How to buy a ticket for a child #

If you are traveling with a child under the age of 12, specify this when placing your order. Select how many tickets for children and infants you want to order. If you need to add an infant ticket to an existing booking for adult passengers, you will need to pay the air tickets exchange fee.

Children under 2 years old #

An infant under 2 years old can fly without a seat, in the arms of parents or accompanying persons. Most airlines provide discounts for this category of little passengers–of 90% and even 100%. A ticket for an infant may be free, but it must still be issued. Without a “zero ticket” the child will not be allowed on board. One adult can take only one infant who doesn’t take a separate seat with them. For other children, it is necessary to issue a “children’s” ticket with a seat, regardless of their age.

As a rule, 10 kg of luggage can be carried free of charge for a child under 2 years old.

If you want your child under 2 years old to be given a full-fledged seat on the board, write to the Ozon Travel support chat.

Children from 2 to 12 years old #

For a child over 2 years old you have to order a ticket that provides them with a separate seat. Since a child occupies the equal seat on the board as an adult, the discount for this category of passengers is significantly less than for “infants”, and not all airlines provide it.

After you add the required number of children or infants to the order, the system will show you the total cost of the airline tickets for all passengers, including carrier discounts, if any.

What should I do if the child is 11 years old at the time of departure, and 12 at the time of return?

A child’s age always “counts” at the end of the trip. If you buy a round-trip ticket, then the age of the child at the time of the last flight’s landing in the order matters. If the child is 11 years old at the time of departure, and 12 at the time of return, a ticket for them must be booked as for an adult over 12 years old. It is the same with infants–if the child is 2 years old in the period between the flight “to” and “from”–the ticket must be booked as for a child over 2 years. Due to the significant difference in the price of a ticket for an infant and a child, it is often more beneficial to book such flights in two orders–separate tickets for “to” with infants, and separate tickets for “from”. You can always compare prices and find the most profitable option for organizing a trip on our website.

Documents for children #

Before you start a trip and purchase your ticket, find out exactly what type of document your child needs to fly to a particular country.

1. Birth certificate.

The full number of the birth certificate of citizens of the Russian Federation is entered as follows:

• Roman numeral, which is entered in Latin letters I, V, X (in English keyboard layout);
• two Cyrillic letters;
• 6 digits.

2. Foreign passport.

A child can travel without their own foreign passport only if they are registered in the old passport (issued for 5 years) of one parent, and this parent accompanies the child on the trip. In this case, in the Document number field, enter the foreign passport number of the parent whose passport the child is entered in.

If the child’s parents have a new type of foreign passport (issued for 10 years), it is necessary to obtain a personal foreign passport for a little passenger, regardless of their age and whether the child is registered in the parents' passports or not.

Confirmation of kinship #

If you plan to fly abroad, border guards have the right to demand proof of kinship, even if the child is flying with both parents.

In the Russian Federation, the only document legally proving kinship is a birth certificate. Even if the child is registered in a foreign passport and has the same surname as the parent, you need to have originals or notarized copies of documents confirming kinship: adoption, guardianship, patronage.

If the surnames of the parent and child are the same, the birth certificate is enough; if they are different, the birth certificate and the certificate of new marriages with a change of surname is required.

If the parents have died, are missing, or deprived of parental rights, a document on guardianship, adoption or patronage is required.

When a child travels abroad with one parent, is the notarized permission of the other parent required? #

Article 20 of Federal Law No. 114-FL “On the procedure for exit from the Russian Federation and entry into the Russian Federation” states that the exit of an under-age from the Russian Federation is performed with one parent, and the law does not require the permission of the other parent. If the child is accompanied by a third party or unaccompanied, notarized permission from both parents or legal representatives is required. At the same time, in accordance with Article 21 of the law, if one of the parents declares his disagreement with the exit of the child from the Russian Federation, the question of the possibility of their exit is decided in court.

Do airlines have the right to require a power of attorney, referring to the carrier rules? #

In our opinion, airlines have no legal grounds under the Russian law to require such permission for a child traveling with a parent who has not been deprived of parental rights or limited in parental rights.

But you should keep in mind that the legislation of the destination country may have different conditions of entry for foreign citizens, so we recommend studying the requirements of the country and the availability of agreements with the Russian Federation before you book tickets.

When a child travels within Russia accompanied by an adult who is not their parent, is it necessary to have a notarized permission from one (both) parents? #

A child who is a citizen of the Russian Federation may travel within Russia with a birth certificate accompanied by any adult. By law, parental permission is not required.

Unaccompanied children #

Children from 5 to 18 years old can fly abroad unaccompanied by adults. In this case, the discounts provided by the children’s fare do not apply. The airline’s maintenance staff should take care of such children. In addition to the foreign passport with a visa for all children, the accompanying person must fill in a special request for the child carriage and the declaration of the child’s parents.

Children under the age of 18 traveling unaccompanied by their parents, according to the law “On the procedure for exit from the Russian Federation and entry into the Russian Federation” must have the notarized or consular permission of their parents (or adoptive parents, guardians, trustees).

An unaccompanied child may travel on an international flight provided that:

• accompanying persons are with the child at the airport until boarding the plane;
• the child is met at the arrival airport;
• the child is flying on a direct and non-connected flight without transfers, in one-way or round-trip.

We recommend making a request for accompanying a child before paying for the order, since the service is not available on all carriers and not on all flights.

See also #

If you still have questions, write to the Ozon Travel support chat.