Minor Travelling to Dubai Without Parents From India: Consent Letter and Papers

Minor Travelling to Dubai Without Parents From India: Can It Be Done?

A child can fly from India to Dubai without parents, but the airline sets the age and the conditions. Some airlines run an unaccompanied minor service for younger children. Others only allow it above a certain age, or only with an adult relative. Check this with the airline first, in writing if you can.

What the airline cannot replace is the family’s own paperwork. If both parents are not on the flight, the child should carry proof that the parents know about the trip and agree to it. That proof is the parents’ consent letter.

Our page on the child travel consent form in the UAE explains the general rules. This article stays on children flying in from India.

Papers to Prepare Before the Flight

Put these in one folder in the child’s hand luggage. Keep a second set with the adult who collects the child in Dubai.

• The child’s passport, valid for the whole stay
• The child’s UAE entry visa or residence visa, as it applies to the child
• A copy of the passport of each parent
• The signed parents’ consent letter, with the original stamp or signature of the notary
• The flight booking and the full name and phone number of the adult meeting the child in Dubai
• A copy of the child’s birth certificate, if the child’s passport does not show both parents’ names

The Parents’ Consent Letter: What It Should Say

A good consent letter is short and exact. It should name the child and give the passport number. It should name both parents, with their passport numbers. It should say that the parents agree to the child travelling from India to Dubai, and give the dates and the flight details if known.

It should also name the adult who will receive the child in Dubai, with a phone number and address. If the child travels with a grandparent or another relative, name that person and say how they are related to the child.

Do not leave blank fields. Do not sign before you reach the notary. A notary will not notarise a document that is already signed by someone who was not present. Write in clear English, or add a translation if the letter is in another language.

Signed in India or Signed in Dubai?

Where the parents sign decides the steps that follow.

When the Parents Are in Dubai: Signing Before Our Notary

If the parents live in Dubai, this is the simplest route. Both parents come to our in-house notary public at our Business Bay office with their passports and Emirates IDs. We prepare the letter, you check every detail and sign in front of the notary. We notarise your document at our Business Bay office.

If one parent cannot come, you can use our online notary public services or ask about home visit notary services. Tell us the situation when you contact us and we will guide you.

When a Parent Signs in India

If a parent signs the letter in India, it is notarised there. A letter from India then goes through the attestation chain before it is used in the UAE. The UAE is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille does not replace this chain. A foreign document is attested in the country that issued it, including the UAE embassy there, and then by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFAIC) in the UAE. MOFAIC charges AED 150 for personal documents. Embassy and translation fees are separate.

Our page on Indian notary and document attestation in Dubai shows how we help with this side of the process.

Travelling With Grandparents or a Relative

Many children from India fly to Dubai with a grandparent, an aunt or an uncle. The rule is the same: the adult carries the parents’ signed consent letter that names them. The relative should also carry their own passport and a copy of the child’s papers.

Read our guide on whether a child can travel to Dubai with grandparents for the wording that fits that case.

Common Mistakes

1. Signing the letter at home and bringing it to the notary afterwards.
2. Leaving out the passport numbers of the child or the parents.
3. Naming no adult who will meet the child in Dubai.
4. Forgetting that a letter signed in India needs the attestation chain.
5. Not asking the airline about its rules for minors before booking.