Use this guide if you are planning a trip abroad with your child and the other parent will not be travelling, or if you have a different surname from your child. Have your child's passport, birth or adoption certificate and any court orders ready.
Step by step
Check whose permission you need
In the UK you generally need the permission of everyone with parental responsibility to take a child abroad; taking a child abroad without it can be child abduction. If you have a child arrangements order naming you as the person the child lives with, you can usually take them abroad for up to 28 days without consent unless a court order says otherwise. Check the exact position on GOV.UK and get legal advice if you are unsure.
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