Bringing kids on a dependent visa — anyone hit unexpected snags?

The pattern I see most often with dependent applications specifically: it's rarely the visa application itself that stalls things, it's a supporting document that needs authentication you didn't expect — birth certificates and marriage certificates especially often need an apostille or certified translation that takes weeks to arrange, and people start that process too late because they assumed the "main" applicant's paperwork was the priority.

My advice: treat every dependent's documents as their own mini-project with their own lead time, starting as early as the primary applicant's. The Immigration section of your destination's guide will usually flag exactly which supporting documents need authentication.

Hit a snag with a translated birth certificate needing an extra stamp nobody had mentioned to us. Delayed everything by a couple of weeks we hadn’t budgeted for.

Following, doing exactly this right now, nervous.

Building on that — the specific document list for kids was buried deeper in the guide than the main visa page. Worth digging for rather than assuming the main page covers it all.

Did anyone get asked for proof of the parent-child relationship beyond just the birth certificate, something notarised separately?

Yes, in our case — a separate notarised statement was requested on top of the certificate. Wasn’t flagged anywhere obvious beforehand, we just got lucky asking early.

Really useful thread. Dependent-visa rules — who qualifies as a dependent, the documents required, age limits for children, and how the timing links to the main applicant — are country-specific and change, so please confirm the current requirements via the Visa section of your guide, and get proper advice where custody or consent is involved. Anecdotes here (mine included) are a starting point, not a substitute for the official rules for your family's situation.