Airport ID for child?

[PattyW]

Our next vacation is not a cruise - although we are cruising again in March! We will be traveling to Orlando in the near future and I was wondering what kind of ID a two year old needs to fly.

 

My youngest does not yet have a passport and I'm going to wait until closer to our cruise to get him one since they are only valid for five years - I'd like the most bang for my buck. Will a birth certificate be OK to fly?

 

I checked both united.com and the TSA website and under "required documentation" they only reference the necessary ID for adult passengers. Does that mean kids don't need ID? My other two children have passports, so I will bring those for them. Just wondering what do do about the little one.

[constansl]

I have never been asked to show ID for my 2 year old daughter who has flown 15 or my times. I would carry her birth certificate, just in case. That is the most a 2 year old would be expected to have when flying within the US. The passport photo is so cute though. I have one for my daughter because we took a cruise last year. A baby passport is the coolest thing ever.

[ehough]

I don't believe ID is required for children, however I'd bring at least a copy of the birth certificate. It can't hurt.

[6rugrats]

For a domestic flight, anyone under the age of 18 does not need any type of ID:

 

Adult passengers (18 and over) are required to show a U.S. federal or state-issued photo ID in order to be allowed to go through the checkpoint and onto their flight.

 

The only time you would need a birth certificate for your under two year old would be if they were traveling as a lap infant. Because of abuse in the past, many airlines require proof of the child's age.

[14ersco]

Well there are the rules on the TSA web site and then there is reality. Last month for our 7 y/o we had to show an ID (had a passport) for TSA in Denver, but in Chicago was told by TSA to put away the kid's passport (before they even checked it). Denver TSA gave a quick glance between all 3 passports and our faces, but Chicago TSA pulled out a magnifying glass to closely examine the adult passports. There is just no consistency with TSA. :rolleyes:

[6rugrats]

All I can tell you that if this was a domestic flight, you are not required to show any ID for a seven year old.

[SadieN]

When our kids were young we got them State IDs. In California they are good for 4 years and cost a lot less than a passport.

 

FYI--If an emergency arises you won't have to hassle getting an emergency passport. Think of it as an insurance policy.

[6rugrats]

When our kids were young we got them State IDs. In California they are good for 4 years and cost a lot less than a passport.

 

FYI--If an emergency arises you won't have to hassle getting an emergency passport. Think of it as an insurance policy.

I am not quite sure what you are saying. What is an insurance policy? The state ID?

[Nebr.cruiser]

We took 7 grandchildren on a cruise, flying from Omaha to Ft. Lauderdale. We were not asked for any ID for the kids on the flights, though of course we had their birth certificates and parental permission forms along (for the cruise).

[bus man]

I've never had to show any form of ID for my kids, aged 5 and 3. What has happened is, the TSA agent will look at their boarding passes, then ask them their names. I'm not sure what would happen if they answered wrong, but thankfully they've always taken this seriously and answered correctly.

[slf1108]

For a domestic flight, anyone under the age of 18 does not need any type of ID:

 

Adult passengers (18 and over) are required to show a U.S. federal or state-issued photo ID in order to be allowed to go through the checkpoint and onto their flight.

 

Agreed. I fly often with my two kids and no ID is required. My parents live in Canada so I often have birth certificates with me when we travel. I went to Charleston last spring and almost panicked b/c I realized on the way to the airport I didn't have their ID's. I called the airline and they confirmed that they weren't needed until they are 18.

[PattyW]

Thanks everyone!

[RoadTripFanatic]

Well there are the rules on the TSA web site and then there is reality. Last month for our 7 y/o we had to show an ID (had a passport) for TSA in Denver, but in Chicago was told by TSA to put away the kid's passport (before they even checked it). Denver TSA gave a quick glance between all 3 passports and our faces, but Chicago TSA pulled out a magnifying glass to closely examine the adult passports. There is just no consistency with TSA. :rolleyes:

 

Just out of curiosity do you always travel with your passports? The only time you need them is if you are leaving the country. The reason the Chicago guy told you to put it away is because a 7 year old doesn't need photo id to travel in the States. TSA probably saw you holding his passport in Denver and wanted to see it. It's not required. I always hand the TSA agent my daughters state id. They never ask for it I just automatically hand it to them. She's had a state id since she was 3.

