Foreign Travel Order

A Foreign Travel Order, in the United Kingdom, is a civil court order that can be placed on a person thought likely to offend abroad, and prevents them leaving the country at all. The Order, which became operative on 1 May 2004, initially lasted for 6 months and failure to comply constituted an offence in itself. The 2009 Policing and Crime Act strengthened the FTO by increasing the age of the children who might be at risk from the traveller from 16 to 18 years, and increasing the duration of the Order from a maximum 6 months to a potential 5 years. The Act also required those subject to a FTO to surrender their passports to the police.