Unaccompanied Minors

At Aer Lingus, we understand that it’s a big deal for a child to travel on their own. Here you’ll find out everything you need to know about unaccompanied young passengers flying with us on our direct flights.
Aer Lingus will accept unaccompanied young passengers aged 12–15 years inclusive on our direct flights only, subject to the Form of Indemnity requirements below. Unfortunately, we can’t provide special assistance for these passengers.
We can’t accept reservations for unaccompanied children less than 12 years of age on any of our scheduled services.
Children under 12 years of age can only travel with us if accompanied by an adult aged 16 years or older, who will take responsibility for the child.
All passengers aged 2–15 years must be accompanied by an adult aged 16 or over for connecting flights.
This includes connecting flights on Aer Lingus services, and also with partner airlines.
If you are travelling with a partner airline, please be aware that the minimum age for unaccompanied young passengers are as follows.
  • British Airways - must be 14 years of age
  • American Airlines - must be 15 years of age
  • Iberia or Iberia Express - must be 12 years of age
Please note that rules and regulations for children travelling alone may vary by country. It is always recommended to check the applicable regulations with the local country authorities.
Some of the more commonly queried requirements are listed below per country, however these requirements are subject to change and you should always check with your local authority before travel.
  • Minors under 18 years of age travelling to Portugal on their own, who don’t have anyone in Portugal taking responsibility for their stay, may be refused entry to the country.
  • All minors (under 18 years of age) departing Portugal may be prevented from leaving the country if he/she is travelling unaccompanied, and isn’t carrying a notarised letter of authority from a parent or guardian. Similarly, a minor (under 18 years of age) travelling with just one of his/her parents must have a notarised letter of authority to leave the country from the parent who’s staying behind. A letter stamped by the local police station will also be accepted.
  • Minors under 18 years of age departing France on their own must also have a letter from the French police if they’re travelling on a French national ID card. The letter from the police isn’t required if they’re travelling using their passport.
  • Children require a valid travel document to leave Spain. In addition, if the children are travelling with an ID card rather than a passport, they must have written permission, signed either by both parents or the parent/person who has custody, and certified in any police station, civil guard station, court, notary or city hall upon presentation of the family book or birth certificates.
  • Minors from an EU country entering Spain with only an ID card (and not a passport) also require written parental permission.
  • Unaccompanied minors under the age of 14 departing Italy won’t be accepted for travel.
  • Every child of Italian nationality, travelling to or from Italy, who is under 14 years old and is accompanied by an adult (over the age of 18 years) who is not the parent or legal guardian, must hold a fully completed declaration, a "Dichiarazione di affido" (Law No. 1185/67), which can be obtained from the local police station (Questura) , not from the airport police. This declaration must be carried together with the child's passport. If the documentation is incomplete, the child will be refused boarding. Our usual requirements for a Form of Indemnity below apply to an Italian child aged between 14 and 16 years who is travelling unaccompanied.
A form of indemnity must be completed, signed and filed for each unaccompanied young passenger travelling on a direct Aer Lingus flight. Unaccompanied young passengers without the required form of indemnity will be refused travel.
A copy of the form of indemnity is required for each flight in the itinerary and one is to be retained by the unaccompanied young passenger at all times.
The form of indemnity must be signed by a parent or guardian at the check-in desk at the first departure point and witnessed by an airport check-in staff member.
The parent or guardian must carry a valid passport or driver's licence to confirm their identity.

 

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