Most parents assume they don’t need their ex's agreement to take their child abroad on holiday. However, the law says that unless you have a court order in place (and most don't), you need the other parent's agreement to take the child overseas.
What do you need to know?
Before travelling, you must either get the permission of everyone with parental responsibility for your child that you can take your child on holiday or you need to get a court order allowing you to take your child abroad.
You automatically have parental responsibility if you’re the child’s mother, but you still need the permission of anyone else with parental responsibility before you can travel. If you don't do this, the worst case scenario is that not only will you be prevented from taking your child on holiday but you may be accused of trying to ‘’kidnap’’ your child which is a serious criminal offence.
A letter from the person (or people) with parental responsibility for your child is usually enough to show you’ve got permission to take them abroad.
Bear in mind that one parent may not simply choose to withhold consent as there needs to be a justifiable reason why they object. And if you find yourself being asked by your ex to agree to your child going on holiday, remember that you should not withhold your agreement unreasonably.
