Unaccompanied minors

You can book a flight with unaccompanied minor service for a child travelling alone by contacting Customer Care or your travel agent. Please note that the service can’t be requested online.

Unaccompanied minor service must be booked at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled flight departure time. When requesting the service, please provide all relevant information, including:

• Adult's full name at point of departure
• Adult's full name at point of arrival
• Contact information (mobile phone number) for departure and arrival

Connecting flights

If your child is travelling on connecting flights operated by us – arriving at and departing from the same airport – the connecting time should be within five hours. Please note: the service is unavailable for unaccompanied minors transfering between flights operated by us and other airlines.

Stopovers

For flights arriving at and departing from different airports or with a connection time of 24 hours or more—unaccompanied minor service needs to be arranged separately for each journey in the booking with the respective operating airlines. Please contact the airline directly for details on their unaccompanied minor policy before purchasing tickets.

After the unaccompanied minor service has been booked, please log into Manage Booking and complete the unaccompanied minor service form online. You’ll need to take printouts of the form for each journey.

Please review the country-specific regulations listed below on this page. Prepare all required documents ahead of time, as some countries have restrictions for children travelling with guardians or as unaccompanied minors.

Check-in
You’ll need to be present at one of our counters for check-in and document checks. At 90 minutes prior to departure, we will escort your child through security and immigration procedures and take them to the departure gate. Please stay at the airport until your child’s flight has departed.

Boarding
The unaccompanied minor will be guided to their seat by our airport team member.

Connecting flights
For connections involving a change of aircraft, the unaccompanied minor will be escorted between flights. An airport team member will remain with the minor during the entire connection period.

Any minor less than 18 years old that is either a citizen or a resident of France shall obtain authorization to leave France for any journey without a parent or legal guardian. The customer must hold their own passport, a permit to travel form (L'autorisation de sortie du territoire) signed by a parent or legal guardian and a photocopy of a valid identity document of the parent or legal guardian who provided his or her signature for the permit to travel form before they can be accepted to travel.

This requirement applies to flights departing France only.

Although not a regulatory requirement, the Irish government advises that anyone less than 18 years old who is not travelling with an adult 18 years or older, should have the following documentation:

• A signed letter from the parent or guardian giving consent for travel with their contact details
• A photocopy of a valid identity document of the parent or guardian
• Evidence of the parent or guardian relationship with the child
• A death certificate in the case of a deceased parent
• If the minor is not ordinarily resident in Ireland, they should also have:
  • Full address of where they will be staying
  • Full contact details of who they will be staying with

In the event where a minor is accompanied by an adult with a different surname or by a person that is not their parent or guardian, Immigration may request for further information on the relationship between the minor and accompanying adult. In the event that a child is travelling with only one parent, Immigration may request evidence of consent from the other parent.

Parents are advised to carry evidence (originals or photocopies) of the following where applicable:

• A birth or adoption certificate, or guardianship papers showing the relationship with the child
• A copy of a document identifying the parent or guardian
• A marriage or divorce certificate in cases where the adult has a different surname to the child
• A death certificate in the case of a deceased parent
• A signed letter from the parent or guardian giving consent for travel with a specific person and their contact details

Until 14 years of age, minors traveling on an Italian passport/travel document: 

1. must travel accompanied by at least one parent or guardian
   or
2. if travelling with someone other than the parent / guardian mentioned on page 5 of the minor’s passport, must carry with them, an authorization (Dichiarazione Di Accompagnamento) signed by both parents and issued by a competent authority (e.g. police headquarters in Italy or a consular office abroad).
   or
3. if travelling alone, is required to travel as an Unaccompanied Minors on all Cathay Pacific operated services. They must also carry with them, a completed authorization (“DichiarazioneI DiI Accompagnmento”) signed by both parents and issued by a competent authority (e.g. police headquarters in Italy or a consular office abroad) including the name of the airline (i.e. Cathay Pacific) to which the minor is entrusted.

For more information, please contact:
European UnionOpen a new window

All children under 15 years of age who are not citizens residing in the Philippines and are not accompanied by a parent with the same surname are required to carry proof of their relationship. Any other adult (such as relatives or friends with the same surname) cannot take the role of the escort.

A “Waiver of Exclusion Ground” (WEG) is required for any child under 15 years of age not residing in the Philippines and travelling without a parent. Parents and Guardians are required to contact their nearest consular representation of the Philippines to arrange the necessary documentation before travel.

When travelling as an unaccompanied minor

• An unabridged birth certificate / equivalent document (original or copy
• A letter of parental consent from one or both parents or legal guardian, court order or death certificate, as appropriate
• Copies of identification documents or passport of one or both parents or legal guardians and the persons where the child will stay, including visa or residence permits (if required)
• Contact details of parents or legal guardians and the persons where the minor will stay in South Africa

All children less than 18 years old shall meet the following requirements to be permitted entry to the United Arab Emirates:

• If not travelling with a parent or guardian with the same surname, they shall have an official document (such as a birth certificate in original or photocopy) available to prove their relationship
• If travelling with an adult (18 years old or above), a letter of authorisation signed by the parent or guardian together with a copy of the birth certificate or an affidavit will be required. The United Arab Emirates does not provide a standard format for the letter of authorisation.
• If travelling alone and aged from 6 to less than 18 years old, they are required to travel as an Unaccompanied Minor for their entire journey.

Any person unable to fulfil the above requirements will be refused entry and fines may be imposed on the airline.