New form for taking child overseas with one parent

[goatfarmer]

I am taking my daughter overseas without her mother. I was pleasantly surprised to note that the District Office has a new permission form with a simplified procedure:

 

Old: needed to update marriage certificate, bespoke letter created, needed two witnesses, host of documents

New: no need to update marriage certificate, standard form issued, no need for witnesses, only requires mother's and child's ID cards. One form required for each child.

 

The whole process was completed in an hour. 

 

Uncertainty: There is no specified trip in the letter nor is there an expiry date. It merely states that the mother has given consent for the child to go abroad. So it is unclear how long the form can be used before it needs to be updated.