Consent for a child's travel abroad: how to issue it and what is needed at the border: what to do under Georgian law

What to do

1. Whose permission is needed: under 16 — the permission of ONE legal representative and an adult escort (Law on the Rules of Exit from and Entry into Georgia of Citizens of Georgia, Art. 8); aged 16–18 — the child may travel alone, with the consent of one legal representative (Law on the Rules of Exit from and Entry into Georgia of Citizens of Georgia, Art. 8). Who gives consent: parents as legal representatives (Civil Code of Georgia, Art. 1198); under guardianship — the guardian (Civil Code of Georgia, Art. 1293). If the child travels with one of the parents, the second parent's consent is not needed to leave Georgia; with a grandmother, coach or teacher — the permission of one parent is needed, and the escort must be an adult.
2. Form: the law does not prescribe a form, but the permission must be proven at the border, to the airline and to the country of entry. The standard is a written consent with a notarised signature (Law on Notary, Art. 38) (child, escort, country, period, purpose), with a certified translation (Law on Notary, Art. 38). A parent abroad: notarial acts abroad are performed by the consul of Georgia (Law on Notary, Art. 42).
3. For the country of entry: notarial acts are certified by apostille (Procedure for Certifying Documents by Apostille, Art. 3); the apostille is affixed by the Public Service Development Agency (Procedure for Certifying Documents by Apostille, Art. 5). The rules of the country of entry and of any second citizenship (consent of both parents, a special form) should be checked with its consulate; a visa of the destination country is required if no visa-free regime applies (Law on the Rules of Exit from and Entry into Georgia of Citizens of Georgia, Art. 15).
4. At the border: the child's passport, birth certificate, the original consent, and the escort's documents. If the second parent objects, a dispute between parents about travel is decided by the court (Law on the Rules of Exit from and Entry into Georgia of Citizens of Georgia, Art. 8).
5. Where to apply: notary; consulate of Georgia; Public Service Development Agency — apostille; Ministry of Internal Affairs border control.
6. Evidence: the child's passport and birth certificate, the escort's passport, the notarised consent (original, translation, apostille), the guardianship decision.
7. Pitfalls: a “power of attorney” modelled on CIS forms instead of a permission for a trip with a specific escort; a child under 16 without an adult escort does not leave the country; no apostille or translation for the country of entry.

Be sure to check

• under 16 — permission of one legal representative and an adult escort; aged 16–18 — consent of one representative, the child may travel alone
• when travelling with one of the parents, the second parent's consent is not required to leave Georgia
• how to issue it — a notarised written consent (or one issued by a consul abroad), a translation and an apostille for the country of entry
• check the requirements of the country of entry; in a dispute between parents — the court decides