ID needed flying with DDs and no DW?

[torquelover]

Taking a flight with DDs 9 and 10 without the DW. Will I need ID for them or written consent from DW?

 

[DebbieB]

Taking a flight with DDs 9 and 10 without the DW. Will I need ID for them or written consent from DW?

Not if you are flying in the US. International may require documentation.

 

[mm1971]

Taking a flight with DDs 9 and 10 without the DW. Will I need ID for them or written consent from DW?

Nope. No ID needed for domestic flights. The exception is if they are not your children and sometimes if they have a different last name.

 

[Gracie09]

Nope. No ID needed for domestic flights. The exception is if they are not your children and sometimes if they have a different last name.

Not true. I have flown many times with kids who weren't my own and had different last names and no one blinked

 

[mm1971]

Not true. I have flown many times with kids who weren't my own and had different last names and no one blinked

And that is why I said sometimes. I happened to fly in February a few weeks ago and brought a friend along. I had a letter notarized from his mom. Yes, he was asked if he as my son and said no. I gave them the letter at security and it eliminated any issues. I have also brought a friend in the past and was never asked. So it does happen and it's better to be prepared.

Was the letter needed, I don't know. They did blink and asked a bunch of questions. I assume we would not have been prevented from going through security, but I sure was glad to avoid any chance.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

And that is why I said sometimes. I happened to fly in February a few weeks ago and brought a friend along. I had a letter notarized from his mom. Yes, he was asked if he as my son and said no. I gave them the letter at security and it eliminated any issues. I have also brought a friend in the past and was never asked. So it does happen and it's better to be prepared.

Was the letter needed, I don't know. They did blink and asked a bunch of questions. I assume we would not have been prevented from going through security, but I sure was glad to avoid any chance.

You didn't need to show the letter; you apparently this voluntarily. If you hadn't, nothing would have happened. As already stated, you can fly domestically with any minor, no questions asked. No need to waste time and money getting a notarized letter.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

To have a letter notarized is free.

 

[quigs3]

To have a letter notarized is free.

Actually Notary Publics are able to charge for their services. There are some places which will offer the service free for their customers, but this should not automatically be the expectation.

 

[Gracie09]

To have a letter notarized is free.

Not necessarily. Some banks will notorize a letter as a courtesy if you have an account and if the notary happens to be there. But if not you have to find one and pay him or her.

 

[bumbershoot]

Nope. No ID needed for domestic flights. The exception is if they are not your children and sometimes if they have a different last name.

They just ask questions.

Mco tsa enjoyed it when they asked my son "and who is this?" indicating me and he answered "Molly". . I told him that they *meant* "who am I in relation to you" and that was easy for him to answer correctly. No biggie. If only they wouldn't assume that all kids use the parents' title and that kids don't know the names of their parents, and if they would always ask what they meant!

They always want DS to say his name because they don't know how to say it. And they like to make sure that we are his parents, because we all have different last names. DS is hyphenated, which I feel makes it fairly easy to work out, but they do like it spelled out for them!

 

[torquelover]

Thanks for the help everyone. Just need to make sure if they are questioned they don't goof off and tell the TSA they're not with me

 

[Stephaniesue]

When my TA booked my flights she told me to have the kids birth certificates on hand. I do not want to bring those with us on a trip.

I was planning to take my kids to the DMV to get them an ID made. They do minor State IDs now.

Looks like that's not necessary? I would rather not have an ID for my 11 and 9 year old out in the world, and I am not bringing birth certificates with us. We are flying from Indianapolis to Orlando, so it's domestic.

Glad I found this post!

 

[Maggie'sMom]

My DD has a different last name than me and it's never been an issue for us. The TSA agents will usually ask DD several questions, acting like it's just friendly conversation, but I know they are checking to make sure she is who the boarding pass says and that everything is okay with her going with me. It usually goes like "what's your name?", "who is this (indicating me)?, and "where are you going?" They'll usually throw in a few more questions so it seems more like a natural conversation to DD. They'll ask her what her favorite color is, what her favorite Disney character is, and so on.

 

[torquelover]

When my TA booked my flights she told me to have the kids birth certificates on hand. I do not want to bring those with us on a trip.

I feel the same way, ours are not in an easy spot to get to in the house.

 

[rwdavis2]

When my TA booked my flights she told me to have the kids birth certificates on hand. I do not want to bring those with us on a trip.

I was planning to take my kids to the DMV to get them an ID made. They do minor State IDs now.

Looks like that's not necessary? I would rather not have an ID for my 11 and 9 year old out in the world, and I am not bringing birth certificates with us. We are flying from Indianapolis to Orlando, so it's domestic.

Glad I found this post!

Children under 18 do not need an ID when flying inside the USA. The TSA says this on their web site.

 

[MamaBear58]

Not necessarily. Some banks will notorize a letter as a courtesy if you have an account and if the notary happens to be there. But if not you have to find one and pay him or her.

Correct, and in certain states they are REQUIRED to charge for their services.

 

[Alesia]

Minors do not need ID of any kind. From the TSA website:

Q. What ID is needed for minors traveling domestically/internationally?
A. Minor children (younger than 18) are not required to provide an ID at the airport security checkpoint. They will just need their boarding pass. All passengers, including children, on international flights are required to have a passport in their possession.

Lap babies and children flying on age restricted fares are the exception, but the ID isn't to prove who they are, but to prove their age.

 

[MamaBear58]

Nope. No ID needed for domestic flights. The exception is if they are not your children and sometimes if they have a different last name.

How do they know they aren't your children if they don't require ID?

So I can take my kids anywhere in the US without ID, even though one of them looks nothing like me (international adoption) and both of them have a different last name than the one on my ID? They will just believe me when I say that they are my kids?

 

[Maggie'sMom]

How do they know they aren't your children if they don't require ID?

So I can take my kids anywhere in the US without ID, even though one of them looks nothing like me (international adoption) and both of them have a different last name than the one on my ID? They will just believe me when I say that they are my kids?

Pretty much. Although as I stated in my earlier post, the TSA will question the child if they are old enough to talk. For us, it's always gone something like this:

"Hi! What's your name? (check against boarding pass) I like your shirt. Is pink your favorite color? (friendly smile) Who's this person behind you? Is she going with you on your trip? (nodding to mom, checking that the child knows the adult they are traveling with and are comfortable with them) Where are you going? (again, checking against the boarding pass and checking that the child isn't in distress) Disney World? I bet you'll have fun. Do you have a favorite princess? Well, have fun and say hi to Mickey for me."

To the child, it just seems like the agent is being friendly. To an adult, we know they are verifying the child is okay traveling with the adult they are with and that the name matches the boarding pass.

 

[Gracie09]

How do they know they aren't your children if they don't require ID?

So I can take my kids anywhere in the US without ID, even though one of them looks nothing like me (international adoption) and both of them have a different last name than the one on my ID? They will just believe me when I say that they are my kids?

Pretty much. Since the vast majority of kidnapping is done by relatives and friends the TSa is not really on the look out for strangers taking kids. I guess if your kid started yelling this isn't my mommy there would be additional inquiries. I have taken kids that don't look at all like me or my husband, aren't our relatives (legally anyway), don't even look like each other and barely more than a so whose a X and that makes you Y right.