First trip to France with kids after 12 years abroad

Hi there, A sudden family event means I’ll be spending a few days in France alone with my kids in the coming days.

Just to set the scene—I live in Japan, I have two young children (4 and 2 years old), and this is my first time returning to France in 12 years. I’m feeling a little overwhelmed.

My questions: 1/ My kids don’t share my last name. Do I need to have a document proving our parent-child relationship (+ a French translation?) with me?

2/ They have Japanese nationality. Will they be able to go through the same line as me at the airport? (I think I remember there’s an EU nationals line and another for non-EU, but given their age...)

Thanks in advance for your help.

Hello,

Are the children only Japanese? They’re just regular Japanese kids traveling—nothing special is required. However, make sure to accompany them at the airport. It’s not forbidden to show up at the counter with an "F" passport for non-EU passports.

Japanese authorities might ask for something, though.

Michel

Thanks for such a quick reply!

Are the kids only Japanese?

Yes.

It’s not forbidden to show up at the counter with an F passport for non-EU passports.

Great, that really reassures me—it’s silly, but it was bugging me to know we could go through together.

Japanese authorities might ask for something, though.

On the Japanese side, it’s all good (I’ll need to have our Japanese family register with us in case of checks), but it was the French side where I couldn’t find answers to my questions.

Thanks again!