Notary services
Notary for travel consent letters: where each parent signs
The right notary for travel consent letters depends on where the parent giving consent is standing on the day of signing. A parent in Dubai can sign before our in-house notary public at our Business Bay office, at a home visit, or at a Dubai Courts service centre. A parent in another emirate signs at that emirate's notary office. A parent outside the UAE signs before a notary in their own country, or at a UAE embassy or consulate that offers notarial services. The letter then travels with the child.
This page works through those cases one by one. It is written for families where the two parents, or the parent and the adult travelling with the child, are not all in the same place. How to word the letter, and the court route for a travel power of attorney, are covered by the guides linked below.
- A child travel consent letter is signed by the parent or parents who are not travelling, giving permission for the trip.
- It is signed in person before a notary. Only public notaries, private notaries and accredited UAE consuls carry out notarial duties in the UAE.
- Each parent can sign at a different office, on a different day, as long as each signature is notarised.
- A letter signed outside the UAE needs attestation before a UAE office will rely on it, and a letter signed here for use abroad may need attestation too.
- Who actually asks for the letter (the airline, the destination country, a school or an embassy) decides its exact wording.
First, who must sign?
Usually it is the parent who is not travelling. If the child travels with neither parent, both parents normally sign. If a court order gives one parent sole authority over travel, that order may replace the other parent's consent, and you will need a copy with you.
Once you know who signs, the question becomes where. That is what the rest of this page answers.
Case 1: the signing parent lives in Dubai
This is the simplest case. The parent signs before:
- our in-house notary public at our Business Bay office, Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (Dubai time),
- a notary public on a home visit, when the parent cannot travel, or
- a Dubai Courts notary at one of its service centres.
Both act under Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013, so the letter has the same effect either way. Choose on convenience: which office takes the document on the day you can go. Our guide to Dubai Courts notary public locations lists the service centres, and the busiest one has its own Wafi Mall notary guide.
Need a child travel consent notary near you? The answer is the nearest of those two kinds of office that takes a consent letter. The notary services near you page maps them by area.
Case 2: the signing parent lives in another emirate
A parent living in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi or the northern emirates does not have to drive to Dubai. They can sign at the notary office in their own emirate, and the letter can be used by the travelling parent in Dubai.
- Abu Dhabi: see our Abu Dhabi notary guide.
- Sharjah: our page on where the Sharjah notary offices are.
- The four northern emirates: Ajman and its neighbours.
Before the signing, agree the exact text between both parents, so the letter signed in one emirate says exactly what the other parent expects.
Step by step
Case 3: the signing parent is abroad
This is the case that causes the most trouble. The parent abroad has two usual routes:
1
A notary in the country where they are, followed by attestation in that country and at the UAE embassy there, then MOFAIC attestation in the UAE. This is the standard chain for a foreign document to be accepted in the UAE.
2
A UAE embassy or consulate in that country, if it offers notarial services. Accredited UAE consuls are named in federal law as one of the three kinds of notary.
Allow time. Attestation abroad is often the slowest part, and couriering the original to the UAE adds days. A scanned copy is rarely enough for an airline or a border officer.
Case 4: the letter is for use in another country
Sometimes both parents are in the UAE, but the letter is for the destination country, for example India. Then the question is what that country accepts. A consent letter notarised in Dubai may need MOFAIC attestation and the destination country's embassy stamp. Some countries want their own form, signed at their own consulate.
For a child travel consent form from the UAE to India, check with the Indian mission first whether it needs its own form or accepts a UAE notarised letter. Our page on consulate notary and foreign documents explains when your own consulate is the better office.
Case 5: a child flying into the UAE without a parent
When a child flies in alone, the authorization letter for minor to travel without parents to UAE is usually signed in the child's home country, before a notary there, because that is where the parents are. The airline and the UAE entry rules decide what is needed. If the adult receiving the child in the UAE needs to act for the child here, such as with a school or a hospital, that is a wider authority than a travel letter and may need a power of attorney.
A notarized letter to allow a child to travel: what makes it work
People ask what a notarized letter to allow a child to travel actually is. It is a consent letter whose signature a notary has certified. The notary checks the parent's identity and consent. The notary does not check whether the trip is a good idea, and the letter is only as useful as its wording. The common reasons a letter fails are practical:
- The travelling adult's name does not match their passport exactly.
- The dates are missing, or the trip overruns them.
- Only one parent signed when the destination wanted both.
- It was signed abroad and never attested.
For the parts of a finished letter, see what is a notarized letter.
Letter, form or power of attorney?
A consent letter gives permission for a trip. A notary child travel consent form is the same idea in a fixed layout, often supplied by an airline or a school. A power of attorney goes further: it lets someone act for the child, not only travel with them. The court route for a travel power of attorney is set out in detail at notarypublicindubai.com. For a ready template letter, families often use the forms on privatenotarydubai.com.
Cost
Two fee systems can apply. If the letter is treated as a signature authentication on the federal schedule, the fee is AED 200 per party; if it is drafted as an affidavit, AED 300. A private notary in Dubai charges under a separate Dubai Courts decision: AED 100 per party registration plus AED 100 per signature.
A travel consent prepared by us starts from AED 1,200. All service prices are starting prices and are negotiable. Government fees are paid on top, at cost, exactly as the authority charges them. We confirm your final price before you pay. Full lists are on notary public charges and our services.
How we notarise your consent letter
We agree the wording with both parents and prepare it in Arabic and English. A parent in Dubai signs before our in-house notary public, in person, online through the official remote channels where the document allows it, or at a home visit. A parent in another emirate or abroad gets a clear plan for where to sign there. When the parent abroad has signed and the letter is attested, we take it through MOFAIC in the UAE.
Can each parent sign the consent letter at a different notary?
Yes. Each parent's signature is notarised where that parent is. Make sure both copies carry exactly the same wording.
Is a travelling consent letter for a minor valid if signed abroad?
It can be, once it is notarised there and attested through the UAE embassy and MOFAIC. Without attestation, UAE offices may refuse it.
Where can I find a notary for a consent letter for children travelling abroad in Dubai?
At any Dubai Courts service centre that takes the act, or at a private notary office. Check timings on the official source before you go.
Does the parent who travels need to sign as well?
Usually not, but some destinations ask for both parents on every letter. Read the receiving office's instructions.
How long before the trip should the letter be signed?
As close to the trip as practical, but with time for attestation if a parent is abroad. Some offices only accept recent letters.
Contact
Talk to us
Tell us where each parent is and where the child is going. We will tell each signer which office to use.
Phone and WhatsApp
Office
707 Burj Khalifa Blvd, Marasi Drive, Business Bay, Dubai, UAE
Hours
Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (Dubai time)
Notary services
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Hub
Notarization services in Dubai: in-house notary public at our Business Bay office, online notary through the official channels, and home visits.
Sources for this page
- Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2022, Article 3: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1563
- Dubai Law No. 4 of 2013 concerning Notaries Public in the Emirate of Dubai: https://dlp.dubai.gov.ae/Legislation%20Reference/2013/Law%20No.%20(4)%20of%202013%20Concerning%20Notaries%20Public%20in%20the%20Emirate%20of%20Dubai.html
- Cabinet Resolution No. 19 of 2024, items 8 and 12: https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2491
- Dubai Courts private notary fee decision, Dubai Media Office: https://mediaoffice.ae/en/news/2025/december/29-12/dubai-courts-is-preparing-to-implement-the-decision-regulating-the-fees-of-the-private-notary-public
- MOFAIC attestation: https://www.mofa.gov.ae/en/services/attestation