Can I take my child abroad?

This is always a difficult issue; legally a resident parent does not need the consent of the other parent to take the child abroad for less than a month, unless a court order prevents this. However, parents should be reasonable about this, the parent going abroad should get agreement from the other parent and give them plenty of notice.

If a parent wishes to remove their child from the UK for longer than a month then the necessary consent from all parental responsibility holders will be required.

The application for a passport must signed by one person with parental responsibility. In the case of unmarried fathers who have obtained parental responsibility through a court order or a parental responsibility agreement, the original order or agreement must be sent with the application to prove the father has parental responsibility.

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