Travel Authorisation for Minors before a Notary

The travel authorisation deed for children at a notary is a procedure with full legal validity in Spain and abroad. If you need a simple, quick procedure with all legal guarantees to avoid problems at airports, borders or during the journey, we inform you how to process this notarial power of attorney for travel.

The travel authorisation deed for minors is a notarial power of attorney valid before the authorities and with international recognition. To process it, book an appointment for travel authorisation. It will be the fastest option to obtain the notarised letter for travel, as well as offering greater guarantees and security.

On the chosen day, it will be important that both parents attend to grant the travel authorisation for the boy or girl. However, if the child is travelling with only one parent, it is sufficient for the parent who is not travelling with the child to authorise it.

If they are separated, the concepts of custody, guardianship and parental authority must be distinguished. Thus, even if one parent has custody and guardianship, if both hold parental authority, they must grant this authorisation for the trip.

The appearance of parents and guardians is one of the most complex vicissitudes due to the variety of cases we may encounter. For example:

• In the case of a deceased parent, this must be justified with the death certificate
• When a parent is prohibited from having parental authority, the ruling confirming this will be necessary.
• If one of the parents resides abroad: they must grant a special power of attorney to the parent residing in Spain to represent them. Remember that due to the origin, it must be apostilled.
• If the minor is accompanied, the identifying details of this person must be provided.
• Other documents to be provided will be related to the family situations already mentioned.

Likewise, it is also possible that authorisation by only one of the minor’s representatives is accepted (provided they affirm having the consent of the other) except in cases where there is a change of residence or travel involving risk to the physical integrity or safety of the minor. In this case, it must be accepted by both parents.

The documents will be verified and the parents or guardians identified, with those present signing the record. The travel deed is accredited under notarial public faith and, if necessary, may empower the person accompanying your child, in case procedures such as duplicates of lost documents or medical consents need to be carried out.

Furthermore, you should know that at JLA Notarios we offer a comprehensive service for documents signed at our notary office in Barcelona, so if you need and consider it appropriate, we can take care of obtaining the apostille for your travel authorisation.

For the preparation of the deed, the following documentation must be provided:

• Valid identification documents of the parents giving the authorisation
• Family Book, Birth Certificate of the Minor issued by the competent Civil Registry or document accrediting parental authority
• The minor's details

Additionally, in certain cases other types of documents may be required such as death certificates of the deceased parent, certificate of existence of a legal guardian or the original testimony of the ruling that the parent is deprived of parental authority. There are also circumstances in which the parents each reside in a different country and, therefore, a power of attorney must be granted to carry out the procedure.

• DNI, NIE or Passport of the minor
• DNI, NIE or Passport of the parents
• DNI, NIE or Passport of the person responsible during the trip (if applicable)
• Documentation related to the destination (place of stay) and duration of the trip (including dates).

The deed will declare the approval to allow the minor to travel, the parents of the minor and the minor themselves will be identified, the dates of the trip along with its purpose and the place of departure and arrival. Additionally, it is important, for added security, to include the means of transport, the person accompanying the minor and those who will be responsible for them while they are abroad, along with their identification and address.

It is also possible, given the continuous travel of a minor, to carry out a generic deed that serves for multiple trips. This often occurs with minors who participate in sports competitions abroad.

The Notary who processes the authorisation for minors' travel will provide an authentic copy of the deed, which must be shown to border control officers, whether at air, land, or sea points. Furthermore, this deed will be electronically delivered from the notary's office to the security forces to facilitate the authentication of the document or the verification of a possible revocation at the time it is presented during travel.

According to current legislation, an apostille is required on documents that are to be used outside the European Union. Therefore, in principle, it is necessary for minors travelling outside the EU.

You should know that at JLA Notarios we strive to provide a comprehensive service when processing travel authorisation, so we can manage the obtaining of an apostille on a travel authorisation signed at our notary office in Barcelona on your behalf.

The price of notarial acts is regulated by the Government and complies with the regulatory framework of the NOTARIAL FEE SCHEDULE (RD 1426/1989, of 17 November, regulating the Notaries' Fee Schedule).

However, the exact price of a notarial document cannot be calculated until its specific content is known, that is, until it is signed, as there are many circumstances that can cause it to vary. The number of copies requested of a document, the pages it contains, as well as possible changes or additions, can slightly alter the final price.

If you wish to receive a detailed quote, we invite you to contact us directly through the method that is most convenient for you. You can do so via the contact form on the main page of this website, through the contact section found in the footer of the website, using the direct WhatsApp access at the bottom right of this page, by sending an email to bcn@jlanotarios.com or by calling us at 93 159 17 62.

As a guideline, we can inform you that, according to the current regulatory framework, the usual price for the formalisation of a notarial authorisation to travel with children is between €70-90, including VAT.

This indicative price is calculated for a document with standard content and the issuance of a single authorised copy. In the event that you require the apostille, we can arrange its obtaining on your behalf, in which case you would also need to pay the cost of this procedure.