Rules for the departure of minors abroad of the Russian Federation
The rules for the departure of children abroad are spelled out in the Federal Law of August 15, 1996 No. 114-FZ «On the procedure for leaving the Russian Federation and entering the Russian Federation», according to which a minor child, when traveling abroad, either together with one of the parents or alone, requires the consent of one of the parents. The consent of the other parent is optional, but there are a number of nuances:
1. If the parents have an unresolved conflict with each other, one of them may secretly submit a statement of his disagreement with the child's departure abroad. In this regard, passport control at the Russian airport will be denied. Therefore, it is worth taking care of this in advance and clarifying with the appropriate services about the absence of restrictions on traveling abroad of the Russian Federation.
It is important to know that if one of the parents does not agree with the departure of the child abroad, in his application he will need to indicate the reason for his disagreement. These could be medical contraindications, court decisions, or other restrictions. In turn, the second parent will need to go to court and demand that the said application be considered in the prescribed manner.
The register of restrictions on children's travel abroad is maintained by the migration department of the territorial bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the place of residence of one of the parents or at the place of residence of the minor child himself. The bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia accept and keep records of such statements.
2. The consent of the second parent for the minor child to travel abroad may be required in the country where you want to go. Some countries do not even issue a visa without the notarized consent of both parents. Therefore, it is better to insure yourself and have the specified document in your luggage. For example, the UK asks for the consent of only one parent, Ireland and the Schengen countries both.
Before traveling abroad, carefully read the list of required documents. In addition to the birth certificate, parental consent and passport, take to the airport just in case:
- a certificate from the registry office if a minor child is raised by one parent;
- court decision (if one of the parents is deprived of parental rights);
- marriage or divorce certificate (if you and your child have different surnames)
- death certificate of the second parent.
We recommend that you do not give your child with you any additional documents, but simply take them to the airport and show them if asked at check-in for a flight or at passport control.
If you have an individual situation, please consult with the border service on how to properly pass your child through passport control:
Contact phone number for obtaining background information on the procedure for leaving the Russian Federation and entering the Russian Federation for Russian and foreign citizens
+7 (495) 626 77 40
+7 (495) 929 12 41
from 09.00 to 18.00 on weekdays
Duty Service of the Border Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation
+7 (495) 626 73 55
Duty Officer of the Border Control Detachment of the FSB of Russia at the Sheremetyevo Airport
+7 (495) 578 90 90
The border control detachment of the FSB of Russia at the Sheremetyevo airport in Terminal D
+7 (495) 929 13 00
The border control detachment of the FSB of Russia at the Sheremetyevo airport in Terminal E
+7 (495) 929 13 13
The border control detachment of the FSB of Russia at the Sheremetyevo airport in Terminal F
+7 (495) 578 80 67
What is the procedure for the departure of minor citizens of the Russian Federation from the Russian Federation?
If a minor citizen of Russia leaves the Russian Federation unaccompanied by parents, adoptive parents, guardians or trustees, he must have with him, in addition to his passport, a notarized consent from one of the named persons (original) for the departure of a minor citizen of the Russian Federation, indicating the date of departure and the state (states) which (which) he intends to visit. In this case, the consent of the second parent is also not required.
Is a notarized consent to leave the Russian Federation required from the second parent if the child leaves with one of the parents?
In the event of a minor citizen of the Russian Federation leaving the Russian Federation together with one of the parents, the consent to the child's departure abroad from the second parent is not required. (The basis of Article 20 of the Federal Law of August 15, 1996 No. 114-FZ "On the procedure for leaving the Russian Federation and entering the Russian Federation").
If a child travels abroad unaccompanied by parents, is consent from both parents required or is consent from one of the parents sufficient?
If a minor citizen of Russia leaves the Russian Federation unaccompanied by parents, adoptive parents, guardians or trustees, he must have with him, in addition to his passport, a notarized consent (original) of the named persons to leave the minor citizen of the Russian Federation indicating the time of departure and the state (states) which (which) he intends to visit. In this case, the consent of one of the parents is sufficient (the basis of Article 20 of the Federal Law of August 15, 1996, No. 114-FZ "On the procedure for leaving the Russian Federation and entering the Russian Federation").
What information must be contained in a notarized consent from parents, adoptive parents, guardians or trustees for a minor citizen of the Russian Federation to leave the Russian Federation?
In accordance with article 20 of the Federal Law of the Russian Federation of August 15, 1996 No. 114-FZ "On the procedure for leaving the Russian Federation and entering the Russian Federation" in a notarized consent from the parents, adoptive parents, guardians or trustees to leave the Russian Federation of a minor a citizen of the Russian Federation (hereinafter - notarial consent) must contain information about the validity period of the consent and the name of the state (states) that he / she intends to visit.
