Traveling with Minors
Traveling with Minors
Protection of minors is a priority of the Ministry of Justice in particular, and of the country of Curaçao in general. The legal framework here is formed by the international treaties on the protection of the rights of the child, in conjunction with local laws and regulations. It is important that, for the child’s safety, it can be proven to the Immigration Officer that he/she will validly travel elsewhere, with the permission of the responsible parent(s) or guardian(s).
The Minister of Justice attaches great importance to ensuring that when checks are made at Immigration, whether at the airport or seaport, things go smoothly. In that context, it is important that the child or parent, persons/institutions with whom the minor travels are aware of the documents that are required to prove that the child, and the person traveling with him/her, have permission from the authorized parent(s) or guardian to travel with the child. In response to the foregoing, it is hereby established which documents must be presented to the Border Control when traveling, so that the child may travel lawfully.
The following documents must be shown to the border official on duty, when traveling as a minor or with a minor. The documents are listed by the situation of the minor.
a.Traveling with the parent or legal guardian:
- Long extract of the minor (not older than 6 months) &
- Extract from the Parental Authority Register (not older than 6 months).
b. Minor traveling alone or with someone else other than its parent or legal guardian:
- Long extract of the minor (not older than 6 months) &
- Extract from the Parental Authority Register (not older than 6 months) &
- Fully completed consent form signed by the parent or legal guardian &
- Copy of a valid ID or passport of the parent or legal guardian.
(Parents are married or they have joint custody by virtue of court order or they have joint custody by virtue of a joint declaration to the Court)
a. Traveling with both parents (parents are married):
- “Marriage book” containing the name of the minor(s)
b. Traveling with both parents (parents are NOT married):
- Long extract of the minor (not older than 6 months) &
- Extract from the Parental Authority Register (not older than 6 months)
c. Traveling with one parent (parents are married):
- “Marriage book” containing the name of the minor(s) &
- Fully completed consent form signed by the NON traveling parent &
- Copy of a valid ID or passport of the NON traveling parent.
d. Traveling with one parent (parents are NOT married):
- Long extract of the minor (not older than 6 months) &
- Extract from the Parental Authority Register (not older than 6 months) &
- Fully completed consent form signed by the NON traveling parent &
- Copy of a valid ID or passport of the NON traveling parent.
e.Traveling with another person or institution/organization (parents are married):
- Copy of the “marriage book” containing the name of the minor(s) &
- Fully completed consent form signed by BOTH parents &
- Copy of a valid ID or passport of BOTH parents.
f. Traveling with another person or institution/organization (parents are NOT married):
- Long extract of the minor (not older than 6 months) &
- Extract from the Parental Authority Register (not older than 6 months) &
- Fully completed consent form signed by BOTH parents &
- Copy of a valid ID or passport of BOTH parents.
Due to the compulsory education of minors, permission from the school principal must be submitted outside vacation periods. In case of a total exemption from compulsory education, a decision of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport must be submitted to prove the exemption.
To obtain an extract from the Parental Authority Register at the Common Court of Justice (Kas di Korte), a request must be made at least 7 working days in advance. The request must be accompanied by a long extract from Public Affairs (Kranshi), not older than 3 months. A court fee of NAF 50 will be charged for each request / deed. One must pay the court fee upon submission of the request at the information desk, or in case of digital submission of the request, upon collection of the deed.
To obtain an extract from the basic records, an appointment must be made. The cost for obtaining the long extract is Naf 10,-.
Legal representatives of foreign minors traveling to Curaçao must also take the aforementioned principles into account. The traveling foreign minor should present the documents, applicable in their country or origin, by means of which it can be proven that the minor is traveling with his/her lawful parents or has been granted permission for the purpose of the trip, and, if applicable, to travel with a designated accompanying adult.
Failure to produce the necessary documents for identification purposes and the safe stay of the child may mean that the minor will not be granted admission or will (temporarily) be placed under the supervision of the competent authorities for the purpose of the necessary investigation.
The documents to be presented for traveling non-resident minor foreigners include:
- Birth certificate, identity documents, as well as travel documents of the minor;
- Identity document(s) of the guardian or the competent parent(s) or guardian, having authority to give consent to travel;
- Valid identity documents of the accompanying adult;
- Documents proving who is the legal representative of the traveling minor;
- If special circumstances exist, they must be supported by official legal documents. These should be apostilled or legalized;
- Fully completed consent form, signed by the parent(s) who is/are not traveling, designating the responsible and, if necessary, accompanying adult and the responsible adult during the stay.
A minor foreigner traveling alone must be reported to the Aliens Supervision and Border Control Unit by means of a duly filled-out consent form, signed by the lawful legal representative(s) together with the required documents as mentioned above.
If the minor enters for a long-term stay, he/she must have a (temporary) residence permit, or a letter of approval from the Admission Office Curaçao, for the purpose of family reunification or study.
In emergency and special cases, such as medical cases, the Team Leader of the Border Control Department of the Aliens Supervision and Border Control Unit can be contacted at the telephone number +5999 674 0143.
In view of the various documents that need to be submitted, the various appointments that need to be made with the aforementioned agencies, and the waiting period to receive these documents, it is advised to begin preparations to travel with a minor in a timely manner.