Before you fly
Prepare for a safe and comfortable journey with our tips and advice, and learn about our medical and accessible travel services.
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 the child travels with an older child who is under 16, as they are not old enough to be the child’s guardian. Children up to 11 who are travelling in a different cabin class from their parent or guardian on the same flight will also need to fly on an adult fare. However, they will still be considered accompanied and will not have access to our children’s lounge and special services.
Children over 12 already fly on an adult fare and are able to fly alone without our Unaccompanied Minor service. However, for an extra fee, you can make a special request for the service for young passengers aged 12 to 15. The fee is USD 50 per young passenger for every leg of the journey.
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.
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.
If your child needs special assistance or specific care on their journey, they must be accompanied by a fare-paying guardian who is over 16 years old.
Find out more about our special assistance, accessible travel or medical services.
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.
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 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.
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:
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:
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.
Children under 14 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Children travelling with someone other than their parent or legal guardian must carry an authorisation letter from their parents.
Vietnamese children:
Non‑Vietnamese children:
Children travelling under our Unaccompanied Minors service are exempt, as the Unaccompanied Minors form is considered an authorisation document.
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.
Please visit the Unaccompanied Minors page for more information, or contact your local Emirates office.
You can carry an infant under two years old on your lap. We'll give you an infant seat belt extension. You’ll need to secure the infant by using the infant seat belt extension during taxi, take-off, landing and whenever the seat belt sign is switched on.
A parent or guardian who purchased a seat for an infant under two years but does not have an approved car seat, must be reminded to hold, and secure the infant on their laps with a seat belt extension during take-off, landing, turbulence and whenever the seat belt sign is switched on.
If you’re flying with a child over two years old, you'll need to buy a child's fare and they'll have their own seat.
If you’re travelling with two infants, one infant must be carried on an adult’s lap using an infant seat belt whenever the seat belt sign is on. The second infant must be seated in an aircraft seat secured in an approved Child Restraint Device (CRD). The second infant will travel at the applicable child fare rather than the infant fare. Alternatively, both infants can be seated in aircraft seats. Similarly, three infants can travel with two adults if each adult carries one infant on their lap using an infant seat belt whenever the seat belt sign is on. The third infant must be seated in an aircraft seat secured in an approved Child Restraint Device (CRD). A child fare will apply to the third infant.
Note: An approved Child Restraint Device (CRD) includes either an aviation approved car seat or safety harness.
Infants who are assigned their own seats in the aircraft must be secured in a car seat or use a safety harness, known as a child restraint seat (CRS) or child restraint device (CRD), it must have a label to show that it's approved for use in an aircraft by:
You must take full responsibility for fitting the device to the aircraft seat in accordance with the manufacturer instructions and aircraft policy:
Our cabin crew can assist by raising the armrests so that you can secure the aircraft seat belt to the car seat. They will also brief you on any safety requirements, and have the right to prohibit the use of car seats that do not meet policy standards.
Unfortunately, we can't accept car seats that need to be secured by a three-point seat belt or shoulder harness.
If you bring a baby car seat to use on your flight, the check-in staff will check that it carries a label showing that it's approved for use on an aircraft, along with the instructions for use. We'll accept car seats that meet the following safety standards:
If your car seat doesn't meet these safety standards, you can check it in to the hold with your other baggage.
We accept the following restraint harnesses/devices for travel:
Please consult the table below for details on which cabin classes can accommodate these devices:
Restraint Harnesses/Device | Economy Class | Premium Economy | Business Class | First Class |
---|---|---|---|---|
CARES and Special CARES | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Crelling/Houdini Harness Model 27 (27I, 27ISB, 27A, 27ASB, 27B, 27BSB) | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Meru TravelChair | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Leckey Firefly GoTo Seat Support | Yes | Yes | No | No |
We do not provide these devices. You must contact your nearest Emirates Contact Centre at least 48 hours before travel as these devices can only be used on approved seat locations and in certain cabins.
If you require any additional support or assistance for your travel, you will need to complete the Medical Information form (MEDIF) our team can then assist you.
Limitations:
Whilst our bassinets are designed for babies up to two years old weighing up to 11 kg (24.2 lb), we won’t be able to provide one if your baby doesn’t fit safely (for example, if they have to bend their legs to fit into the bassinet). In First Class, our baby bassinets are 63.5 cm long and 28 cm wide (25 in x 11 in), while they are 74.93 long x 33.03 cm wide x 16.51 cm deep (29.5 in x 13 in x 5 in) in Business Class and Economy Class. Please note that bassinets are limited in number and subject to availability. Remember that you can't request a bassinet if you have booked a normal seat on child's fare rates.
Please note that children’s ride on suitcases or leg rest devices aren’t certified by the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority, and therefore aren’t permitted on board our flights. This includes – but isn’t limited to – devices by Bedbox, Fly Legs-up and FLY-Tot. You can get in touch with us for more information.
Leg rests and extensions
The use of leg rests, or any form of seat-extension device, is not permitted to be used on board. These items are not certified by the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), and pose a safety risk as loose cabin items. They include but are not limited to the below:
You can take these items with you on board only if they are stored in the overhead lockers as regular carry-on baggage allowance, and are not used during the flight.
