POA · Personal & family
Travel Consent for a Child in the UAE
Notarized consent for a child travelling without both parents.
Updated September 2026 · market data verified methodology
When a child leaves the UAE without both parents — with one parent, with grandparents, or with a school or group leader — airlines and border officers may ask for a notarized consent from the parent or parents staying behind. The document states that the trip is agreed, names the accompanying adult, and lets that adult care for the child and make routine decisions while travelling.
There is no single rulebook behind this: requirements depend on the destination country and on the carrier, and they change. What stays constant is the shape of the document — a notarized consent drawn for one specific trip, with the child, the companion and the route and dates written into the text. Prepared before departure, it removes the questions that otherwise surface at check-in.
Where it is used
Airline check-in desks, UAE border control and the destination country's border authorities
Typical situation
A child travels with one parent, with grandparents, or with a school or group
Language
A notarized document; a translation into the destination's language is prepared when required
Term
One trip — tied to the route and dates written into the consent
Who uses this POA
- One parent travelling with the child while the other stays home
- Grandparents taking a grandchild on a trip
- Schools and group leaders accompanying children on organized trips
- Families whose surnames differ across passports and who want the paperwork to explain that at the border
- Parents sending a child with a trusted adult who is not the parent
What the attorney can do
- Confirm the parents' consent to one named trip, with its route and dates
- Authorize the accompanying adult to travel with the child and look after them en route
- Let the companion make routine decisions for the child during the journey
- Give the companion a document to show when airlines or border officers ask for consent paperwork
Limits and practical notes
Check these before drafting — they decide whether an authority accepts your document.
- One consent covers one trip — a separate document is drawn for the next journey
- Requirements vary between airlines and destination countries, so check both before the document is drafted
- The consent is notarized; that formality is what check-in staff and border officers expect to see
- The document works when it is specific: the child, the companion, the route and the dates are all named
- If the destination country requires the consent in its own language, arrange the translation in advance
Documents to prepare
The principal (individual)
- Passport copy of the parent or legal guardian giving the consent
- Emirates ID and visa page, if the principal is a UAE resident
- Passport details of the accompanying adult and of the child
- The trip itself: route, dates and the relationship between the child and the companion
Two situations, one document
The first: a child travels with one parent while the other stays behind. A number of countries expect the absent parent's notarized consent at entry, and some carriers ask for it at check-in as well — even on routes where the destination never mentions it.
The second: the child travels with an adult who is not a parent or legal guardian — a grandparent, a teacher, a family friend. Here the consent from the parents or legal guardians is expected as standard practice. In both cases the paperwork says the same thing in the end: the child's parents know about this trip and have agreed to it.
- One parent with the child — several destinations ask for the other parent's notarized consent at entry
- A child with a non-parent adult — parental or guardian consent is expected as standard
- Airline policy and border rules are not always the same — verify both for your route
Frequently asked questions
Is a travel consent needed if my child flies with just one parent?
Often yes. Some countries require the absent parent's notarized consent when a child enters with only one parent, and airlines on many routes ask for it at check-in even where the destination does not. Check the destination's rules and the carrier's policy before departure — the answer is route-specific.
What should the document contain?
The child's details, the accompanying adult's details and their relationship to the child, the route and the dates, and the consenting parent's or parents' statement. The document is notarized, and a translation is prepared if the destination country wants the consent in its own language.
Our surnames are different. Does this document help?
Yes — that is one of its common jobs. A parent and child with different surnames in their passports attract questions at check-in and at borders, and a notarized consent links the two documents and shows the trip is agreed. The same applies when a child travels with grandparents.
Can one consent cover several trips?
This consent is written for a specific journey — the route and dates go into the text. For another trip, issue another consent: it keeps the paperwork unambiguous for the officer reading it and matches the per-trip way airlines and borders treat these documents.
Need this POA arranged?
Describe the task — you get a recommendation on wording, the document checklist and an itemized estimate.