Children will not be able to fly alone anymore

As usual, decisions are made having "the best interest of the children" in mind.

A special inter-ministerial committee has decided to change the status-quo and as soon as the regulation is passed, children up to 10 years old will not be allowed to enter - or to leave - Israeli soil without their parents or some responsible family member (e.g., a first degree relative: an aunt or uncle, or a grandparent – the list is not yet compiled) who is at least 18 years old.

In order to have a companion or a tutor accompany the children, the parents will need a special authorization from a notary in Israel or from one of the embassies or consulates abroad. Authorization from Public Notaries abroad will not be accepted!

Children between 11 and 15 years old will be allowed to travel without a family member but will need "someone else" who has received Notary Authorization from the parents to travel to and from Israel with the child.

If the child is over 15 years old he/she will still need the authorization but will be allowed to travel alone. It may be possible that the airlines stewards will be considered a "companion" as they are today.

Don`t think for a moment that this "service" will be free. Notaries (i.e., Lawyers) and consulates will charge for the drafting of this document and for both parents to have their signatures witnessed. It is not yet clear if the parents will have to be present at the same time to sign.

The rules are not completely defined yet, therefore I cannot say when this new regulation will go into effect, but it is expected to be very soon. From past experience, I’m guessing this authorization will also have a limited validation period.

For New Immigrants, this will be another bureaucratic and painful process but for Notaries it may be very profitable. One aspect of these new regulations is certain: The children are not to benefit and when "using the ultimate weapon of children`s best interest" be certain that children`s best interest always means some "adult’s" best interest.

I strongly advise you to follow the newspaper and the media to learn more about this.

Sincerely,
 

Tzvi Szajnbrum, Attorney at Law