Escorting grandchildren UK to Spain...

[rafiki]

It is likely that I will bring my grandchildren (11 years and 9 years) over to stay with us for some of the summer. I'd go over to collect them and we'd fly Stansted to Seville and back on Ryanair. Their parents are divorced. Apart from their passports what letters/paperwork is needed/recommended in case of queries at the borders?

[gerryh]

A few years ago I was in the same situation.
I had a letter signed by both parents but nobody asked any questions or even seemed to notice.
Cheers
Gerry

[rafiki]

Thanks Gerry. Were the children's passport surnames the same as yours? Mine aren't.

[gerryh]

Yes, same as mine.
Cheers
Gerry

[costakid]

Carry a copy of there birth certificates. My wife always does this when she travels with the grand kids. Different second names as my daughters children.

[rafiki]

Thanks Costakid. I will.

[pilgrim2]

I have used online templates in the past for European travel, though we have never been asked to produce the authorization to travel, though ´times are a changin´

For future reference avoid Faro or have a contingency plan for every `possibility

[flyeogh]

After a holiday in Asturias with my Spanish family my spanish niece, my spanish wife and I flew to London while her parents returned to Madrid. At the spanish airport we were stopped by the police at passport control. There was 1 hour 20 minutes to take off.

The police wanted a permission statement from the parents stamped certified at a police station. We phoned the parents
who were now half way to Madrid. They turned into the nearest small town and told the police the issue. The police got the form, got them to sign it, and faxed it to the police at the airport. We had been moved to the immigration desk. 15 minutes to take off. Fax arrives. Rushed through and on the plane to smiles from even the Easyjet crew who knew of the problem.

Sometimes the authorities are the good guys One year on we enter the airport with the same plan. The policeman at the gate smiles and says "So no problems this year"

Not your case but perhaps says I'd be prepared. Good luck and I hope the nietos have the time of their lives.

[gretch]

Email the airline and ask them, if they say you don’t need any extra paperwork, take a copy of the reply with you......... just in case of a jobsworth

[costakid]

In the nicest possible way ignore Gretch, Its nothing to do with the airline most of the time. Boarder control and Guardia Civil will have no interest in copies of Airline emails.

[vinuela vinny]

After a holiday in Asturias with my Spanish family my spanish niece, my spanish wife and I flew to London while her parents returned to Madrid. At the spanish airport we were stopped by the police at passport control. There was 1 hour 20 minutes to take off.

The police wanted a permission statement from the parents stamped certified at a police station. We phoned the parents
who were now half way to Madrid. They turned into the nearest small town and told the police the issue. The police got the form, got them to sign it, and faxed it to the police at the airport. We had been moved to the immigration desk. 15 minutes to take off. Fax arrives. Rushed through and on the plane to smiles from even the Easyjet crew who knew of the problem.

Sometimes the authorities are the good guys One year on we enter the airport with the same plan. The policeman at the gate smiles and says "So no problems this year"

Not your case but perhaps says I'd be prepared. Good luck and I hope the nietos have the time of their lives.

Morning All

We've never had a problem at a Spanish airport (mainly Sevilla, but also Malaga) when travelling with our grandchildren, who all have our surname and UK passports...... And similarly when leaving the UK (Stansted and Gatwick), where passport control seems to be delegated to the airlines......

But regularly we are questioned on our return to the UK, both at Stansted and Gatwick, where we have been given a leaflet produced by Border Control, suggesting that we should carry a letter of authority from both parents (separate letters if divorced) giving the children's full names as shown on their passports, passport numbers and dates of birth, and similar info for each parent, with contact details of address, landline and mobile numbers, and email info. The letter however does not have to be legitamised by the Police in the UK.... This likely is a bit of the 'red tape' beloved of brexiteers, and it seems the wrong way round to us to check arrivals rather than departures, but who knows.....

Following on from flyeogh's experience, our 20 year old neighbour's son (an English lad living in Spain) once tried to travel from Sevilla to the UK with his sixteen year old Spanish girlfriend, who was travelling with an ID card, and both were stopped by the Spanish Police. He was held (behind bars!) for several hours, with the girlfriend held (with a social worker) at the local police station, while her parents were summoned to confirm that all was ok. Apparently they should have organised a letter as in flyeogh's experience...... Being old-fashioned, we would have thought that such caution was very appropriate, and seems better to be safe than sorry.....

So there we are...... Better in Spain?

Vincent

[costakid]

Probably because he was 20 and classed as an adult and she was 16. Still a kid in my eyes. I know the age of consent is 14 in Spain but I think thats wrong also. How things have changed since Franco died.

[rafiki]

Thanks again for all the advice.

[Beachcomber]

The age of consent in Spain was raised to 16 in 2013.