THE Home Office has issued a reminder that parents with different surnames to their children will need to bring their birth or adoption certificates to the airport – or face delays.

Families will be asked questions to establish their relationship to deter child trafficking.

If your family has different surnames, please bring birth or adoption certificates to help get through passport control quicker. https://t.co/7l1Y7ngeCP #fasteruktravel pic.twitter.com/OwHeR72SXs — Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) August 1, 2018

The Home Office tweeted: “If your family has different surnames, please bring birth or adoption certificates to help get through passport control quicker.

“We have a duty to safeguard children and to prevent people trafficking, child sexual exploitation and other crimes. That is why Border Force officers sometimes need to ask additional questions.”

Further guidelines on the Home Office’s website explain that the procedures will be carried out “as quickly as possible”.

The guidelines read: “If you are travelling with a child (under 18) and are not the child’s parent, or may appear not to be the parent (for example, if you have a different family name), we may ask you a few questions to establish your relationship with the child."

1 You could face delays when travelling if your child has a different surname from you Credit: Getty - Contributor

It continues: “We hope you appreciate the importance of the additional checks we carry out for children travelling into the UK and understand the reasons for them should you feel you have been unduly delayed.

“It may help you next time you travel if you could carry evidence of your relationship with the child and/or the reason why you are travelling with the child.”

However some Twitter users have responded with criticism about the guidelines.

User Dr Jo Kersham wrote: “Not every married woman takes their husband’s name (I didn’t). It wasn’t the norm in Scotland until the twentieth century.”

Katherine Mendelsohn tweeted: “I am fundamentally against this. My husband and I have different surnames.

“And our son bears my husband's. Not unusual for parents to have different surnames in the 21st Century. Appalling stuff by @sajidjavid and the Home Office.”

User Cathy Hume objected and said that having to bring birth certificates on holiday would be impractical.

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She wrote: “Seriously? I am not taking my entire family's birth certificates with me every time we go abroad.

“What exactly is it that you are trying to establish? Surely all that matters is that we have valid travel documents?”

Sun Online Travel previously revealed British Airways bosses have said it's a "farce" that passengers regularly have to wait in line for two hours at passport control at Heathrow.