Travel of minors
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TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION ON THE MINOR’S PASSPORT
TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION BY PUBLIC DEED
DECLARATION OF RESIDENCE OUTSIDE BRAZIL
TRAVEL FROM/TO THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
TRAVEL FROM/TO OTHER COUNTRIES
INTRODUCTION
If your child has a Brazilian birth certificate and is under 18 (eighteen) years old, it is required that, in order to exit the Brazilian territory, both parents sign a written authorization for this, unless your child is travelling with both parents. Without this authorization, the Federal Police will not authorize the departure of your child. This also applies in case of Brazilian minors who live outside Brazil: your child will be able to travel to Brazil but, on the day of return, he/she will be barred from going back to his/her country of residence if he/she does not have this authorization.
This rule is valid even if:
- The minor is traveling with one of his/her parents and/or other relatives;
- The minor has two or more nationalities, has a non-Brazilian parent, has entered Brazil with a non-Brazilian passport and/or lives outside the Brazilian territory;
- The minor's parents are divorced and the minor is traveling with the parent who has his/her custody, unless the court order expressly states that his/her guardian is authorized to travel with the minor without the consent of the other parent.
The Federal Police only requires travel authorization in case of Brazilian minors (i.e., holders of a Brazilian birth certificates). Non-Brazilian minors are thus exempt from this rule, even if one or both of their parents are Brazilian citizens. It should be noted, however, that, in case of minors who hold multiple nationalities, if he/she has Brazilian nationality, the Federal Police will consider him/her a Brazilian minor and ask for the travel authorization, even if the minor does not live in Brazil and/ or doesn’t speak Portuguese.
TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION ON THE MINOR’S PASSPORT
The simplest, most practical and safest way to secure a travel authorization is, when applying for the minor’s new passport, to request the inclusion of this authorization in the passport itself. The Embassy of the Federative Republic of Brazil in Abu Dhabi is authorized to provide this service; for more information on obtaining a new passport with travel authorization, click here.
TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION FORM
Another way to secure a travel authorization is by filling out a Travel Authorization Form containing both parents’ signatures duly legalized. The disadvantage of this option, compared to the authorization in the passport itself, is that it is necessary to prepare forms for each time that the minor leaves the Brazilian territory, while the travel authorization within the passport can be valid up to the passport’s expiry date.
The Embassy of the Federative Republic of Brazil in Abu Dhabi can legalize the parent's signature on this form, provided that the parents are Brazilian citizens or hold a valid Brazilian foreign ID card (RNE). This service is free; to request it:
- Fill out 2 (two) copies of the Travel Authorization Form (to obtain the form in English, click here; in Portuguese, click here);
- Book an appointment (click here for more information);
- Both parents must come to the Embassy on the scheduled day and time, with both copies of the form, a copy of the appointment confirmation email, and their Brazilian photo IDs (in case of non-Brazilian parents, a RNE card).
- If the non-Brazilian parent does not have a valid RNE card, he/she will have to legalize his/her signature at the Embassy/Consulate of his/her country, legalize the recognition at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates (MOFAIC) and, finally, legalize the document at the Embassy of the Federative Republic of Brazil in Abu Dhabi.
You must bring all the documents required, otherwise your request may be denied and you will have to book a new appointment. If there are no problems with the documentation, your signatures on the Travel Authorization Forms will be legalized on the same day of the appointment, and the documents will be returned between 12:30 and 13:30 (on Fridays, between 11:00 and 12:00).
When exiting the Brazilian territory, the minor must present those forms during check-in.
TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION BY PUBLIC DEED
A travel authorization can also be done using a Brazilian public deed (escritura pública). Upon departure from Brazil to abroad, the minor must present this document during check-in.
DECLARATION OF RESIDENCE OUTSIDE BRAZIL
In case of minors that live outside the Brazilian territory, the travel authorization can be replaced by a declaration, issued by a Brazilian Embassy or Consulate, stating that he/she does not live in Brazil. This option is possible only if the minor is travelling with one of his/her parents. If, however, the minor is travelling alone or with people other than his/her parents (even other relatives), it is not possible to use this certificate to leave Brazil.
The Embassy of the Federative Republic of Brazil in Abu Dhabi can issue this declaration. For more information, click here for instructions on residency certificates. On the day of the service, explain to the attendant that the certificate will be used to enable a minor's return to his/her country of residence.
SPECIAL CASES
In case of death of one of the parents, or the destitution, by a court of law, of the parental authority of one of the parents, the other will be responsible for signing, alone, the travel authorization for his/her children. In case of death of both parents, or the destitution, by a court of law, of the parental authority of both parents, legally appointed legal guardians will be responsible for signing the authorization. All those events must be duly recorded on the minor's birth certificate. For further instructions, consult the public notary that issued the birth certificate.
If the parents do not agree over travel authorizations for their children, this dispute must be settled by a court of law. The Embassy of the Federative Republic of Brazil in Abu Dhabi cannot interfere in this matter.
