A senior family lawyer has warned parents travelling abroad with kids with different last names to make sure they have all the correct documents to avoid ruining the holiday.
Families across the UK will be preparing for a break away as travel restrictions are slowly being lifted and we enter peak travelling season during the summer holidays.
It's not unusual for parents to have different last names to their children, but the Managing Director of Stowe Family Law says parents need to plan ahead to avoid issues.
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Emma Newman said: "Many of us are now looking forward to enjoying some time away in the sunshine as the summer holiday approaches but if you have a different surname to that of your child you need to take action to avoid unnecessary stress"
Additional checks are in place at airports in these situations to help protect a child's safety - so parents with different last names could be subjected to extra questioning to prove they are the legal guardian.
The government warns taking a child abroad without permission is child abduction.
The official advice explains you automatically have parental responsibility if you’re the child’s mother, but you still need the permission of anyone else with parental responsibility before you take the child abroad.
The government says that a letter from those with parental responsibility is usually enough to show you've got permission to take the child abroad.
And Emma Newman has advised always asking the other parent to sign a form before travelling to set out their consent - which could be asked for at border controls.
She said: "The document should provide the full contact details of the other parent and specific details of the trip including the dates, destination and address. The other parent should sign the form. It is also a wise idea to attach a copy of the other parents’ passport to the consent form."
Emma Newman also explained that it can help prevent issues if you bring other documents that can prove you have parental responsibility - such as the child's birth certificate.
She said: "This document gives the name of your child, their date and place of birth and will match with the details on their passport.
"It will also give the full names of both parents at the time of their birth. So be careful; if your name has changed since your child was born you will need to take more documents with you."
If your last name has been changed from your child's due to divorce then the Managing Director explains it can help to bring your Marriage Certificate or Change of Name Deed.
She added: "On my last trip abroad I also found carrying an expired passport in the name I held at the time of my child’s birth (and therefore as set out in his birth certificate) was very useful as not only did it show what my name was then but it also had a photograph of me and the Border Official was able to marry up the Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate and the expired and current passports."
Anyone who doesn't have permission from other people with parental responsibility may need to apply to a court to take a child abroad.
If a parent has obtained a Child Arrangement Order which states that the child lives with them, then they only need to get the other parent's consent if they are going to be out of the UK for more than 28 days.
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