Tips for Travelling with Children

Version PDF Tips for Travelling with Children Adobe Acrobat Reader® is needed to view and print the publication. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, it can be downloaded free of charge.

When travelling with children, you will see the world through their awestruck eyes. Keep in mind that you will be travelling at your children’s pace, not your own. Here are some essential tips for a safe and successful trip:

• All children require a valid Canadian passport and supporting identification, such as a birth certificate or citizenship card. Check with the nearest embassy or consulate of each destination country regarding additional entry conditions and documentation (if required), including divorce papers, custody court orders or a death certificate (if one parent is deceased).

• It is strongly recommended that children travelling alone or with one parent carry a consent letter for each and every trip abroad. It is advisable to have the consent letter certified, stamped or sealed by an official who has the authority to administer an oath or solemn declaration so that the validity of the letter will not be questioned. See www.voyage.gc.ca/alt/letter.asp for a sample consent letter.

• Seek advice from a lawyer if a custody dispute might develop while the child is abroad. Custody arrangements in Canada may not be recognized in some countries. For details, see our publication International Child Abductions: A Manual for Parents.

• Keep some form of identification in your child’s pocket in case you are separated. Carry recent photographs of the child for emergency identification purposes.

• Some airlines will escort and supervise an unaccompanied child from check-in through arrival. Note that airlines require a parent or guardian to stay at the airport until the flight has departed. The person greeting the child at the point of arrival must have appropriate identification and authorization.

• Infants are required to sit in an approved child safety seat when travelling by air. Carry a bottle or pacifier to make the child more comfortable and to equalize ear pressure.

• Bring an adequate supply of baby products (keeping in mind new airline carry-on restrictions) as well as vital medications and a doctor’s note detailing their generic names and purposes. Consult with a pediatrician on how best to protect your child’s health while travelling.

• For more information, visit our Web site at www.voyage.gc.ca/alt/child.asp.
  

BACK TO TOP

Consular Services

Consular Affairs Bureau
www.voyage.gc.ca

General
Tel.: 1-800-267-6788 (in Canada and the U.S.) or 613-944-6788
TTY: 1-800-394-3472 (in Canada and the U.S.) or 613-944-1310
E-mail: voyage@international.gc.ca

Emergencies
Tel.: 613-996-8885
(call collect from abroad where available)
E-mail: sos@international.gc.ca

The Consular Affairs Bureau publishes, in both official languages, a series of safe travel brochures.

Country Travel Reports provide information on safety and security conditions, health issues and entry requirements for approximately 200 travel destinations. This information is also available by telephone: 1-800-267-6788 (in Canada and the U.S.) or 613-944-6788.

Canadian government offices abroad
www.voyage.gc.ca/alt/canoffices.asp

Publication Info

Published by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada

Information in this publication is readily available for personal and public non-commercial use and may be reproduced, in part or in whole and by any means, without charge or further permission from Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. We ask only that:

• Users exercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the materials reproduced;
• Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada be identified as the source department; and
• the reproduction not be represented as an official version of the materials reproduced, nor as having been made in affiliation with or with the endorsement of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.