Check children’s documents before travelling abroad

Parents travelling abroad with children should check passport validity and carry the appropriate travel documents, while also arranging a free European Health Insurance Card for each child, Latvian public broadcaster LSM reports.

For travel outside the Schengen area, a child travelling with a parent should either be listed in that parent’s passport or carry a birth certificate. If the child is travelling with an adult who is not a parent, the adult should carry a notarised authorisation from the parents. Latvia’s Foreign Ministry also recommends arranging this authorisation when travelling elsewhere in Europe, so the accompanying adult can make decisions for the child in an emergency.

The European Health Insurance Card can be used during short stays in EU countries, the European Economic Area countries Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, as well as Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It allows the holder to receive necessary state-funded healthcare under the same conditions and at the same cost as local residents.

The card is free, is available to children including infants, and is valid for three years. It may be useful even on a brief trip to neighbouring Lithuania or Estonia, where illness or an accident could occur.