her spouse. It is best to determine such unique features in advance so that you do not have to return home with a spoiled mood, or stock up on a notarized permit.
Permission from mom and dad will be required when the child independently passes the border. This happens when his parents see him off in Russia, and upon arrival in another country he is met by relatives or official representatives of the children's camp. Joint permission is issued similarly to the method described above with certification by a notary. The only difference is that the permit does not indicate the person called to accompany the child.
Holidays are in full swing, and the long-awaited trip abroad is already very soon. It is necessary to make every effort to ensure that it is not clouded by ignorance of laws and the absence of documents required by border guards. Bon Voyage!
