Folks,

My apologies if this has been answered elsewhere, I tried the search and got an error. I'm flying out on US Airways this Thursday with my 5 year old and wanted to double check the requirements for travel with a child. TSA makes no mention of needing any form of ID for a child, but would appreciate any real-world advice. Should I bring a copy of his birth certificate? I don't have any form of photo ID for him.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks,

Wirelessly posted (HTC-P4600/1.2 Opera/9.50 (Windows NT 5.1; U; en) UP.Link/6.3.1.20.06.3.1.20.0)

no id for kids under 18 unless traveling internationally.

I travel last week with my 7 year old niece. When we went thru security, and the security agent looked at her ticket and then called her by name "Emma", and she looked back and said "yes", so I guess that was his check.

I asked if any ID was needed for a minor (I did have her library card with her photo on it, so I guess it is a state issued ID ), he said no. I was also slightly concerned as I am not her parent (and she does not look at all like me).

But no worries, so safe travels.

Flew two weeks ago ORD-DEN and return with our 3 yo son. No ID, no problem.

Domestic USA or international?

Never been asked for ID for domestic, parent(s) show ID at security, agent sometimes asks who's who on kids - usually gets a laugh from them (1 boy, 1 girl, common gender-specific names).

International - gotta have a passport, no matter what age! Also may have issues leaving the country if you only have 1 parent along, but that's a whole 'nother thread itself.

HTH,
Richard

You said 5 years old so I didn't mention it before, but for completeness...if you have a child who is close to 2 years old or looks like he/she could be 2 years old and is flying as a lap child you may be asked by the airline to prove the kid is less than 2. YMMV, but I was on a flight where a toddler and parent were kicked off b/c the kid just turned 2 and was just a lap kid.

(emphasis mine)

We never flew our kids as lap children, so just to add the data point that mine under 2 never got ID requests from TSA or airline. As gj83 points out, the AIRLINE may ask for proof of age when the child is flying on your lap, but TSA shouldn't even then.

Richard

Wirelessly posted (Nokia N97 / Palm TX: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows 98; PalmSource/Palm-D050; Blazer/4.3) 16;320x448)

wow......

Agree with all the advice offered no need for an ID to get on a plane... but you never know when you might need a "gov't issued ID". So we spent a little time at the DMV and got state issued ID's for each kid -- and in doing so now we don't need anything else for school, travel, etc. Of course, you'll need certified birth certificates, social security numbers and proof of address to get the state ID card ... but once done, its good for 5 years in this state.

Plus, if TSA gets a wild hair up their butts, and decides to require ID for kids, we're covered.

And if we have trouble on the road (need a doctor, hospital, etc.) we don't have to carry the birth certificate, social security card, etc. Reduces a lot of potential trouble....

When I said above "No ID. No problems." I meant that we didn't get asked for ID for our son. We did have his passport with us, because you never know when you're going to run into a hassle with the TSA (if you spend any time over in the Travel Safety/Security forum you start to expect to get stripped and sprayed with a fire hose every time you fly).

The TSA does not ever require ID for domestic travel for a child, as long as the parent can show their ID. Why in the world would you need a BC or SS card for medical treatment if you are "on the road"? You just need your ID and their insurance card.