Air India UAE advisory: Minors travelling sans parents need authorisation now

Minors aged 18 years and below will not be allowed to travel to the UAE without an authorisation letter from their parents in case they are not travelling with them, as per an advisory issued by Air India today. The move, which is effective from today, comes following a warning from Dubai Police and other relevant authorities to prevent child trafficking, said the advisory.

The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners-Dubai (Immigration) notified the same from June 1 to prevent child trafficking, Air India said.

As per the advisory, "The procedure to be followed is that all minors, who are 18 years and below, would need to have an authorisation form filled from their parents with relevant details of their address abroad and in the UAE, and information about who would be receiving them in the UAE (in case they are not travelling with a parent)."

Also, in case the minor is travelling with another family member, an authorisation letter from the parents or the guardians is still required, it said. "Airlines staff can escort the minors through immigration, provided that the form is filled and the process to hand them over to the receiving person is dully followed.

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"As a last resort, the minor would indeed be deported if immigration suspect an illegal activity and the information provided are not sufficient to address that. In which case, the normal process and subsequent fines will apply," the advisory added.