TRAVEL FROM/TO THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
In general, Emirati immigration authorities do not require any formality for the departure of Brazilian minors from the territory of the United Arab Emirates. For non-resident minors to enter the country, however, a written parental authorization is required if the minor is not traveling with one of them. This authorization can be issued as a letter, in Arabic or in English, also containing information about the minor’s days of arrival and departure, the reason for the trip and the address during his/her stay in the United Arab Emirates.
This letter must be presented, upon arrival in the United Arab Emirates, to the Emirati immigration control. This document, therefore, is not the same travel authorization that must be presented to the Federal Police upon departure from Brazil. Depending on your case, it will be necessary to prepare both authorizations.
TRAVEL FROM/TO OTHER COUNTRIES
The instructions available on this page refer to Brazilian minors exiting the Brazilian territory and entering the Emirati territory. In case of travel from/to other countries, it is necessary to check, with the immigration authorities of those countries, for any other conditions applicable to minors. Depending on the itinerary, the minor will have to travel with different travel authorizations, written in different languages and to be presented for the immigration authorities of different countries.
ADDITIONAL ALERTS
Compliance with the rules on travel authorization for minors described here does not necessarily imply that the immigration authorities are obliged to authorize your trip. Border police, whether in Brazil or abroad, have broad powers to deny the entry or exit of anyone. Therefore, it is recommended that travelers, including minors, are always in possession of documents, such as round trip air tickets, hotel reservations and travel insurance, that are able to clearly prove the nature of their trip and, especially, that the traveler does not have the intention to infringe immigration rules.
The travel authorization for minors must NOT be confused with passport authorization for minors. To border control, the mere fact that a minor has a passport does not mean that he is automatically authorized to travel abroad, unless the parents have obtained, for the minor, a passport whose booklet already contains the travel authorization (see, above, the section “TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION ON THE MINOR’S PASSPORT”). Similarly, the mere fact that the parents have authorized a minor to travel abroad does not mean that he is automatically authorized to obtain a new passport. It is necessary that both authorizations are produced in writing and using the appropriate forms or documents, according to the instructions of this website.
Remember that, in addition to the regulations issued by governments, airlines may also establish special rules for transporting minors. Before departure, check with your air company whether it applies any conditions for the travel of children and teenagers.
Both the travel authorization for minors and the passport authorization for minors do not imply that a minor is authorized to reside outside Brazil. If one of the parents of a minor wishes to live abroad with the child, it is recommended that he/she first requests, from the other parent, a public deed authorizing the minor to reside abroad and stating that the first parent will be exclusively responsible for their child, including obtaining passports and issuing travel authorizations. In case of disagreement between the parents, the dispute must be settled by a court of law.
TRAVEL WITHIN BRAZIL
The instructions presented on this page refer to minors traveling from Brazil to another country. Remember however that, in case of minors traveling INSIDE Brazil, sometimes an authorization from his/her parents is also required. The rules for travel authorizations within Brazil are not the same as the rules for travel authorizations to exit the Brazilian territory. In this sense, those two travel authorizations are NOT equivalent – one cannot be presented in place of the other. Thus, depending on the itinerary of your travel, it is necessary to prepare both types of authorizations.
Brazilians minors 16 (sixteen) years old and below cannot travel outside their city in Brazil without being accompanied by one of their parents or by an adult relative (must be a third degree relative or closer). This authorization is not necessary when the minor is traveling to an adjacent city or a city on the same metropolitan region where he/she lives.
The Embassy of the Federative Republic of Brazil in Abu Dhabi can legalize parents’ signatures on travel authorizations within Brazil for minors. To request the service:
- Fill out the Travel Authorization within Brazil Form (to access it, click here);
- Book an appointment (click here for more information);
- Both parents must come to the Embassy on the scheduled day and time, with both copies of the form, a copy of the proof of payment of the consular fees, a copy of the appointment confirmation email, and their Brazilian photo IDs (in case of non-Brazilian parents, a RNE card).
- If the non-Brazilian parent does not have a valid RNE card, he/she will have to legalize his/her signature at the Embassy/Consulate of his/her country, legalize the recognition at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates (MOFAIC) and, finally, legalize the document at the Embassy of the Federative Republic of Brazil in Abu Dhabi.
You must bring all the documents required, otherwise your request may be denied and you will have to book a new appointment. If there are no problems with the documentation, your signatures on the Travel Authorization Forms will be legalized on the same day of the appointment, and the documents will be returned between 12:30 and 13:30 (on Fridays, between 11:00 and 12:00).
CONSULAR FEES
The inclusion of a travel authorization in the booklet of a new passport is free of charge; it is required to pay only the consular fees relative to the passport itself. For more information, click here.
The legalization of signatures on the Travel Authorization Form is free of charge, in case of minors traveling either from Brazil to another country or within Brazil.
Click here for more information regarding consular fees.