A holiday with the family can be stressful enough without any hidden problems when arriving at the airport.
A family lawyer has revealed that airport security could prevent parents from travelling with their kids if they have a different surname.
This can be for a variety of different reasons that are innocent enough, such as the parents not being married.
However, the airport could refuse to allow families from boarding their flight and even inform the police with suspected kidnap allegations.
It has emerged that nearly 600,000 parents have been stopped at security due to a different surname.
Hannah Marshall was travelling with her daughter, as well as the father of her child when they were stopped. As they had not married yet, her daughter had her father’s surname of Marshall, whilst Hannah’s surname was still Thomas.
“They looked at both mine and my daughter’s passports then asked me how I knew the little girl and when I said it was my daughter they asked why I did not have the same last name,” she told the Manchester Evening News.
Security eventually allowed them to board after checking her partner’s name and informing them next time to allow her partner to take her daughter through instead to prevent it from happening again.
David Connor, the family lawyer who warned holidaygoers, stating parents could be stopped anywhere from check-in to being refused at the border if they have a different name from their child.
“For separated families, you’ll need evidence of approval from your child’s other parent, but remember to seek approval from everyone with parental responsibility – this may include grandparents too”.
It can be for a variety of other reasons that this common issue could occur, including divorced parents if the woman reverts back to her maiden name, although there is an easy way around this.
“A change of name deed will help here, which can be supplied by a solicitor,” says David. “Take a copy of your child’s birth certificate with you too to prove who you are.”
