After two years of holidays being postponed and cancelled, summer 2022 holds an enormous amount of promise. The world is calling and the people of Scotland are on their way!

For many separated parents, the summer holidays can throw your schedule totally off track. Managing childcare arrangements and foreign travel can lead to a stressful summer of arguments and tension if left to the last minute.

Here are some Family Law tips for planning a holiday between separated parents:

Leave plenty of time to make plans

Each regional Council publishes a school holiday calendar online at least twelve months in advance. It is never too early to start looking at these dates to work towards agreeing the time that the children will spend with each parent. The earlier you start your discussions, the more likely it is that you will be able to either reach an acceptable agreement or refer the matter to a court for a decision to be made.

Make child-friendly plans

If your child is lucky enough to enjoy holidays which require travelling away from home with both parents, think about planning these in a way that gives your child enough time to recover from the journeys and, if applicable, from jetlag between holidays. Make sure you discuss important issues like renewing passports and handing these over in plenty of time. It’s also important to ensure your child has travel insurance and that you have exchanged details of where you will be staying along with emergency contact numbers. Set up times for video or telephone calls that will work with time differences to ensure your child can keep in touch with their other parent.

Do you need consent to travel?

Many countries will require a letter signed by all parties with parental rights and responsibilities if a child is travelling abroad without both parents. This may be more likely to be requested if the child doesn’t share the same surname as the parent they are travelling with.

Avoid drama at Border Control and make sure you have a letter of consent. We offer a fixed fee of £100 plus VAT to provide a notarised letter you can use as evidence to show that you have consent to travel with the child. You can also use this if you need to seek medical treatment for your child abroad.

Getting a court to intervene

If a child’s parents cannot reach agreement about holidays, then a court can be asked to make a decision. A court can be involved in a wide range of issues including:

  • How long a child should spend during the holidays with each parent

  • Where a child can go on holiday

  • Which parent should keep the child’s passport

If you need a decision from a court, please get in touch urgently. Urgent hearings are possible but it is always better to seek assistance as soon as an issue arises to have enough time to deal with the problem.