Travel documents checklist UK: what a family needs before a trip

A good travel documents checklist UK families can rely on covers five things for every person travelling: a passport that meets the rules for where you're going, a GHIC for Europe, travel insurance, any visa or travel authorisation the country asks for, and the booking details that prove where you're staying and how you're getting home. Add driving papers if you're taking the car or hiring one, and a consent letter if a child is travelling without everyone who has parental responsibility. The trick is checking each one at the right time, because some take weeks to sort and some take a minute on the morning you leave.

This guide sorts the list by when to deal with each item, rather than by what it is. That's the bit most packing lists skip, and it's where family trips go wrong.

Why a family list is different

Travelling alone, you have one passport, one insurance policy and one set of dates to worry about. With children, everything multiplies, and the cycles don't line up. Child passports last half as long as adult ones, each person needs their own GHIC, and a teenager can quietly age out of one document type into another.

There's also the paperwork that only applies to families: proof that you're allowed to take a child abroad, and proof of your relationship to them if your surnames differ. Neither is hard to sort, but both are easy to forget until someone at a border asks.

The travel documents checklist UK families need

Work through this for each person in the family, not just the adults. The items are grouped by when to check them.

When you start planning (before you book)

1. Passports. Check each one against the entry requirements for every country you'll enter, including any you're only passing through. GOV.UK's foreign travel advice has a page for every country. For the detail on expiry and issue dates, see when to renew your passport.
2. Visas and travel authorisations. Some countries need one or both. The entry requirements page for each country says what's needed and whether children need anything different.
3. Who's coming. If a child is travelling with only one parent, or with grandparents or another adult, note it now. You'll need a consent letter (more below).

Don't pay for anything until every passport in the family passes. A passport that needs renewing can take weeks, and you don't want to be racing a booked flight.

As soon as you book

4. Travel insurance. GOV.UK's travel checklist says to get it as soon as you book, so you're covered if you have to cancel. Check the policy covers every destination, the length of the trip, any activities you've planned and everyone travelling.
5. Booking confirmations. Flights, ferries, trains, accommodation, car hire, airport parking. Save each one somewhere you can find it without signal, and note the reference numbers.
6. GHICs. If you're going to an EU country, check everyone's Global Health Insurance Card is in date. Every member of the family needs their own card. If any have run out, apply for new ones through the official NHS website, where it's free. There's more on this in how long a GHIC card is valid.

A month before you go

7. Consent letter for children. GOV.UK says you must get the permission of everyone with parental responsibility for a child before taking them abroad. A letter from the other parent is usually enough. It should include their contact details and details about the trip.
8. Proof of relationship. GOV.UK suggests carrying evidence of your relationship to the child, such as a birth or adoption certificate. If you're a single parent and your surname is different from your child's, a marriage or divorce certificate can help too.
9. Driving papers. If you're taking your own car, GOV.UK says to take your driving licence, your log book (V5C) and your insurance certificate. Check whether you need an International Driving Permit for each country, and whether you need a UK sticker. If anyone's licence has expired or is about to, renew it first.
10. Car hire. The hire company may ask to check your licence. GOV.UK says you can get a licence check code up to 21 days before your trip, so do that in the final three weeks, not a month out.

The week before

11. Fill in each passport's emergency contacts page and sign your own. GOV.UK's travel checklist asks for both.
12. Print a copy of your health insurance details and carry it with you. GOV.UK's checklist suggests this, and it helps if a phone dies.
13. A second form of photo ID. GOV.UK recommends taking one other than your passport, such as a photocard driving licence.
14. Boarding passes and check-in. Do online check-in for everyone and save or print the passes.
15. Money. Check you can pay for things if your main card stops working. GOV.UK's checklist says to plan for this.

The morning you leave

16. One folder, one person. Passports, GHICs, printed insurance details, the consent letter and the birth certificate go in a single folder or wallet, and one adult carries it.
17. Phones charged, with confirmations saved offline.
18. A last look at the travel advice for your destination, in case anything has changed.

Who in the family needs what

A quick way to check nothing's missing is to go person by person.

Each adult:

• Passport that meets the destination's rules
• GHIC, for EU trips
• Travel insurance (on a family policy or their own)
• Driving licence, if they'll drive
• Second photo ID

Each child:

• Their own passport, checked separately, since child passports last 5 years
• Their own GHIC
• Named on the travel insurance
• Consent letter and proof of relationship, if not travelling with everyone who has parental responsibility

The car, if it's coming:

• Log book (V5C)
• Insurance certificate, and a check that the policy covers driving abroad
• International Driving Permit, if any country on the route needs one
• UK sticker, if needed

Where to keep it all

There are two kinds of thing here, and they need different homes.

The physical documents (passports, GHICs, certificates, licences) want a single place at home, kept together, so you're not hunting through drawers the night before. A zip folder in the same cupboard every time works well. If you want a fuller list of what to keep at home, the important documents checklist covers it.

The details and dates (passport numbers, expiry dates, booking references, insurance policy numbers, the hire car pickup time) want to be somewhere you'll see them before they matter. A notes app, a spreadsheet or a paper diary all work, as long as everyone who might need it can get to it.

mylife/ keeps the second kind for you. Trips, bookings and reference numbers go in the travel ledger, and passports and GHICs can sit in the documents ledger with their expiry dates and a nudge before they run out. Show Slash a photo or PDF of a booking and it fills in the details for you to check. There are shared packing lists too, so the other adult can see what's been done. To see how it fits around family trips, try mylife/ free for 3 days.

Mistakes that catch families out

• Checking the adults and not the children. Child passports run out twice as often, and each child needs their own GHIC.
• Booking first, checking second. If something needs renewing, you're then working to a deadline.
• Insurance bought the week before. Cover for cancelling usually only helps if you have it when something goes wrong.
• Forgetting the consent letter when one parent is staying home, or when grandparents are taking the kids.
• Paying an unofficial site for a GHIC. The card is free from the official NHS website.
• Every document in a different bag. One folder, carried by one person, is calmer at every desk.

Frequently asked questions

What documents do I need to travel abroad with my child?

Each child needs their own valid passport that meets the rules for your destination, and for EU trips their own GHIC. If they're travelling without everyone who has parental responsibility, take a consent letter. A birth certificate is useful if your surname differs from theirs.

Do I need a letter to take my child on holiday?

GOV.UK says you need the permission of everyone with parental responsibility to take a child abroad. A letter from the other parent, with their contact details and details of the trip, is usually enough. You may be asked for it at a border.

Does every family member need their own GHIC?

Yes. The NHS website says every member of your family needs their own card, though you can add your partner and children to your application when you apply.

What documents do I need to drive in Europe?

GOV.UK says to take your driving licence and, if it's your own car, the log book (V5C) and insurance certificate. Depending on the country, you may also need an International Driving Permit and a UK sticker. Check the current rules on GOV.UK for each country you'll drive through.

Should I carry copies of travel documents?

GOV.UK's travel checklist suggests printing your health insurance documents and carrying a copy. Keeping booking references saved offline on your phone is sensible too, so you're not relying on signal.