# Council Directive 2004/81/EC of 29 April 2004 on the residence permit issued to third-country nationals who are victims of trafficking in human beings or who have been the subject of an action to facilitate illegal immigration, who cooperate with the competent authorities, Article 10: Minors

Extent: E+W+S+N.I.

If Member States have recourse to the option provided for in Article 3(3), the following provisions shall apply:
(a) Member States shall take due account of the best interests of the child when applying this Directive. They shall ensure that the procedure is appropriate to the age and maturity of the child. In particular, if they consider that it is in the best interest of the child, they may extend the reflection period.
(b) Member States shall ensure that minors have access to the educational system under the same conditions as nationals. Member States may stipulate that such access must be limited to the public education system.
(c) In the case of third-country nationals who are unaccompanied minors, Member States shall take the necessary steps to establish their identity, nationality and the fact that they are unaccompanied. They shall make every effort to locate their families as quickly as possible and take the necessary steps immediately to ensure legal representation, including representation in criminal proceedings, if necessary, in accordance with national law.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudr/2004/81/article/10 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/eu-directive-2004-81/article-10
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.