Travelling With Children on a Visit Visa: UK & Schengen Consent Letter Rules for Pakistani Families (2026)

Applying for a visit visa gets noticeably more paperwork-heavy the moment a child is on the application. Consular officers in the UK, the Schengen countries and elsewhere treat minors as a higher-risk category for child-safeguarding reasons — which means an extra consent letter, an extra certificate, or an extra signature that many Pakistani parents don’t find out about until their application is already flagged as incomplete. Here is exactly what UK, Schengen and other missions expect when a child under 18 is travelling, and what you need in place before you book an appointment.

Start with Pakistan’s own paperwork

Before any embassy documents come into play, a child needs their own Pakistani travel documents in order. A minor cannot travel on a parent’s passport — every child, regardless of age, needs an individual Machine Readable Passport, which in turn requires a valid Child Registration Certificate (CRC/B-Form) issued by NADRA as proof of identity and parentage. If the CRC lists both parents, it becomes one of the simplest ways for a visa officer to confirm the child’s relationship to the applicant travelling with them.

Several Pakistani missions abroad also ask returning families to carry a signed Parents’ Consent Form for passport or visa services when a child is applying without both parents physically present — worth having on hand as a backup document even if the destination country doesn’t explicitly ask for it.

UK Standard Visitor visa: a consent letter, not notarisation

Children apply on the same Standard Visitor route as adults, and UKVI’s own guidance is clear that a letter is only required “whenever the child is not travelling with a parent or guardian responsible for their care.” There’s no prescribed form — a plain signed letter works, as long as it includes:

• Child’s full name, DOB, nationality & passport number
• Parent/guardian’s name, address & relationship
• A clear statement of consent to travel
• Accompanying adult’s name & passport number
• UK-based carer’s name, address & relationship
• Travel dates, signature and date

Notarisation isn’t required for a UK application. But if the accompanying adult does not hold legal custody, or the case involves separated parents, UKVI expects consent from both parents or whoever holds parental responsibility — and a child arriving with a different adult than the one named on the visa risks refusal at the UK border regardless of what was approved on paper. There is no reduced child fee either: the Standard Visitor visa costs £135 for six months per applicant, child or adult, and each child needs their own separate application.

Schengen visa: notarised consent, and fees scale by age

Schengen missions are stricter about notarisation than the UK. If only one parent is travelling with the child, the non-travelling parent’s consent letter generally needs to be notarised, along with a copy of their passport. If the child is travelling with a grandparent or another relative instead of a parent, consulates typically want notarised authorisation from both parents plus proof of the accompanying adult’s relationship to the child. Sole-custody cases need a court order; joint-custody cases need either the other parent’s consent or a court permission letter; where a parent is deceased, a death certificate is required.

Schengen visa fees are also tiered by age, unlike the UK’s flat rate:

VFS or the relevant application-centre service charge still applies on top, regardless of the child’s age. Children under 12 are generally exempt from the fingerprinting step at the application centre.

Documents to gather before you book the appointment

• Child’s own passport (6+ months validity)
• CRC/B-Form and original birth certificate + copy
• Signed consent letter(s) — notarised for Schengen
• Copies of both parents’ passports & visa pages
• School leave-permission letter (if applicable)
• Proof of funds — a parent’s or sponsor’s statement is accepted

Keep in mind requirements vary by mission and can be updated without much notice — always check the destination consulate’s own checklist before your appointment rather than relying solely on a general guide like this one.

Quick answers

Does a child need their own passport? Yes — every child needs an individual Pakistani passport; travelling on a parent’s passport is not an option for international visit visas.
Is a notarised letter always required? Not for the UK if both parents are travelling with the child. It’s commonly required for Schengen applications and whenever only one parent, or a non-parent relative, is accompanying the child.
Do infants pay the same visa fee? For the UK, yes — no discount by age. For Schengen, children under 6 apply free and ages 6–11 pay a reduced fee.

Visa rules, consent-letter requirements and fees change and vary by mission — always confirm the current checklist directly with the relevant embassy, consulate or official visa application centre before your appointment.