Turn up earlier if you’re flying solo with children, says IKO

Parents or grandparents flying on holiday alone with children this summer may face extra waits at Schiphol for checks to prevent child trafficking, reports the Telegraaf on Friday.

The paper reports that solo-flying guardians should leave extra time for scrutiny at the airport, which has already faced criticism and sparked legal action for long delays.

Any parent must have permission from the other to leave the country with a child or children, and a grandparent needs written permission from the mother and father.

‘If this permission is not clear, the KMar [border police] will do additional checks,’ Coşkun Çörüz, director of the IKO International Child Abduction Center, told the Telegraaf. ‘This happens dozens of times a day. It cannot be done at passport control. We advise people to leave plenty of time because otherwise there is a chance of missing your flight.’

It advises that delays can be mitigated by using the IKO Center’s special permission form, developed with the security and justice ministry and the KMar border force. For the first time this year, it can be filled in digitally and is available in Dutch and English.