A friend is flying with her 8 year old niece for the first time. What kind of ID does the child need? Does the aunt need any kind of power of attorney or anything to prove she is traveling legitimately with the child?
For domestic flights, I would suggest that she have a letter authorizing the child to travel with the aunt signed by both the child’s parents.
For international flights, the child would also need a passport of course.
She can call the airline in advance to make sure.
The exact documents needed will vary by location as well as by whether the flight is domestic, Schengen, affected by other treaties, no-treaty international, whether there’s flight changes… A travel agent, the airline or whichever brand of police is in charge of customs and/or airport security for the area should know what’s needed.
With a notary seal. As a woman she’ll have alot easier time doing this than she would if she were the child’s uncle.
This may be overkill (not to mention a tad humiliating) but I once sat next to a 10 or 11 year old girl who was traveling alone and she had her tickets & info in a clear plastic sleeve that she actually wore around her neck. Don’t know if it was an airline requirement for kids traveling alone, and I can’t really decide whether it’s a good idea or not. On the one hand it tells the people who should know (flight attendants, porters etc.) but on the other, it tells the people who shouldn’t (predators).
I remember many years ago I was going on a flight same direction as a co-worker was sending her daughter travelling alone. She asked if I could keep an eye out (if I could) that the 10yo girl made it OK. She too had the plastic envelope around her neck.
I needn’t have worried, (or her) the flight attendants routed her straight to some day care room between flights. She probably did not really enjoy it, in passing I saw they had video games of some sort but most of the half-dozen kids were much younger.
Yeah, have documentation - the letter of authorization to travel. In these day with concern about parental abductions, have it signed by both parents, have necessary contact numbers. Also have the necessary information on health insurance, etc. and a letter for authorization to allow medical treatment if required. Anything that reduces potential hassles if a difficult situation comes up.
Shows how irelevant this is for me. WHat ID do kids need to board a plane? I assume they don’t need photo ID like many adults on flights do?
Hi xanthous,
I found some best practices regarding minors accompanied by someone other than both parents when flying within the United States or flying abroad from the United States. The rules regarding minors vary depending on age; the details below are valid for children born in the United States and under the age of 15.
In general, rules regarding travel can come from the country and state of departure, country of arrival, and the airline. Although domestic and international travel requirements differ, most sources recommend the following for all air travel when a child is accompanied by anyone other than both parents:
[ul]
[li]Consent Form[/li][li]Birth Certificate[/li][/ul]
Additionally, if flying internationally the minor must have a passport.
This article from USA Today provides information on the consent form, birth certificate, and passport requirements:
Since USA Today is generally regarded as a reliable news source, I trust this information.
This page from Single Parent Travel provides information on when and how to use a minor consent form as well as a downloadable form:
Here is the link directly to the sample minor consent form:
http://www.singleparenttravel.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/Minor-Consent-Letter.pdf
I found this second resource by searching the ipl2
for “children travel” (quotation marks are not needed in the search). The ipl2 uses librarians to select reliable online resources, so I trust the information on Single Parent Travel’s website.
I hope this information is helpful to you and others who may have questions on minors traveling with people other than their parents.
–Valerie Florez
Library & Information Science Student
If you have more questions, your local librarian can help.
Many library web sites have a link where you can chat online with a librarian 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Library Locator | ipl: Information You Can Trust
This is all well and good, but unless the OP’s friend was making travel preparation inquiries a year and a half in advance of the actual travel, any new information is likely moot.
(Not relevant tothe OP, but worth a comment anyway).
This is standard procedure for kids. It’s known as “UM”–unaccompanied minor. It’s not particulary humiliating.
The child is clearly identified, and wears the “necklace” with all the documents.At each leg of the journey*, the child is physically accompanied to the next phase by a flight attendant, who checks the id and requires the signature of the child’s guardian.
(*e.g. : when the child leaves his parents to get on the flight, and when the child is met by the grandparents on landing.)
Zombie and what not, but I don’t think anyone’s asked us about our relationship to our kids, they just hand their boarding pass to TSA and head through security. Of course, we are right there and our last names are all the same.
Also, I don’t think kids under 12 have to take their shoes off. I assume this was to clear up lines waiting for the kids to retie their laces. “I can do it myself!First I make a bunny ear…”