Ride-on suitcases
Ride-on suitcases are permitted to take on board if they are only stored in the overhead lockers as regular carry-on baggage allowance, and not used during the flight. They must meet the size and weight requirements of your assigned carry-on luggage, and must not be used as leg-rests or seat extensions. Ride-on suitcases include:
Sleepers
The only comfort device/sleeper permitted to be used on board an Emirates flight is the CoziGo (Fly Babee) as it meets the safety and risk standards required of the GCAA. The CoziGo may be attached to one of our baby bassinets for the duration of the flight only in Economy Class, Premium Economy and Business Class. You will need to reserve a baby bassinet prior to your flight. Please note, CoziGo is not provided by Emirates.
The following sleepers, and any similar device, are not permitted to use on board:
Tickets for infants travelling on the parent’s lap or in a bassinet are discounted from the full adult fare. When booking online, a request for a bassinet can be made in the Passenger Details section.
Infants less than seven days old will only be allowed on board in the case of travel for emergency medical reasons (in incubators) or if the mother is travelling on compassionate grounds.
Children may travel on board in car seats as long as a separate seat is purchased for the child. Car seats can be used at any stage of the flight, including take-off and landing. The car seat must be the forward facing type only and one that can be secured to the seat by the use of the lap seatbelt, and not a shoulder harness (2-point seatbelt) as for car vehicles. Airport Services will approve the infant car seat at check-in for use on board.
Tickets for children travelling in a separate seat are also discounted from the full adult fare.
Please Note: the Emirates Unaccompanied Minor service is not available in conjunction with a discounted 'child' ticket—a full adult fare must be purchased.
Please contact your local Emirates office to book an unaccompanied minor.
Children between 5 and 11 years old who are travelling in a different cabin class from their parent or guardian are also considered unaccompanied minors and need to fly on an adult fare. They will only be considered accompanied if they are travelling in the same cabin class with a passenger over 16 years old. For the comfort of other passengers, we do ask that visits between cabins be kept to a minimum.
Any person 2 years or older must occupy a seat when travelling on Emirates. Therefore, any infant who reaches the age of 2 after the commencement of the journey must pay the applicable child fare and is required to occupy a seat for that part of the journey.
Where a passenger travels as an infant on the outward journey and as a child on the onward/ return journey, applicable infant fare will apply for the outward journey and child fare for the onward/return flights. This cannot be booked online and should be booked through your local Emirates office.
Where a passenger is an infant but is 2 years or older on travel date at point of origin, the applicable child fare will apply for entire journey
If the above has not been done at the booking or ticketing stage, then check-in staff will arrange this at the airport on departure.
If seats are not available at the ticketing or check-in stage, the adult and child passengers will be booked together on alternate flights, subject to availability.
Should travel plans change while en-route and an infant turns 2 years old after travel has commenced the unused coupon(s) will be reissued at the applicable child fare for the rest of the trip and a seat will also be booked for all remaining flights.
IMPORTANT: Conditions of travel to Canada
Parents travelling to Canada with a child under 18 years old are strongly advised to hold documentation showing that the child is theirs. Parents who are separated or divorced are also advised to keep legal and other relevant documents in order to clarify custody rights.
Children travelling to Canada alone or with adults who have no legal custody over them are strongly advised to hold letter of travel consent signed by legal guardian or parent with legal custody. This letter should contain:
a. Authorisation to travel, and
b. Destination in Canada, stating length of stay, and
c. Signor’s address and telephone details.
Travel health FAQs
Please contact your local Emirates office and we will make every effort to accommodate your needs.
Certain service animals are allowed to travel in the cabin on Emirates flights, subject to a number of conditions. For more information on travelling with a service animal, please see our accessible travel information(Opens page in the same tab), or contact your local Emirates office(Opens page in the same tab).
Travel to and from the USA
If you are travelling with a service animal on an Emirates flight to the US, you will need to meet both US Department of Transportation regulations as well as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regulations. If you are departing from the US, you will need to meet the regulations of the US Department of Transportation.
You will need to complete a US Department of Transportation Service Animal Air Transportation Form(Opens a PDF in a new tab) before you travel to attest the animal’s health, training and behaviour. Additionally if your flight is longer than 8 hours, you will also need to submit a U.S. Department of Transportation Service Animal Relief Attestation Form(Opens a PDF in a new tab) to attest that the dog will not relieve themselves in the aircraft or can do so in a sanitary manner. Once you download and complete the forms, please submit them here to our Special Assistance team(Opens page in the same tab) for review and we will contact you to confirm this is validated before you travel.
From 1 August 2024, new CDC regulations will be in place for bringing dogs into the US. This includes:
For detailed information, please read the CDC Dog Import Regulations(Opens an external website in a new tab)on the CDC website.
Travel to Dubai
Customers travelling with a service dog from any eligible station to Dubai are required to submit the following documents at least four working days before departure to get this validated by the UAE Ministry of Climate Change & Environment (MOCCAE).
The booking for the service dog will only be confirmed after the documents have been validated by the UAE Ministry of Climate Change & Environment (MOCCAE).
Click here(Opens page in the same tab) to submit the required documents.
Yes, you can order a meal for a specific diet up to 48 hours before your flight through Manage your booking(opens in the same window). Just enter your booking reference and last name, and you’ll be able to choose your meal preference.
We offer a variety of dietary meals(opens in the same window) including gluten friendly, low lactose, vegetarian and vegan meals. All of our onboard meals and snacks are halal.
If you’re looking to preorder a meal from our main menus, you can find out more about our meal preorder service here(Opens page in the same tab).