A child travelling without both parents: what do you actually need?

Checked against official sources. This page last updated 7 October 2026.

It depends on three separate things — and no single authority decides all three.

This is the question people get wrong most often, and the reason is structural: what looks like one question is actually three, decided by three different authorities. Get them separately and it becomes manageable. Treat them as one and you will get a confident answer that is wrong for your case.

EU-wide rule?: No
Who decides: Each country
Same for every trip?: No
Source: European Union

The three questions, kept apart

1 · The child’s own travel document: This one is not ambiguous. The child needs their own passport or ID card — children have not been added to a parent’s passport for many years. If the destination needs an authorisation, the child needs their own: their own UK ETA for the United Kingdom, their own EES record at a Schengen border. There is no family version of any of them.
2 · What the country you are LEAVING requires: This is the one almost everybody misses, because people look up the destination. Some countries require a formal authorisation before a minor leaves their territory without a parent — and crucially, that requirement is usually tied to the child’s nationality or residence, not to where you are going. So the document your neighbour used may not be the document that applies to your child.
3 · What the country you are ENTERING expects: Border officers at the destination can ask to see evidence that the accompanying adult is authorised to travel with the child. What they ask for, and how strictly, varies. This is usually a letter rather than a formal state-issued document — but “usually” is doing work in that sentence, which is why you check.

Why nobody can give you one answer

There is no European rule, and the EU says so plainly. Its official guidance for citizens states: “There are no EU rules on this matter, each EU country decides if it requires the child to have an official authorisation from their parent(s) or guardian.” The same page adds the part that catches people out: even if a country does not require an authorisation, “other countries they transit through may ask the child to show one.” So a country you are only passing through can ask for something neither your own country nor your destination requires.

The United Kingdom, specifically

What the United Kingdom asks for. The Border Force leaflet for children travelling to the UK asks for “a letter from the child’s parent/s giving authority for the child to travel with you and providing contact details if you are not the parent.” That is the whole of what the official guidance specifies. It does not mention translation, and it does not mention legalisation or an apostille. We have not found any official UK source that requires either. That is not the same as a guarantee that no officer will ever ask, which is why a copy in English costs nothing and removes a possible question.

What a parental authorisation letter usually contains

Where a letter is what is expected — rather than a formal state-issued authorisation — these are the elements that are normally asked for. This is a checklist, not a legal template, and it does not replace the departure-side check above.

Who the child is: Full name, date of birth, and the passport number they are travelling on.
Who is travelling with them: Full name, passport number, and the relationship to the child, in plain words.
Where and when: The destination, the dates, and the outward and return journeys.
Who is giving permission: Both parents or legal guardians where both hold parental responsibility, with their full names, their own document numbers and their signatures.
How to reach them: A phone number and an email that will actually be answered while you are travelling. The official UK guidance names contact details specifically, and this is the part people leave out.
A copy in the language of the destination: Not stated as a requirement anywhere we have found, but it is free and it removes a question at a counter.

The layer people forget

And then there is the airline or the train operator, which is a separate layer again. Carriers set their own rules for unaccompanied minors and for children travelling with an adult who is not a parent, including age thresholds and their own forms. Those rules are commercial, not legal — but the carrier can refuse to board you, which in practice ends the trip just as effectively. Check the operator you have booked with, not the one you flew with last time.

Where to check each of them

For what the country of departure requires: The police, interior ministry or foreign ministry of the country whose nationality the child holds, or where the child lives. Its own official site is the source, not a summary of it.
For what the destination expects: The consulate or embassy of the destination country, or its border force’s published guidance.
For any country you pass through: The same, for each one. This is the step people skip.
For the carrier: The airline’s or operator’s own conditions of carriage, on the booking you actually hold.

Questions people ask

Does a child need a parental authorisation letter to travel without their parents?

Sometimes. There is no EU-wide rule: the EU's own guidance says each country decides. Whether one is required depends on the country the child is leaving, and countries transited through can ask for one too.

Does the letter have to be translated or legalised?

We have not found an official UK source that requires either for a letter shown to Border Force. Other countries may take a different view, and we cannot tell you what a specific consulate will ask for. A copy in the local language is cheap insurance rather than a stated requirement.

Who should sign the authorisation?

Normally everyone with parental responsibility for the child. Where only one parent holds it, that is usually a point you should be able to evidence.

My child is Italian but we live in Spain. Whose rules apply?

That is exactly the situation where assuming is dangerous. Departure-side requirements are typically tied to the child's nationality or residence rather than the destination, and the two countries can answer differently. Check both, with each country's own authority.

Does the child need their own UK ETA or EES record?

Yes to both, and there is no family version. Every traveller needs their own, including babies.

Is a letter enough on its own?

In some cases the letter is what is expected; in others a formal, state-issued authorisation is required before the child leaves. That is the difference the departure-side check is there to settle.

Can I just use a template I found online?

A template can be a useful checklist of what to include. It cannot tell you whether your country requires a formal authorisation instead, which is the part that actually decides whether you travel.

We’ll tell you when the rules for families change

Requirements for children move country by country and rarely get announced. We’ll email you when something changes that a family actually needs to act on — no newsletter, no marketing.

Travel paperwork shouldn’t be this complicated

We’re building it with real travellers. If you have taken a child through a border without both parents, your experience could help us build something genuinely useful.

Change log

7 October 2026Checked against the official sources. Nothing on this page needed to change.
24 September 2026Page published.

Sources

Checked on 7 October 2026.

About this page

VIARYO is not a government body, this page is not an official source, and nothing here is legal advice. We have deliberately not told you what your child needs, because that depends on the country you are leaving, the country you are entering and the operator you have booked — and we cannot know those. What we can do is show you which question is which, and point you at the authority that answers each one. You can read how we check our information, including what we do when we cannot confirm something.