Welcome to the DAD.Info forum: Important Information – open to read:
Our forum aims to provide support and guidance where it can, however we may not always have the answer. The forum is not moderated 24 hours a day, so If you – or someone you know – are being harmed or in immediate danger of being harmed, call the police on 999.
Alternatively, if you are in crisis, please call Samaritans on 116 123.
If you are worried about you or someone you know is at risk of harm, please click here: How we can help
Hi. Im new to this site and im looking for information hopefully someone can help. My son lives with myself and my new partner and has done for just over 2 and a half years now and his "mother" doesn't bother with him has no contact and refuses mediation, I have a holiday booked for the summer and have been told by the passport office I can apply for his new passport because its a renewal but without her permission I can't take him out of the country. Is there an issue with abandonment and is it woth my while taking it to court? Any help would be great. Thanks
Hi. I need some advice regarding taking my son on holiday. My son lives with me and has done for two and a half years, his mother has not contacted him in a year and a half and refuses all contact and apparently destroyed his passport. I've spoken to a top bloke at the passport office and he advised me that as it was a renewal and I filled his last form it shouldn't be a problem getting a new one but apparently I still need her permission to take him out the country, is this true and how do I go about bypassing the mother as she would never agree? ( there is no court order she gave him up to me ) any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.
Hi there
If you have a Court order that states your son lives with you, then you can take him out of the country for up to a month without permission form the other parent. Without a court order, strictly speaking, permission from the other parent is required.
Does he have the same surname as you? If he does, it's extremely unlikely they would stop you at passport control anyway...many parents take their children out of the country on holiday without the permission of the other parent.
However if you want to make sure, you can apply to the court for either a Child Arrangements Order that your son resides with you, or a Specific Issue Order that will just address the issue of travelling abroad.
Mediation s a requirement before a court application can be made, but if you talk to the mediator they may agree to sign the form to enable you to make the application. With the courts taking a long time to hear cases, you could consider making an urgent application for a Specific Issue Order, which would mean that it's dealt with quickly and mediation doesn't have to be attempted first. You would state that the holiday is booked and you were unaware that you needed the permission of his mother who hasn't been in his life for a long time.
All the best
Hi There,
.
If there is no contact order in place then you would need to gain your ex's permission.
.
I would start to think about gaining a residency order, so that your son is down as residing with you, that way you won't need your ex's permission to take your son out of the county as long as it's not for more that 30 days.
.
GTTS
Welcome to the DAD.info forum.
We don’t like to set ‘rules’, but to make sure that you and the other dads are kept safe, we have some requests. When engaging with the forum, please be aware of the following:
- The forum is not moderated 24 hours per day.
- Many of the moderators do so on a voluntary basis. Whilst they may be able to provide some guidance, advice or support, they may not be able to deal with specifics.
- We are not an emergency crisis service so if you or someone else is in immediate danger, please call emergency services.
- If you are concerned about the safety of a child, please click here to find the support you can get for them (link to new page)
- If you are in crisis, please call Samaritans on 116 123. They are open 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.
We hope you find this forum a supportive environment and thank you for joining us.