[mikesteg]

Well there are the rules on the TSA web site and then there is reality. Last month for our 7 y/o we had to show an ID (had a passport) for TSA in Denver, but in Chicago was told by TSA to put away the kid's passport (before they even checked it). Denver TSA gave a quick glance between all 3 passports and our faces, but Chicago TSA pulled out a magnifying glass to closely examine the adult passports. There is just no consistency with TSA. :rolleyes:

 

We recently ran into the Slowest TSA Agent In The Country. This was the new terminal in DTW.) For some reason, they had this woman in the family/special assistance line. This was one of those cases where the special line is straight and the regular line snakes back and forth. The two agents working the regular line were moving quick enough (ie. at a reasonable pace) that those people were progressing forward as fast as we were. We could have gotten in the long line and gotten through just as quickly.

 

This agent did bounce a couple of people for not having the lap child listed on their ticket, which I think is a good thing. But, then again, it should take all of 15 seconds to explain that problem to the passenger.

 

I think having a variety of approaches (unpredictable checks) around the country would be a great thing for security if it were done on purpose... but I don't think it is. :( Heck, maybe the TSA intentionally acts like a bunch of power-mad clowns to put the terrorists off their guard. :rolleyes:

 

 

I am not quite sure what you are saying. What is an insurance policy? The state ID?

 

I'd assume she was saying the passport, since the state ID would be worthless in that situation. Except perhaps to positively ID the children at the embassy. I'd hope they have similar anti-kidnapping checks in both directions, just to be safe.

 

Just out of curiosity do you always travel with your passports? The only time you need them is if you are leaving the country.

 

We do (now). I forgot them on a recent trip and that was the one where SWA decided to challenge us on age for lap children. I don't see any reason to not carry them, particularly if we bring our own passports in case we cross the border. I might leave them at home if we were cruising within 4 or 6 weeks, just to be sure they didn't get lost, but that's the only reason I can think of to leave them at home.

[mikesteg]

As a note, we do not offer the kids' passport (or our own) as ID at the airport. We just bring them along, just in case.

[lulabelle522]

Just flew with my 5 yr old and 1 yr old and they asked to see their birth certificates. Good copies are accepted...I wouldn't suggest taking their official ones.

[mikesteg]

Who asked? TSA or the airline? Was the toddler a lap child?

[14ersco]

Just out of curiosity do you always travel with your passports? The only time you need them is if you are leaving the country. The reason the Chicago guy told you to put it away is because a 7 year old doesn't need photo id to travel in the States. TSA probably saw you holding his passport in Denver and wanted to see it. It's not required. I always hand the TSA agent my daughters state id. They never ask for it I just automatically hand it to them. She's had a state id since she was 3.

 

We use passports as our only ID. Only hand them over when asked. The inconsistency of looking at the kid's ID has not only been the TSA; the domestic airlines have been back and forth when asking for kid's ID. It is just less hassle have some form of ID ready to present to TSA or the airlines.

[6rugrats]

None of my children, and they travel a bit, have ever been asked for ID, by the airlines or TSA for a domestic flight, even when the older teens are traveling by themselves. I guess if you have it though, it's not a problem.

 

It's strange that some of you are asked for something that's not required. The only time an airline should ask for it for a domestic flight, is if you are traveling with a lap infant, and they want to make sure the child is really under the age of two.

[mikesteg]

It's strange that some of you are asked for something that's not required. The only time an airline should ask for it for a domestic flight, is if you are traveling with a lap infant, and they want to make sure the child is really under the age of two.

 

It's the [big voice] World of Today. :(

 

When we were challenged on the kids' age and provided copies of the passports, I asked the agent if they would now be age verified. This is something Southwest (and perhaps others) do so you only need to present ID once for a child traveling on a reduce fare: ( SWA Child info ) The big benefit is that you can check in online when the child is age verified,and go for the early boarding groups.

 

The ticketing agent had no idea what I was talking about. She said something about "they won't be lap children next time"... which was an incorrect assumption. But the idea is to verify the birth date (not age), and let the big computers at Southwest take it from there.

 

 

Another issue I ran into on our last flight (Delta) was a know-it-all ticketing agent who was actually training some poor soul. She swore up and down that we were in the wrong seats for the additional oxygen masks because "I know the aircraft". I pulled up the 'change seats' map and showed her that we were in fact across the isle from each other. She then muttered "well, we have different equipment all the time". Great, except for the smart-ack attitude just 30 seconds earlier. :rolleyes:

 

This real killer was that the kids were on the tickets when we got there. Delta allows you to do this online, and the computer will not let you book illegal seats. So it should have been readily apparent to such an expert that the seats were OK. It was a good training opportunity, but all the trainee really learned was to doubt was she is told... and probably for the benefit of us all.

