What ID do children need to board a plane?

[CatNipRules]

All the people who are showing their kids' birth certificates and state issued non driver license ID cards, don't you have passports for your kids?

Just wondering

Jane

No. I don't have a passport. We have never traveled outside of the United States so we have never needed one.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

I traveled with my nieces last November and both of them have different last names than myself. Not only did they not ask for any sort of Identification (which I knew they wouldn't) they also didn't ask for verification that I had permission to be traveling with them. I brought a notarized letter from their father saying they were suppose to be with me but none of the ticket agents or TSA workers asked to see it.

 

[carebee21]

I traveled with my nieces last November and both of them have different last names than myself. Not only did they not ask for any sort of Identification (which I knew they wouldn't) they also didn't ask for verification that I had permission to be traveling with them. I brought a notarized letter from their father saying they were suppose to be with me but none of the ticket agents or TSA workers asked to see it.

Taken directly from the TSA link on the first page of this thread:
Q. Do I need authorization to travel with another child besides my own, domestically or internationally?
A. There is no involvement by TSA in determining custody authorization of adults traveling with children.


Many children don't have the same last name as one of their parents (I have a different last name than my son.) Can you imagine what a mess that would be to try to determine if you are the child;s parent, grandparent, relative, etc and whether you have authorization to travel with them or not?

 

[caligirl stuck in va]

We flew to California and back twice this summer. My girls, 11 and 8, were not asked for any ID and were not asked to hold their own boarding passes. It is true that the TSA inquisition officer asked their names (seemed very serious) and questioned me as to why the 8 year old seemed sad. I explained that they just said goodbye to Daddy and that seemed to pacify her. I did think it was odd that she was seriously questioning the kids (what is your name, where are you going etc) but it was fine. Oh - and kids 12 and under no longer need to remove their shoes to go through security. The TSA agents at the scan machines seemed much nicer and more understanding about kids than they were when we flew 2 years ago.

 

[scholastica]

I know you don't need any, but I felt more comfortable taking a copy of my daughter's birth certificate.

 

[dawnhaze]

I got my son a state ID card. Why? Well, he's 15 and taller than my DH and I. So, I figured that I would rather be safe than sorry. Plus, it never hurts to have one.

My parents got me a state ID when I was 11 years old because they felt more comfortable with me having identification while we were traveling. I wish it was more common.

 

[chris31997]

All the people who are showing their kids' birth certificates and state issued non driver license ID cards, don't you have passports for your kids?

Just wondering

Jane

It just depends. We do alot of traveling. Hubby is military, so we all have passports. But for the kids it is so expensive to renew every 5 yrs. It is an expense that I will deal with, because I don't want the hassle of trying to get a new birth cert from the state that the kids were born in. Hubby's mom family is from Germany and it is very common there for everyone to have a passport, even the kids.

Our kids will always have a passport. For us it just makes traveling so much easier.

 

[Hannathy]

All the people who are showing their kids' birth certificates and state issued non driver license ID cards, don't you have passports for your kids?

Just wondering

Jane

I would never take it with me traveling domestically!!! That thing only leaves the house if it is needed to go across the border. There is absolutely no need for it within the states and I'm certainly not going to risk it without cause.

 

[marko]

I always bring the birth certificates just in case, but have never needed them.

 

[bumbershoot]

My son (sadly) goes by his middle name and he's been questioned before as to why the ticket has 2 first names listed so we travel with it to prove that he is the right person.

As long as his legal name is his first name, no one should be making reservations in anything but his legal name. I say this as someone with a brother who legally changed his first name (and made us all use his "new" legal name or he simply would not respond to us, not even our mom was exempt from this)...it's time to either change his name or stop making reservations in anything but his legal name.

IMO.




My son has been asked "and who are they?" regarding us. He said "Molly and Robert". The TSA agent blinked as I said "and who are we TO you?" and finally the kidlet answered "my mom and dad". It's good for kids to know parents' names, and in our family it is what DS called me until about a year ago, but yikes! Nervous millisecond there.

Now they are able to sneak in the "who are you" question with "and how do you say your name, young man?" because not everyone knows how Eamon is pronounced.

 

[janey99]

I would never take it with me traveling domestically!!! That thing only leaves the house if it is needed to go across the border. There is absolutely no need for it within the states and I'm certainly not going to risk it without cause.

Yet, people seem to risk taking their original birth certificates with them instead.

Even though you don't "need" them for domestic travel, passports are travel documents, they are replaceable, and you don't risk losing a foundation ID document when you carry it around.

What, to you, is more "risky" about taking your passport than yoiur BC?

 

[jgates]

Birth certificates are available from your local register of deeds. In our state/county it is $20 for the first copy & $4 for each additional that you purchase at the same time. What's the big deal with taking that? If there are no plans to travel out of the country, why pay for the high priced passport? We don't even get an 'original' anymore when they are born. Everything is computerized, filed with the ROD & you get a computer generated one.

You will normally need extra BC's frequently if your child is in any type of sporting group, etc, that plays in tournaments. I think we went through about 6 copies when my son was in hockey for 13 years.

Since it wasn't really needed my DD just took her school photo id along with her, just in case someone was questioning anything.

 

[ceecee]

this year I decided to go to DMV and got my 2 DD's non driver Id's not needed but wanted to have them instead of the Birth cert

Are these state IDs? How much do they cost? DD is 16 but doesn't have her driver's license, but needs a photo ID to give blood. She is able to at school functions but no where else.

 

[CatNipRules]

Are these state IDs? How much do they cost? DD is 16 but doesn't have her driver's license, but needs a photo ID to give blood. She is able to at school functions but no where else.

It depends on the state. In Alabama it's $20. Other states it could be more or less. It just depends.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

Yet, people seem to risk taking their original birth certificates with them instead.

Even though you don't "need" them for domestic travel, passports are travel documents, they are replaceable, and you don't risk losing a foundation ID document when you carry it around.

What, to you, is more "risky" about taking your passport than yoiur BC?

BCs cost $15 to replace (the last time I had to replace one) and come in 2-3 business days. Passports cost more to replace and take much longer to get your hands on.

I would much rather replace a lost BC than a lost passport.

 

[Dizisfun]

I carried my 9 year old granddaughter's birth certificate just in case, but we didn't need it....When we got to the security check point she was ask her name.

 

[Dizisfun]

All the people who are showing their kids' birth certificates and state issued non driver license ID cards, don't you have passports for your kids?

Just wondering

Jane

No, my 9 year old granddaughter has never been out of the US so she has no need for a passport.....We didn't need her BC but I carried it just in case.

 

[BLAZEY]

I carry my daughter's passport and her long form birth certificate. We do however have to cross the border into the US. I carry her BC as I kept my maiden name and her BC has both of our names listed as her parents. I got 2 originals of her BC when she was born. One I use for travelling and the other is kept safe with her other documents. She was 3months old when we went on our first trip to visit friends in the US.