Notarised Letter of Consent for Children to Travel
Children travelling overseas with only one parent or by themselves often require a Notarised Parental Consent form to enter a country. Your child may be able to leave Australia freely (unless they are on the Australian Federal Police (AFP) airport watch list), entering another country may not be as easy. The reason is that some countries take a stricter approach in order to help prevent international child abduction.
Parent’s Consent to Travel Form Requirements
A Parental Consent form is required to be signed by the parent/s or guardian/s who will not be travelling with the child overseas. It confirms that the child’s travel plans are agreed to, and that it is known that the child will be travelling with the other parent or a third party adult like a grandparent, aunt or uncle. Even though consent forms may be different for each country, all forms will contain information about the child and the adult travelling with them. This includes:
- The Child’s Full Legal Name with Passport Number
- The Parent’s Full Legal Names with Passport Number (or Authorised Guardians)
- Notarisation Stamp and Witnessing Signature
- DFAT Authentication or Apostille Stamp (Country dependent)
The Role of a Notary Public & Travel Consent Forms
To be valid overseas, a Parental Consent form is required to be signed before a Notary Public like John Pearce (03 8648 6541). This means the Consent form will to be signed by the non-travelling parent/s or guardian/s in front of the Notary.
Sometimes the Parental Consent form will also need to be authenticated via an Apostille Stamp or Authentication Stamp and legalised in order to be considered a legal document in the country where to the child will be travelling.
It is also important to check whether contents and layout of the Consent form are acceptable to the other country’s border protection authorities. Local foreign offices such as Consulates and Embassies can provide information on acceptable Parental Consent forms and the processes that need to be followed to make these forms legally recognised in their country.