Ministère de l'Intérieur (French Ministry of the Interior) Edition cerfa N° 15646*01 1 page

Cerfa 15646 (AST) — Travel Authorisation for a Minor Leaving France

The French form a parent signs so that a child who lives in France can travel abroad without anyone holding parental authority.

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Cerfa 15646 (AST) — travel authorisation for a minor · Autorisation de sortie du territoire (AST) d'un mineur non accompagné par un titulaire de l'autorité parentale
The official Ministère de l'Intérieur (French Ministry of the Interior) form, edition cerfa N° 15646*01 — blank
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Cerfa 15646 (AST) — travel authorisation for a minor (2026) Autorisation de sortie du territoire (AST) d'un mineur non accompagné par un titulaire de l'autorité parentale — page 1 of 1
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Fill this form online Blank PDF from Ministère de l'Intérieur (French Ministry of the Interior)

What is Cerfa 15646 (AST) — travel authorisation for a minor?

Cerfa 15646*01, the autorisation de sortie du territoire (AST), is the one-page form a child under 18 who lives in France needs when they leave French territory without a parent or another person holding parental authority. Think of a school trip abroad, a summer camp, a holiday with grandparents, or a teenager flying alone. The form is issued under article 371-6 of the Code civil and decree no. 2016-1483 of 2 November 2016.

Nothing is filed with the town hall, the préfecture or the police. One parent fills in and signs the form, and the child carries the signed original with a copy of that parent's identity document. Border officers can ask to see both. Without them, a child who needs an AST may be stopped at the border.

FileIt helps you fill in the AST in plain English. It pre-fills the child's name and date of birth from the People records in your vault. It checks that the child is under 18 and that the end date is no more than a year after you sign. Your answers are printed into the Ministry of the Interior's own PDF and the finished form is saved in the child's vault folder. You then print it and sign it by hand. FileIt never sends the form anywhere.

Who fills it
One parent or other holder of parental authority (for example a guardian).
Who carries it
The child, with a copy of the signing parent's ID and their own passport or identity card.
Shown to
Border officers when the child leaves France. It is not filed with any office.
How long it lasts
Up to the date you choose, and never more than one year from the date you sign.
Signatures
One parent's handwritten signature. Only one parent needs to sign.
Edition
cerfa N° 15646*01 (1 page).

Who needs to fill out Cerfa 15646 (AST) — travel authorisation for a minor?

  • A child of French nationality who lives in France and is travelling abroad without a parent or other holder of parental authority.
  • A child of another nationality who usually lives in France, in the same situation.
  • Parents sending a child on a school trip, exchange, sports tour or holiday camp outside France.
  • Families whose child is flying alone or travelling with grandparents, an aunt or uncle, or a family friend.
  • Guardians (tuteurs) who hold parental authority over a child and are not travelling with them.
  • Children flying from mainland France to an overseas département with a stopover in another country.

When to use Cerfa 15646 (AST) — travel authorisation for a minor

  • Before any trip on which the child leaves France without either parent or another person holding parental authority.
  • Once per trip, or for a longer period such as a school year, as long as it ends within one year of the signature date.
  • It is not needed when the child travels with just one parent, even if the parents are separated or divorced.
  • Fill in a new one when the old authorisation has expired, or when the details of the signing parent or their ID have changed.

What you need before you start

  • The child's surname and first names exactly as on their birth certificate (acte de naissance).
  • The child's date, town and country of birth.
  • Your own birth surname, any name in use (such as a married name), first names, date and place of birth, and nationality.
  • Your address and, ideally, a telephone number and email address where you can be reached while the child is away.
  • The last day the authorisation should cover.
  • The identity document you will copy: its type, issue date and issuing authority.
  • A legible photocopy of that document to give the child.
  • The child's own valid passport or identity card, plus any visa the destination requires.

What’s on Cerfa 15646 (AST) — travel authorisation for a minor

The 2026 edition has 1 page. FileIt asks for it in 5 parts:

  1. 1. The minor authorised to leave French territory (Personne mineure)Child (minor)
  2. 2. The holder of parental authority who signs (Titulaire de l'autorité parentale)Parent / holder of parental authority
  3. 3. How long the authorisation lasts (Durée de l'autorisation)Parent / holder of parental authority
  4. 4. Signature of the holder of parental authority (Signature)Parent / holder of parental authority
  5. 5. Copy of the signing parent's ID (Copie du document justifiant l'identité du signataire)Parent / holder of parental authority

How to fill out Cerfa 15646 (AST) — travel authorisation for a minor, step by step

1 1. Personne mineure autorisée à sortir du territoire français

Give the child's surname and first names as they appear on the birth certificate, then the date of birth and the town and country of birth. Surnames print in capitals.

The date boxes on the paper form are eight small cells (day, month, year). FileIt prints the date into them in that order, so you only pick the date.

2 2. Titulaire de l'autorité parentale, signataire de l'autorisation

This part is about the person who signs, who must hold parental authority. Give your birth surname, any name in use such as a married name, your first names, your date and place of birth, your country of birth and your nationality. Then tick whether you act as father (Père), mother (Mère) or in another capacity (Autre), such as a guardian, and write it in.

Your address is split into street number, bis or ter, type of street (rue, avenue and so on), street name, postcode, town and country. The telephone number and email are marked 'recommandé'. They are optional but useful if someone needs to reach you during the trip. The phone boxes take a ten-digit French number. Write a foreign number on the printed form by hand.

