They can do it from the photo
Biometrics from a photo concerns facial recognition data. Some passports contain fingerprint data. The possibilities in the future are endless…
Swiss passports
Swiss passports, issued since March 2010, store biometric data on an embedded electronic chip in the document cover.
The chip primarily contains a digital facial image (photograph) and two electronic fingerprints of the holder.
It also includes the holder’s personal details like name, date of birth, nationality, and passport number, all protected by encryption to prevent unauthorized access or alteration.
Fingerprints are accessible only by authorities meeting Switzerland’s data protection standards, such as Schengen partners, ensuring the data remains secure even if the passport is lost or stolen.
From Perplexity
Edited to add:
Swiss biometric passport fingerprints are accessible solely to authorities in countries meeting Switzerland’s strict standards, primarily Schengen partners with equivalent protections. US authorities do not qualify under this criterion due to differences in surveillance laws and oversight, requiring additional safeguards for any data sharing.
Do you know if a notarized consent from the second parent is needed for the Swiss kids to travel to UK with one parent?
Have you all got the same surname? I’ve never needed any additional paperwork when travelling with my son, and have travelled on both passports over the years. To be fair, it never crossed my mind and nobody ever asked.
1 Like
It doesn’t need to be notorised but it’s a good idea for the travelling parent to take a letter or other document from the other parent giving them the authority to travel alone with the children.
I was never asked but I know people who have been especially if they have different surnames and/or nationalities.
1 Like
I would suggest you have the written letter with you, just in case they do ask. At zurich airport, fathers get scrutinized more then mothers, specially if the child is a girl.
Contact details (phone number) of other parent should be in the consent doc.
1 Like
Yes, we have the same surname and the kids are teenagers. Thank you for the answers!
I think there was a whole thread elsewhere about parental consent.
The main point is that there is a difference between what is required by passport control and by the airlines. (Eg in Switzerland immigration will allow children to leave-enter freely as long as the passport is fine, no questions). Airlines however impose a variety of their own rules to allow you onboard, you have to check with the specific airline. Sometimes doc needed even for internal flights.
The few countries which do require paperwork for passport control, would always provide the text to use and describe the procedure for certification (eg Spain or Greece), but at least some years ago these forms only apply to residents, not tourists. I did fill them in and had them with me “just in case” as they say.
The whole thing is a liability-avoiding joke.. The idea of “write your own text and have it signed just in case” is likely only useful when it is not really necessary, against an over-zealous check-in person who wants to avoid getting into trouble. The only place I had seen “if not the same family name, maybe have a signed document” is for the UK, which also sounds slightly silly (OK to be abducted by someone with the same name, but not OK otherwise). As long as there is not an official register of parental responsibility etc all these forms are impossible to verify.
Nonsense.
TIM (Travel Information Manual) and Timatic are IATA-managed resources for international air travel documentation rules. TIM refers to the printed manual version, while Timatic is its electronic database counterpart.[wikipedia +1]
Key Features
Both provide details on passports, visas, health requirements, airport taxes, customs, and currency rules for over 220 countries, updated frequently from thousands of sources. Timatic powers checks for 500+ million travelers yearly via airline systems, apps, and web portals like TimaticWeb.Airlines and agents use them at check-in to verify passenger eligibility and avoid fines. Travelers can access Timatic data for free through the IATA Travel Centre, which provides personalized passport, visa, and health requirement advice based on your itinerary and details. No login or subscription is needed for basic use.
Governments have a single point to provide their requirements, managed by experts who can coach on unambiguous terms and phrasing and a single trusted source for airlines wotldwide.
Thank you for the website, it is very useful, when looking for immigration or visa rules. However - unless I didn’t click the right thing - it does not ask for the age of the traveler, so cannot answer age-related questions. The question was around teenagers travelling to the UK with only the mum, I would imagine they all have the correct passports and visas.
What is missing from the IATA sire therefore are the policies on consent, which are airline dependent.
For example, for a child aged 14 to fly alone with BA from London to Edinburgh, needs permission on a specific BA form from his parents, whereas a 16 year old does not. Where could I find this info, except by checking with the airline?
I am not an expert on air travel. But in the past I have had to fill various consent forms (even multiple for trip in different languages), visit notaries, preferred a different airline due to their less strict child ID policies and almost missed a cruise due to incorrect consent form been signed.
I realise that Swiss passport holders should not apply for an ETA f they are a UK dual national. However, hypothetically if someone with a Swiss passport has applied and received an ETA , how likely is it that the system will flag up their UK nationality at passport/immigration control?
Highly unlikely. It’s probably still running on Windows Vista… 
I do hope so …
There must be plenty of people in that situation who got them while it was ok to do so before February 25th. They are good for two years so unless anyone tells them otherwise how are they going to know about the dual citizenship?
All the airlines care about is that you have valid documents for travel.
That’s a very good point. I didn’t think about that. Some airlines will apparently accept a valid, say, Swiss passport with an expired British passport, but there don’t seem to be any guarantees. It seems hard to believe that the system is sophisticated enough to pick up previous travel on a UK passport, but I don’t know enough about it to judge.
It could well be about absolving themselves from liability. Having personal experience where my Serbian spouse didn’t take my (Greek) surname, my mother has kept her maiden name too, and my kids just have my surname, we needed the signed declaration, approved by either the police (in Greece, Serbia), or Einwohnerkontrolle (in CH) for our kids to travel without me, and it was checked. Plus when you create this document the authority (whichever) wanted to see both parents in person. Still, you may be right that it’s essentially letting the authorities off the hook. I don’t recall Greece having a specific text, though, just something like “I am aware and consent that my kids, named 1+2, DOB X+Y, passport #A+B travel to C on that date, with my wife D, DOB E, passport #F without me, witnessed, dated, signed, stamped by some relevant authority”.
What’s certainly a liability-avoiding thing is airlines asking to check your visa status, or residence permit for CH or elsewhere.
Quite possible if using the same airline as you used before.
But if not, and you have your Swiss passport and a valid ETA, an airline check should be fine to allow you to travel.
Probably wise to use e-gates.
If, however, you get pulled over for a bit of an investigation, and they discover you should have been travelling on a valid British passport, or certificate of entitlement then you could possibly face a travel ban for that flight or more scrutiny for following flights.
Thank you. I think, in this hypothetical situation , the wisest course is to get emergency travel documentation.
I think it would probably be the safest course of action.