Form for under-18s travelling abroad from France
Foreign school trips have long been part of education – but parents should be aware of extra paperwork involved in letting a child travel abroad with a teacher or other adult.
Any child aged 18 or under who lives in France, whether they are French or not, must carry written permission to leave the country in the company of an adult who is not their parent/legal guardian.
This even includes travelling with grandparents.
The requirement covers all school trips involving foreign travel, but also travel with close relatives such as grandparents, aunts or uncles.
Written permission is made using an autorisation de sortie du territoire (AST) form, which can be downloaded from the government website service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1359 – and printed.
It is free. Only original copies of the form will be accepted by officials requesting to see travel documentation.
Those children must also carry a photocopy of a valid identity document of the parent who signed the form, as well as their own passport and any other necessary travel documents, such as visas, if required.
Recognised identity documents for parental signatories include ID cards, passports or residence permits.
Children travelling abroad with their parents do not require this documentation.
The rule also applies if travelling to the “French” exit of Geneva airport from a French airport.