3 3. Durée de l'autorisation

Enter the date up to which the authorisation is valid (inclusive). The form says it cannot run for more than one year from the date it is signed. Its own example: an authorisation signed on 1 September can last until 31 August of the following year at the latest.

Most parents enter the day the trip ends. A longer period, for example a whole school year, is allowed within the one-year limit.

4 4. Signature du titulaire de l'autorité parentale

Here you certify on your honour that the information is accurate. The form warns that a false statement is punishable under articles 441-6 and 441-7 of the Code pénal. Write the date and sign by hand in the signature space. If you leave the date empty in FileIt, you can write it on the day you sign.

5 5. Copie du document justifiant l'identité du signataire

Tick the type of identity document you are copying: national identity card, passport, or another document such as a residence permit. Then give its issue date and the authority that issued it.

The form's footnotes list which documents are accepted. French nationals can use an identity card or passport that is valid or expired less than five years ago. EU, EEA (Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein) and Swiss nationals can use their national identity card or passport, or a French residence document. Other nationals can use their passport, a French residence document, or a refugee or stateless person's travel document. Apart from the French case, the document must be valid. The photocopy must be legible and show your names, date and place of birth, photo, signature, issue and expiry dates and issuing authority.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Setting an end date more than a year after the signature date. FileIt flags this before you print.
  • Forgetting the photocopy of the signing parent's ID. The child needs both the form and the copy.
  • Copying an ID other than the one described in part 5, or an expired one that the rules don't accept.
  • Using the child's usual nickname or a double-barrelled name that differs from the birth certificate.
  • Signing the FileIt printout without dating it, or dating it later than the day you actually sign.
  • Thinking an AST overrides a court or prefectoral travel ban. The form's reminder says it does not lift an opposition (OST) or a ban (IST) on leaving the country.
  • Forgetting that the child still needs their own valid passport or identity card, and a visa if required.

After you fill it out

Print the completed form from your FileIt vault and sign it by hand in part 4. Only one parent needs to sign. Service-public.fr recommends getting the other parent's agreement when parents share authority, to avoid disputes. No office has to stamp or approve the form: you do not go to the town hall, the préfecture or the police.

Give the child the signed original with a legible photocopy of the ID described in part 5. Make sure they also have their own passport or identity card. The documents are shown to border officers when the child leaves France, so keep them with the child's travel papers rather than in checked luggage.

The completed PDF stays in the child's folder in your vault, so you can reprint it or fill in a new one for the next trip. Remember that each AST ends on the date you gave, and never more than a year after signing.

Fill out Cerfa 15646 (AST) — travel authorisation for a minor online with FileIt

  1. Pick the person. Choose someone from People and FileIt fills in their name, date of birth, address and other details it already knows.
  2. Answer plain-language questions. One part of the form at a time, with the official help text beside each question — 29 fields in all. Your answers save as you go.
  3. Check the live preview. Watch your answers land on the real Ministère de l'Intérieur (French Ministry of the Interior) form, and let FileIt do any worksheet arithmetic.
  4. Generate the official PDF. FileIt prints your answers into the agency’s own PDF and files it in that person’s folder in your vault.

FileIt fills the form — it never files or submits anything for you. Deliver the finished form to whoever asked for it, the way the form’s instructions say.

Start Cerfa 15646 (AST) — travel authorisation for a minor now — it’s free

Cerfa 15646 (AST) — travel authorisation for a minor: frequently asked questions

Can I fill in the AST form online?

Yes. With FileIt you answer the questions in English, and your answers are printed into the official cerfa 15646 PDF, ready to print. You still sign the printed form by hand. Service-public.fr also offers the blank form to fill in and download.

Where do I send the autorisation de sortie du territoire?

Nowhere. The AST is not filed with the town hall, the préfecture or the police. The child carries the signed form, with a copy of the signing parent's ID, and shows it at the border if asked.

Do both parents have to sign the AST?

No. The form is signed by one holder of parental authority, and there is only one signature space. If only one parent has parental authority under a court decision, only that parent can sign.

How long is an AST valid?

Until the date written in part 3, and at most one year from the date of signature. For example, one signed on 1 September can run until 31 August of the following year.

Does a child travelling with one parent need an AST?

No. The AST is needed only when no holder of parental authority travels with the child. A child travelling with just their mother or just their father doesn't need one.

Which ID copy has to go with the form?

A legible copy of the signing parent's identity document: the one described in part 5. For a French national that is an identity card or passport, valid or expired less than five years ago. Other nationals use a valid passport, national identity card (EU, EEA, Swiss) or French residence document, as listed on the form.

Is an electronic signature accepted?

The form is designed to be printed and signed by hand, and the signed original travels with the child. FileIt therefore doesn't offer e-signature for the AST.

Does the AST work if my child is subject to a travel ban?

No. The form's reminder states that it does not override an opposition to leaving the country (OST) or a ban on leaving the country (IST). A child under such a measure needs the separate authorisation described in the Code de procédure civile.

Official sources

FileIt is not affiliated with or endorsed by Ministère de l'Intérieur (French Ministry of the Interior) or any government. This page explains the form in general terms and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Always read the official instructions, and check that you are using the edition the recipient accepts. Page last reviewed 2026-09-26.

Fill out Cerfa 15646 (AST) — travel authorisation for a minor online