[cruzinlisa]

According to TSA website, children under age 18 are not required to show ID for domestic flights. Not sure about international because we did not fly international so I didn't even look at it. As far as whether the airlines require it, its airline policy. I have heard (unofficially) that some airlines require it to verify age of the child (i.e. for special rates, lap infants etc.). When I called Delta, they told me I did not need dd's birth certificate. I told DH to grab it out of the safe before we left, but when it was too late to do anything, I realized what he brought was the certificate (announcement) from the hospital. They never asked for it. Possibly because dd is 6 months old (and small for her age at that) and within all reasonable perceptions clearly under the age of 2 and eligible to be a lap infant.

Edited to add: Oh and we just flew back home on Saturday so this is pretty up to date with our experiences.

[mikesteg]

I have heard (unofficially) that some airlines require it to verify age of the child (i.e. for special rates, lap infants etc.).

 

It is official. This is from Southwest's website:

In order to complete your BVD, the Customer Service Agent will need to verify that your infant has not reached his/her second birthday, so be sure to bring along a copy of your infant's birth certificate.

 

I would guess that every airline has the same written policy so they can enforce the age limit for lap children. You know there are people who would abuse it... :rolleyes:

 

We also were never challenged over a good number of flights. We were finally challenged by SWA when the twins were about 18 months. Just flew Delta at 22 months and were not challenged. The woman on SWA seemed to be somewhat clueless in general, so she may have been new and just trying to follow the rules.

 

The thing is that most people can't really identify the age of a baby. Even many people who have toddlers can't always make a good guess at age of a child who is around 2YO.

 

In any case, just because the kids aren't required to show ID to the TSA, that isn't something I'm willing to battle over. I won't let them go though the full body scanner (and so far the agents direct them to the metal detector) and I'll fight for baby-allowable items (juice, milk, medicine) if they push on that. I also carry a copy of the FAA documentation on the CARES harness, since I've heard that some FAs don't know about it... but the 'cost' of showing ID is not worth fighting over.

[ehough]

My apologies to the OP for going off topic since her child is over 2, but to go along with what those above have said, SW does seem to have the strictest policy about age verification. I totally understand why- because people abuse it- but it has been kind of a pain. With SW we have to check in at the counter (meaning wait in longggg lines) to get the baby verified and added to our ticket. And even once she was age verified we still had to go to the counter every time to get her boarding verification pass. With American I simply had to call, add him to my ticket, and we went straight to security, no counter required. So, SW is definitely more strict, and at times inconvenient, but I understand why.

[mikesteg]

Thanks for that info. I was going to send in their docs to age verify with SWA, but probably won't bother now. As I understand it, you can only do it at the airport or mail in docs... hardly like SWA to be so behind the times and not allow for fax or email.

 

FYI, with Delta you can add lap-kiddies online. It's one of the options under 'special services' when reviewing the booking online.

[cruzinlisa]

It is official. This is from Southwest's website:

 

 

I would guess that every airline has the same written policy so they can enforce the age limit for lap children. You know there are people who would abuse it... :rolleyes:

 

We also were never challenged over a good number of flights. We were finally challenged by SWA when the twins were about 18 months. Just flew Delta at 22 months and were not challenged. The woman on SWA seemed to be somewhat clueless in general, so she may have been new and just trying to follow the rules.

 

The thing is that most people can't really identify the age of a baby. Even many people who have toddlers can't always make a good guess at age of a child who is around 2YO.

 

In any case, just because the kids aren't required to show ID to the TSA, that isn't something I'm willing to battle over. I won't let them go though the full body scanner (and so far the agents direct them to the metal detector) and I'll fight for baby-allowable items (juice, milk, medicine) if they push on that. I also carry a copy of the FAA documentation on the CARES harness, since I've heard that some FAs don't know about it... but the 'cost' of showing ID is not worth fighting over.

 

Wow, it sounds like SW is really strict. I know Delta wasn't strict with us. I don't know if its Delta, or the city we were flying out of or the fact that our baby was clearly under the age of 1. I think I would bring it for peace of mind, if nothing else!

 

As far as issues with the TSA and scanners and baby allowable items, have you had issues with them? We didn't. I just pulled out the allowable stuff and put it in the bin and they did not bat an eye. When we went through security in Tampa they had the scanner and I was not even carrying DD (DH did) and they sent ALL of us through the metal detector. The agent originally had directed me toward the full body scanner and said, "wait you are with the baby." That was a plus I guess.