I have a friend whose g/f is taking their baby to Uganda and then over the border to Kenya to visit family. The child and the father are British born. I read somewhere that a document is required proving 'parental responsibility' if a single parent is travelling. Failure to produce such a document can apparently lead to the child being refused permission to leave the country once in.. Apart from the odd one line comment i can't find anything on the internet. Does anyone know anything about this?

The only place to get a definitive answer is with Britain's Home Office, which is the equivalent of the U.S. State Dept., that monitors and controls immigration, passports and treaties with foreign countries. Their website is at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/
but I would recommend that your friend contact them directly and confirm precisely what documentation would be required for him to travel with his child.

You are right to be worried. There are a number of travel restrictions on single parents traveling with children, especially in Asia and Africa. Failure to know the proper documents to travel with can land one in some nasty trouble in some unpleasant places. The correct answer is completely _base_d on the citizenship of the travelers and the treaties in place between the country of origin and the country of travel.

Thank you. You reminded me where I had seen the info i had.. I got it from the foreign office website and it just gives this information..

Travelling with children

Single parents or other adults travelling alone with children should be aware that some countries require documentary evidence of parental responsibility before allowing lone parents to enter the country or, in some cases, before permitting the children to leave the country. For further information on exactly what will be required at Immigration, please contact the Kenya High Commission in London.

He'll have to contact the Kenya High Commission, and I'll make sure to nag himto do it. Sounds pretty risky.

Yes, it is. The website seems to just give a warning. To confirm what needs to be done, he should contact them directly.

I agree.. i'll make sure that he does this as soon as possible. The other thing is that it may take several weeks to acquire the corrct documentation, and they are traavelling soon.

Thanks again.

stav1 wrote:
Thank you. You reminded me where I had seen the info i had.. I got it from the foreign office website and it just gives this information..

Travelling with children

Single parents or other adults travelling alone with children should be aware that some countries require documentary evidence of parental responsibility before allowing lone parents to enter the country or, in some cases, before permitting the children to leave the country. For further information on exactly what will be required at Immigration, please contact the Kenya High Commission in London.

He'll have to contact the Kenya High Commission, and I'll make sure to nag himto do it. Sounds pretty risky.

This is not something I have come across before. As my first husband (my children's father) is dead, I am not sure how I would prove parental responsibility. I only have birth, marriage and death certificates. Would that be sufficient?