Departure from Ukraine for children under 16

Since the beginning of the war, hundreds of thousands of children left Ukraine. The State Border Service is faced with the task, on the one hand, to make the possibility of children traveling to safe countries as accessible as possible, on the other hand, to prevent the abduction of children and other offenses. The government is making the necessary amendments to the regulatory framework. 16 June 2022 year on the portal of the Government of Ukraine published the relevant clarifications from representatives of the State Border Service.

Who can accompany a child under 16?

According to the current Rules for crossing the state border by citizens of Ukraine, approved Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 57 of 27.01.1995/XNUMX/XNUMX, the following persons may accompany a child under 16 years of age:

1. one of the parents, grandmother, grandfather, adult brother, sister, stepmother, stepfather;
2. other persons authorized by the child's parents.

What documents should be collected for the departure of a group of children?

10 June 2022 year Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 661 made changes to the above Rules regarding border crossing by a group of children. There are two important points:

1. groups of children can travel abroad for recreation and recreation only with the consent of the National Social Service;
2. when submitting a package of documents to the authorized body, it is no longer necessary to carry out their notarization.

The package of documents for traveling abroad for a group of children must include:

• consent of the National Social Service;
• a list of a group of children and accompanying persons according to the form;
• passport or birth certificate for each child;
• application of parents for the departure of each child abroad, certified by the service for children;
• coordination by the service for children's affairs of the consent of the legal representatives of each child for his travel abroad.

When passing border control for exit/entry, an official of the State Border Service, after checking the documents of a group of children and accompanying persons, puts stamps on the list with the marks “Departure” or “Entry”, as well as “Crossed the State Border”, and notes the total number of people who left and returned separately for children and accompanying persons.

According to representatives of the State Border Service, the innovations will help organize trips for children for treatment and rehabilitation faster, while observing guarantees of their safety and return to Ukraine.