SychoSly

We have a baby coming in about a week and would like to schedule a short trip to Mexico towards the end of the year. Do newborns require passports when traveling internationally?

Also looking at some airlines about newborns that will be in the lap they say that a ticket is required or some say 10% of the parents ticket. I assume each airline is different?

x2y

LMGTFY

and

LMTGFY too.

And congratulations to the new tiny human, with best wishes for an easy and uneventful delivery!

Emma1420

You will probably get more responses in the Travel with Children forum. But, everyone is required to have passport to travel internationally even newborns. The 10% fee for lap children is the cost for international flights. Taking a lap child is generally free for a domestic flight.

Ocn Vw 1K

Emma1420 has a good suggestion. I'll move this to the Travel With Children forum for more discussion. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

Lovethecabin

From the US to Mexico your baby will need a passport. we got our sons at 6 weeks for travel at 4.5 months. (We travelled domestically by air at 3 months)

We bought our son a ticket for his first international trip. I remember delta charging us a 10% fee for another trip when he was a lap baby.

lost*in*cyberspace

^

OP, FYI a 4 month old is considered a baby, not a newborn. A newborn is less than one month old.

MoreMilesPlease

Most (all?) airlines will charge you 10% of the fare for a lap child on international tickets. Be careful because the 10% may be of a full price ticket in the cabin traveling in and not 10% of the price paid for the adult ticket. So 10% of full price economy or 10% of the full price business/first. Sometimes it may be cheaper to buy a seat and take a care seat for the baby to sit in.

GUWonder

If flying by common carrier to or from the US, the airlines are required (by the US) to require a passport.

If you cross by surface means into Canada on foot or in your own vehicle, the Canadians may or may not care if the infant has a passport or not. With Canadian land-crossings, going in without a passport is still being allowed at least as of this time last year.

If you cross by foot or your own vehicle into Mexico, the Mexicans may or may not care if the infant has a passport as long as you stay around the border area.

Getting a passport will minimize the hassles during the international travel, and you need it to fly.

It's most commonly ten percent of the fare for a lap child infant -- but ten percent of what amount? That varies. With regular paid tickets where you book the infant at the same time as the accompanying adult, the 10% fare tends to usually be cheaper than the alternatives. With award tickets for the accompanying adult, the prices are all over the place and can be ridiculously extreme.

wrxmom

[QUOTE=SychoSly]
Do newborns require passports when traveling internationally?

If you chose not to get your baby a passport, and you are driving into/out of Mexico, you will need to bring a certified copy of his/her birth certificate.

Zaragoza

^^^

Always good to start with google and then come to FT for clarification, etc.

Often1

As it appears that you travel, I would obtain a passport for your newborn when newborn. Of all the things to worry about if a great trip comes up, a passport is the last thing.

All international carriers require a ticket for each human being, it is an IATA convention. Most charge 10% of the full fare for the privilege.

PWMTrav

Yup, everybody requires a passport. Don't be shocked if your newborn's gets looked at the hardest - abduction is a definite concern.

All children, even lap infants, will require a ticket. On a domestic flight, they'll create that ticket at the airport for you since there aren't any taxes or fees associated with a lap infant. For international travel, you'll want to inquire with the airline that you fly. Whether it's free, 10%, or somewhere in between, there will be a ticket though.

lost*in*cyberspace

Lap infants are not required to have a ticket for domestic flights. For example, from UA's website:

http://www.united.com/web/en-US/cont...s/default.aspx

Infants under the age of two traveling without a seat within the United States, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands do not require a ticket. All infants traveling internationally, including infants traveling to Canada and Mexico, must have a ticket, even if no seat is purchased and they are traveling as a lap child.

PWMTrav

I thought they issued a ticket at the airport when they printed the infant BP for security? I never looked hard enough for a ticket #. Ah well, I stand corrected for domestic travel.

AsiaTraveler

My experience has been that they print "lap infant" onto the appropriate adult's boarding pass.

No need to wait until you get to the airport to do it, though. Delta, you can enter the lap infant online under the "special services" section after you've booked. AA, you have to call. Both will still let you do online check in.