Child Travel Consent for Fiji From Australia

For a child travelling to Fiji without a parent, the Fiji High Commission in Canberra publishes a parental consent form. The parent completes it in block letters, names the adult travelling with the child and the dates, and signs before a Justice of the Peace. It must travel with the child's passport. A notary is not needed.

Key takeaways

• The Fiji High Commission in Canberra publishes a parental consent form for a minor travelling to Fiji, for use in Australia.
• The form is signed by the parent or legal guardian and witnessed by a Justice of the Peace, with the JP's name, registration number and stamp.
• It names each child, their passport, the adult travelling with them and the first and last days of travel.
• The form says it must accompany the minor with the passport.
• Fiji's visitor visa checklists ask for a consent letter from parents for travellers 18 and under travelling alone, and proof of relationship with a travelling companion.

When does a child need consent to travel to Fiji?

The Fiji High Commission's form is designed for a child travelling in the care of an adult who is not the consenting parent: it records the parent's consent to the child's travel to Fiji "in the care of" a named adult, between set dates. That covers a child travelling with one parent while the other stays home, with grandparents, with family friends, or on a school or sports trip.

Fiji's Ministry of Immigration points the same way. Its visitor visa checklists for holiday travel list a consent letter from parents for applicants aged 18 and under travelling alone, and proof of relationship with the travelling companion, such as marriage or birth certificates. Those checklists are for people who need a visa; many Australian passport holders visit Fiji without applying for one in advance. The consent letter is still worth carrying whenever a child travels without both parents.

The child is travelling	Who signs the form	Witness
With one parent	The parent staying home, naming the travelling parent	A JP
With grandparents or friends	The parents, naming the travelling adult	A JP
With a school or sports group	The parents, naming the group leader	A JP
With a parent who has sole custody	Usually not needed; carry the custody order	Not applicable

What the High Commission's form asks for

The form, headed Letter of Parental Consent for Minor Child to Travel, asks you to type or write neatly in English, in block letters, and sets out three parts:

1. The parent or legal guardian: given names and surname as shown on the birth certificate, residential address, phone number and email, and relationship to the child.
2. Each child travelling to Fiji: given names and surname as they appear on the passport, date of birth, country of passport and passport number. There is room for several children.
3. The consent: the parent's full name, consenting to the children's travel to Fiji in the care of a named adult, from the first day of travel until the last, with the parent's signature and the date.

Below that sits the witness section, for a Justice of the Peace, with the JP's name and registration number, signature, date and stamp.

Who witnesses it: a JP

This is where the Fiji form differs from many countries' requirements. It names a Justice of the Peace as the witness, not a notary. A JP in Australia can witness it, usually free, and there is no need for a notary or an apostille. Bring photo identification to the JP, and sign only in front of them.

Use a notary only if a specific body, such as an airline, a school running the trip, or a Fijian authority, asks you in writing for a notarised consent. Our guide on notaries and JPs explains the difference, and our guide to travel consent letters covers countries where a notary is needed.

Submitting it to the High Commission

The High Commission's web page for the form lets you download it and also upload the completed form with supporting documents, with your name and contact details. The page does not explain what the High Commission does with an uploaded form, so if you are unsure whether you need to upload it before the trip, ask the High Commission. Either way, the form itself is clear that the signed consent must travel with the child, together with the passport.

Travelling alone

A child flying to Fiji without any adult falls within Fiji immigration's checklist item for travellers aged 18 and under travelling alone, which asks for a consent letter from the parents. The High Commission's form is built around a travelling adult, so for a child flying alone, ask the High Commission how it wants the form completed, and check the airline's unaccompanied minor rules, minimum ages and forms. The person meeting the child in Fiji may also need to show identification to the airline.

Supporting documents to carry

Fiji's visitor visa checklists ask for proof of relationship with the travelling companion, such as marriage or birth certificates. For a family trip, that suggests carrying:

• A certified copy of the child's birth certificate, naming the parents.
• If the travelling adult is a parent with a different surname, a marriage certificate or other document linking the names.
• A copy of the consenting parent's passport or licence, to match the signature on the form.
• Any custody order, if one parent has sole parental responsibility.

The Ministry's checklists also say documents not in English need a certified English translation by a registered translator. Australian certificates are already in English. Our guide to certified copies of birth certificates explains how to get one.

If a NSW JP hesitates

NSW Communities and Justice has said that NSW JPs are not authorised to witness documents for use overseas, so a JP in New South Wales may be cautious about a form for Fiji. The Fiji High Commission's form is made for applications lodged in Australia and names a JP as the witness, so show the JP the form's own witness section. If a JP still declines, a notary public can witness the signature instead; the form is not harmed by a notary's signature and stamp in the witness section. Our guide on JPs and notaries in NSW explains the rule.

Groups, school trips and timing

For a school, church or sports trip, each child's parents complete a form naming the group leader as the adult in whose care the child travels, and many groups collect the forms before departure. Because the form states the first and last days of travel, sign it once the dates are fixed. If the dates change, complete a new form rather than altering the old one, and have it witnessed again. A form with crossed-out dates invites questions.

An illustration

This is an illustration, not a real case. A Melbourne family's two children are flying to Nadi with their grandmother for the school holidays, while both parents work. The mother downloads the High Commission's form, fills in her details, both children's passport details, the grandmother's full name and the travel dates in block letters, and signs it before a JP at the local library. She gives the grandmother the form, certified copies of both birth certificates and a copy of her own passport, packed with the children's passports.

Children of Fijian citizens

Many Australian families travelling to Fiji have a Fijian parent. Fiji's Ministry of Immigration offers exemption status for an unmarried child of a Fiji citizen, under 18, who holds a foreign passport, allowing the child to enter, reside and study in Fiji. The application has its own form and requirements, including evidence of the Fijian parent's citizenship; if that parent was born in Fiji and has no valid Fiji passport, the Ministry asks for their birth certificate with a valid national photo ID. That is a separate step from the travel consent, and matters mainly for longer stays; the consent form is still wise if the child travels without both parents.

Leaving Australia

On the Australian side, the child needs their own passport, and the Australian Passport Office generally needs the consent of everyone with parental responsibility to issue one. Australia does not generally ask for a consent letter at departure, but a child can be stopped from leaving if a court order restrains travel or the child is on the Australian Federal Police's Family Law Watchlist.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Paying for a notary when the High Commission's form names a JP.
• Leaving the travel dates open: the form asks for the first and last days.
• Names that differ from the passport or birth certificate.
• Packing the form in checked luggage instead of with the passport.
• Forgetting proof of relationship when surnames differ.

In short

For a child travelling to Fiji without a parent, use the Fiji High Commission's Letter of Parental Consent for Minor Child to Travel: complete it in block letters, name the travelling adult and the dates, and sign it before a Justice of the Peace. Carry it with the child's passport, along with a certified copy of the birth certificate. No notary or apostille is needed. Our notarisation service covers documents that do need a notary.

People also search for

• When does a travel consent letter need a notary?
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If an airline or school has asked for a notarised consent, send us what it asked for, and we will explain each step before you book.