Child Travel Consent Form in the UAE

When you need a child travel consent form

You need a consent letter, or in some cases a power of attorney, whenever a child is not travelling with both parents:

• Travelling with one parent. The parent staying behind signs a letter giving permission for the trip.
• Travelling with a relative or family friend (grandparents, an aunt or uncle, an older sibling, a family friend). Both parents normally sign, unless one has sole custody.
• Travelling with a group (a school trip, a sports team, a nanny or au pair). The organiser usually asks every parent for a signed and notarised letter before departure.
• Travelling alone as an unaccompanied minor. Airlines run their own unaccompanied minor programme alongside, not instead of, the parental consent letter.

If your child is travelling to Dubai to visit grandparents, our grandparents travel consent guide covers that situation specifically, including the visa side. For more on our notary services in Dubai, see our home page.

Consent letter vs child travel power of attorney

These are two different documents and people often ask for the wrong one.

A power of attorney for a travelling minor is the right choice when a parent wants to give someone standing authority to act for the child beyond just boarding a flight. For most single trips, a consent letter is simpler and is what airlines and immigration expect to see. Our special power of attorney in Dubai and power of attorney in Dubai pages cover how a POA is drafted and notarised if that is what your situation needs.

What the consent letter must include

A consent letter that gets accepted without questions has:

1. The child’s details: full name exactly as on their passport, date of birth, nationality, and passport number.
2. The travelling adult’s details (if the child is travelling with someone): full name, relationship to the child, and passport or Emirates ID number.
3. The absent parent’s or parents’ details: full name, passport or Emirates ID number, and a phone number and email that authorities can use to verify consent.
4. Travel dates and destination: the outbound and return dates, and where the child is travelling to and from.
5. A clear statement of consent: naming the trip and confirming the parent agrees to it.
6. Signature and date, signed in front of a notary public.

Sample layout:

CHILD TRAVEL CONSENT LETTER

I, [parent's full name], holder of passport/Emirates ID number [number], am the parent/legal guardian of [child's full name], date of birth [date], passport number [number].

I give my consent for my child to travel [with [adult's name], relationship to child [relationship]] from [departure point] to [destination] on [departure date], returning on [return date].

[Adult's/child's] contact details while travelling: [phone/email]
My contact details: [phone/email]

Signed: _____________________  Date: __________
[Parent's full name]

Keep the wording specific. Vague statements (“my child may travel with family members”) are more likely to be questioned than a letter that names the trip, the dates and the people involved.

Documents to prepare

Before you draft the letter, gather:

• The child’s passport (and a copy)
• The child’s Emirates ID, if a resident
• The child’s birth certificate
• The travelling adult’s passport or Emirates ID, if there is one
• The signing parent’s or parents’ passport or Emirates ID
• Custody or guardianship papers, if the parents are separated or divorced and one parent is not signing

If only one parent is signing because the other has sole custody, bring the custody order. If a parent is deceased, a death certificate is normally needed in place of that parent’s signature.

Who signs it

Where only one parent travels, the parent staying behind signs the consent letter. If a parent cannot be present, their signed and notarised consent can sometimes be sent separately and attached, rather than requiring both parents in the same room at the same time. Where one parent has sole legal custody, that parent can usually sign alone, supported by the custody documentation.

Notarisation and attestation

Notarisation is what turns a plain letter into a document authorities are likely to accept. The parent signs the letter in front of a notary public, who checks their identity and applies the seal. This confirms that the signature is genuine and that it was made willingly.

If the letter will be used outside the UAE, notarisation on its own is often not enough. There is no apostille route for a UAE-issued document, because the UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention. Instead, the letter typically needs MOFAIC attestation in the UAE, and depending on the destination, embassy or consulate attestation for that country as well. If the letter is not in the destination country’s language, it may also need translation by a legal translator registered with the UAE Ministry of Justice.

Our documents attestation in Dubai page explains the attestation chain in full.

Airline unaccompanied minor forms are a separate matter

If a child is flying alone, the airline’s own unaccompanied minor form and service are separate from the notarised consent letter, and you generally need both. The airline form covers who is responsible for the child at each airport and during the flight; the consent letter is the parents’ legal permission for the trip itself. Do not assume either document replaces the other, and check your airline’s own requirements before you book, since these vary by carrier and by age.

Children arriving in Dubai from other countries

Families sending a child to the UAE alone or with one parent often ask what the departure country requires as well as what the UAE requires. Requirements on the sending side vary by country and by airline, and some countries (for example, requirements for children departing India) have their own documentation rules that sit alongside the UAE’s. If your child is travelling from abroad, check both the departure country’s requirements and what you need for entry into the UAE, and build in enough time to get documents notarised and attested on both ends.

Common mistakes that cause delays

• Names on the letter that do not match the passport exactly (a missing middle name, a different spelling)
• Vague or missing travel dates
• A signature that was not notarised
• Only one parent’s signature where both are required
• No custody documentation when a parent is signing alone
• Assuming an unnotarised printed letter will be accepted