Use this international travel checklist for families with children to check the documents each child needs at the airport or border. Requirements depend on the destination and whether a parent, another adult, or no adult is traveling with the child.
Before you leave
- Passports: Check every child's passport expiration date and the destination's validity requirements. Need a child passport?
- Entry documents: Check visa, ETA, and transit rules for every country on the itinerary.
- Parental permission: If one or both parents aren't traveling, find out whether a travel consent letter is needed and whether it must be notarized.
- Relationship and custody records: Pack birth certificates, adoption records, or relevant court orders when appropriate.
- Airline requirements: Confirm rules for infants, child seating, and unaccompanied minors before departure.
- Health and contacts: Check medication rules, insurance, and emergency contact details. A non-parent caregiver may also need separate medical authorization.
- Backups: Keep required originals with you and store copies separately.
Give the traveling adult any required original documents, not just photos on a phone. If you share custody, review the court order before departure; a travel consent letter cannot override it.
Print one travel checklist for each child. The State Department's travel checklist is another useful starting point. Confirm current entry and exit rules with the destination's embassy or consulate.
