Special assistance and requests

Certain service animals are allowed to travel in the cabin on Emirates flights, subject to a number of conditions. For more information on traveling 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 U.S.A.

If you are traveling with a service animal on an Emirates flight to the U.S., you will need to meet both U.S. Department of Transportation regulations as well as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regulations. If you are departing from the U.S., you will need to meet the regulations of the U.S. 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 behavior. Additionally, if your flight is longer than eight hours, you will also need to submit a US 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 Care team(Opens page in the same tab) for review and we will contact you to confirm this is validated before you travel.

From August 1, 2024, new CDC regulations will be in place for bringing dogs into the U.S. This includes:

• Health and documentation requirements: You must meet the specific vaccination and health certification requirements.
• Forms required: All travelers bringing dogs into the U.S.A. are required to complete a CDC Dog Import Form(Opens a PDF in a new tab).
• Countries affected: Additional restrictions apply to dogs vaccinated in foreign countries and coming from countries with a high risk(Opens an external website in a new tab) of rabies.
• Entry points: Only designated ports of entry(Opens an external website in a new tab) will be permitted when importing dogs from certain countries.

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 traveling 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 and Environment (MOCCAE).

• Veterinary health certificate from the country of origin
• Rabies titer test (RNAT)
• Vaccination book/treatment documents of the animal
• Import permit from MOCCAE(Opens page in the same tab)
• Inspection/releasing fee receipts paid as per the MOCCAE website
  

The booking for the service dog will only be confirmed after the documents have been validated by the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE).

Click here(Opens page in the same tab) to submit the required documents.

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 between the ages of 5 and 11 traveling 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 traveling 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.

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

Connection times

If your child is transferring to another airline as part of his or her itinerary, the maximum connection time allowed is four hours.

If he or she is transferring to another flight in Dubai, the maximum connection time is eight hours. Our specialist team members who care for your children can only be allocated for this limited time.

Overnight transfers and unaccompanied minors

Children younger than 16 can’t fly alone if their itinerary includes transfers requiring an overnight stay at the connecting airport or travel between airports to get to a connecting flight unless an adult guardian is available 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 16 years old.

Find out more about our special assistance, accessible travel or medical services.

Terms and conditions

For safety and security, the legal parent or guardian of an Unaccompanied Minor or Young Passenger must complete and sign a Declaration of Indemnity form before the 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 meeting the unaccompanied minor at the airport must provide proof of identification. We offer our Unaccompanied Minors service only on our own flights, and not with our partner airlines. Please contact partner airlines directly to find out about their services for children traveling alone.

French minors traveling outside of France

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

Spanish minors traveling outside of Spain

Spanish minors under 18 years old traveling 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 applicable documentation.

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

Unaccompanied minors traveling to Canada

Air Canada doesn’t accept unaccompanied minors from other airlines. If your child is traveling alone with us, you can book our Unaccompanied Minors service only as far as Toronto. The child must be met in Toronto by a parent or guardian.

If your child is traveling to Canada alone or with an adult who has no legal custody of him or her, we strongly advise you to give the guardian a travel consent letter. The letter must be signed by the child's legal guardian or a parent with legal custody. The letter should include:

• Authorization to travel,
• Destination and length of stay in Canada, and
• Address and telephone number of the child's legal parent or guardian.

Italian minors traveling outside Italy without an adult

There are special requirements for Italian children traveling alone outside of Italy. If your child is an Italian national age 13 or younger, he or she will need to carry a letter of authorization (a dichiarazione di affido) from the local police (questura) if

• he or she is traveling alone, or
• he or she is traveling with someone who is not a legal guardian or parent (as identified in the child's passport).

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

Minors under 14 years old traveling to and from Vietnam

Children under 14 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Children traveling with someone other than their parent or legal guardian must carry an authorization letter from their parents. 

Vietnamese children: 

• For arrival into Vietnam, an authorization letter is not required
• For departures from Vietnam, an authorization letter is required. The letter must be certified by the local police or HCM Department of Justice

Non‑Vietnamese children: 

• For arrival into Vietnam, an authorization letter is required. The letter must be certified by their local authorities
• For departures from Vietnam, the authorization letter is not required

Children traveling under our Unaccompanied Minors service are exempt, as the Unaccompanied Minors form is considered an authorization document.

Traveling on other airlines

Each airline has its own restrictions and regulations regarding the travel of unaccompanied minors. If your itinerary involves travel on another airline, you should check the 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.

Infants 0-1 year

Tickets for infants traveling 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 7 days old will be allowed on board only in the case of travel for emergency medical reasons (in incubators) or if the mother is traveling on compassionate grounds.

Children in car seats

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 does not require a shoulder harness (3-point seatbelt) as for car vehicles. Airport Services will approve the infant car seat for use on board at check-in.

Children 2–11 years

Tickets for children traveling 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 traveling in different class from the parents

Children between 5 and 11 years old who are traveling 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 traveling 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.

IMPORTANT: New information concerning infant bookings

Any person 2 years or older must occupy a seat when traveling 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 turn 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 be booked for all remaining flights.

IMPORTANT: Conditions of travel to Canada

Parents traveling 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 traveling to Canada alone or with adults who don't have legal custody of them are strongly advised to hold a letter of travel consent signed by a legal guardian or parent with legal custody. This letter should include:

a. Authorization to travel, and
b. Destination in Canada, stating length of stay, and
c. Signer’s address and telephone details.

Please contact your local Emirates office and we will make every effort to accommodate your needs.

Find more information about Accessible travel here.