Can my child travel alone on an Emirates flight?

Yes. You can book our Unaccompanied Minors service for children aged 5 to 11 who are flying alone.

We also offer a paid Unaccompanied Minors service for children aged 12 to 15.

We’ll be there to help your child enjoy a safe, comfortable, and memorable journey from check-in through to meeting their parent or guardian at their destination.

Children aged between 5 and 11 travelling alone will need to fly on an adult fare. This fare also applies when they travel with an older child who is under 18, as they are not old enough to be the child’s guardian.

Children under 8 travelling in another cabin class to their parent or guardian are also regarded as unaccompanied minors and fly on an adult fare, along with children under 11 flying with them.

Children over 12 already fly on an adult fare and are able to fly alone. However, for an extra fee, you can make a special request for our Unaccompanied Minors service for young passengers aged 12 to 15. The fee is USD 50 per young passenger for every leg of the journey that you‘d like us to offer the service.

Have a look at our Unaccompanied Minors page for more information about our service, or contact your local Emirates office where you can make a booking.

What if my child has a connecting flight or overnight transfer?

Connection times

If your child is transferring to another airline as part of their itinerary, the maximum connection time allowed at the airport is four hours.

If they’re transferring to another flight in Dubai, the maximum connection time is eight hours. This is because we have specialist members of our team to care for your child and we can only allocate them for this time.

Overnight transfers and unaccompanied minors

A child under 16 can’t fly alone if their transfer involves an overnight stay at the connecting airport or they need to travel between airports to get to their connecting flight unless you arrange for an adult guardian to meet and care for them at the transit point.

In both situations, you’ll need to confirm these details with us before we can accept your child on board.

Special assistance for children

If your child needs special assistance or specific care on their journey, they must be accompanied by a fare-paying guardian who is over 18 years old. 

You can find out more about our special assistance and medical services here.

Terms and conditions

For safety and security, as a legal parent or guardian you’ll need to complete and sign a Declaration of Indemnity form before your child can fly with us. You'll find these forms at Emirates Airport Offices.

The unaccompanied minor’s parent or guardian must stay at the airport until the flight has departed. The parent or guardian collecting the unaccompanied minor at the airport must provide proof of identification. We offer our Unaccompanied Minors service only on our flights, and not with our partner airlines. Please contact the airline to find out about their services for children travelling alone.

French minors travelling outside of France

Minors with French citizenship who are travelling outside of France without their parent or legal guardians must carry an official authorisation to exit the country, in addition to their passport. The original authorisation must be presented along with a copy of the identification of the parent or guardian who signed the document.

Spanish minors travelling outside of Spain

Spanish minors under 18 years old travelling outside of the Spanish territory without the company of any of his/her legal representatives (parents or legal guardian /s), must carry in addition to passport, a signed declaration of travel permit outside of the national territory. The form may be obtained from the Spanish Police, Civil Guard, Courts, Notaries, Town halls or Consulates.

In the case of foreign minors in Spain for their Departure from national territory must carry the Passport of their respective State or valid travel document in force.

Regarding foreign minors resident in Spain or residents in another EU state please contact the Authorities regarding the applicable documentation.

For more information and queries please contact the Spanish authorities to ensure valid documentation in place.

Unaccompanied minors travelling to Canada

Air Canada doesn’t accept unaccompanied minors from other airlines. Therefore, if your child is travelling flying alone with us, you can book our Unaccompanied Minors service as far as Toronto. In Toronto, the child must be collected by their parent or guardian.

If your child is travelling to Canada alone, or with an adult with no legal custody over them, we strongly advise you to give them a travel consent letter. It must be signed by their legal guardian or a parent with legal custody. The letter should contain these details:

  • authorisation to travel
  • that their destination is Canada and the length of your child’s stay
  • the address and telephone number of the legal parent or guardian

Italian minors travelling outside Italy without an adult

There are special requirements for Italian children travelling alone outside of Italy. If your child is an Italian national aged up to and including 13, they will need to carry a letter of authorisation (a dichiarazione di affido) from the local police (questura) if:

  • they are travelling alone
  • they are travelling with someone who is not their legal guardian or parent (as identified in their passport)

If you live abroad, you can get this authorisation from an Italian embassy or consulate. The dichiarazione di affido can’t be issued by the airport police. Without this authorisation, your child won’t be allowed to leave Italy. This only applies to Italian citizens; all other nationals can travel without this authorisation.

Travelling on other airlines

Each airline has their own restrictions and regulations on the unaccompanied travel of minors. If your itinerary involves travel on another airline, you should check the specific unaccompanied minors rules for that carrier before making your booking. These can include restrictions on the acceptance of unaccompanied minors when connecting to or from other airlines.

Learn more

Please visit the Unaccompanied Minors page for more information, or contact your local Emirates office.