According to the clarification of the Ministry of Justice of Russia dated December 19, 2017 No. 12-158024 / 17 on the registration of consent for the departure of a minor citizen from the Russian Federation, the period of departure of a minor citizen from the Russian Federation should indicate the period in which such a minor leaves the Russian Federation. At the same time, no legislative limitation of such a period (for example, for 1 year, etc.) has been established.
According to the rules established by Article 190 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, the validity period of consent can be determined by a calendar date or the expiration of a period of time, which can be calculated in years, months, weeks, days or hours. Also, the period can be determined by an indication of an event that must inevitably occur - adulthood, expiration of a visa, passport, etc.
In the part concerning the method of indicating the state (states) that the minor citizen intends to visit, the names of states generally accepted in international relations should be used. When intending to visit several countries, their names must be listed. At the same time, the names of communities, such as an EU country, a CIS country, etc. not allowed.
Are parental consent certified by foreign notaries accepted?
The consent of the parents, drawn up by a notary of a foreign state, must contain a translation into Russian and be appropriately legalized by certification by a consular foreign office of the Russian Federation or by affixing an apostille provided for by the Hague Convention, which abolishes the requirement for legalization of foreign official documents of October 5, 1961.
What are the rules for filing an application for refusal to leave the Russian Federation for a minor citizen of the Russian Federation?
On June 12, 2019, the Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation of May 31, 2019 No. 690 entered into force, in accordance with which the Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 273 dated May 12, 2003 departure from the Russian Federation of a minor citizen of the Russian Federation ”.
Simultaneously from that date, the Procedure for filing, considering and maintaining records of applications of disagreement with the departure of a minor citizen of the Russian Federation from the Russian Federation, approved by order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia dated February 11, 2019 No. 62, entered into force (registered with the Ministry of Justice of Russia on May 8, 2019, registration No. 54596), in accordance with which the reception and registration of such applications is carried out by divisions on migration of territorial bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the regional and district levels at the place of residence (stay) of one of the parents, adoptive parents, guardians or trustees of a minor citizen of the Russian Federation or a minor citizen The Russian Federation, in respect of which the application is submitted, as well as the diplomatic missions or consular offices of the Russian Federation at the place of permanent residence of the applicant outside the Russian Federation.
In this regard, since June 12, 2019, the border authorities do not accept applications from citizens about their disagreement with the departure of a minor citizen of the Russian Federation from the Russian Federation.
Where can I find out if a parent has submitted a statement of disagreement to leave the Russian Federation for their child?
In accordance with the Procedure for Submitting, Considering and Keeping Records of Applications of Disagreement to the Exit of a Minor Citizen of the Russian Federation from the Russian Federation, approved by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia No. 62 dated February 11, 2019, registration of such applications is carried out by the subdivisions on migration issues of the territorial bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the regional and district levels.
What confirms the citizenship of the Russian Federation when leaving the Russian Federation for a child under 14 years of age with a birth certificate?
In accordance with the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated April 13, 2011 No. 444 "On additional measures to ensure the rights and protection of the interests of minor citizens of the Russian Federation" representatives are certified:
a) the child's foreign, diplomatic or service passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation, which certifies the identity of a citizen of the Russian Federation outside the Russian Federation;
b) a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation of a parent, including a foreign, diplomatic or service passport, which contains information about the child;
c) a birth certificate, which contains information:
on the citizenship of the Russian Federation of both parents or the only parent (regardless of the place of birth of the child);
on the citizenship of the Russian Federation of one of the parents, if the other parent is a stateless person or recognized as missing, or if his location is unknown (regardless of the place of birth of the child);
on the citizenship of the Russian Federation of one of the parents and the citizenship of a foreign state of the other parent (if the birth certificate was issued on the territory of the Russian Federation);
d) a mark on the translation into Russian of a document issued by a competent authority of a foreign state to certify the act of registration of the birth of a child, affixed by the federal executive body authorized to exercise control and supervision functions in the field of migration, or by its territorial body, a consular office of the Russian Federation, or the consular section of the diplomatic mission of the Russian Federation;
e) a mark on a birth certificate issued by an authorized body of the Russian Federation, affixed by the federal executive body authorized to exercise control and supervision functions in the field of migration, or by its territorial body, a consular institution of the Russian Federation or a consular department of the diplomatic mission of the Russian Federation.