Travelling with children
Travelling with a baby »
Known (infectious) childhood illnesses »
Children travelling alone »
Travel Documents for children »
Supplementary conditions for the entering of a child into a passport »
Travelling with a baby
Safety procedures allow an adult (16 years old or over) to travel with one baby only. A baby can travel exclusively on the adult's lap.Only if there is separate seat reservation for the baby can the baby be accommodated with the travelling adult (at an adult tariff) using an approved MaxiCosy. A car baby seat or travel cradle is not allowed because of the dimensions and for air safety reasons.
Airline companies agree to accommodate only a fixed number of babies per flight in compliance with their facilities, such as number of oxygen masks. Some airlines provide special seats or cots for children under 2 years old. Transavia however does not provide these. We recommend that you contact your airline company for more information.
If you are travelling with small children, seats will already be reserved for you before you check in, if possible, so that you can be guaranteed seats next to each other. Your pram may be pushed to the bottom of the steps of the aircraft and then the ground personnel will take over and place it in the aircraft hold, whilst you go on board. When you disembark at your destination the pram will be waiting at the bottom of the steps, although in some cases it will be retrievable at baggage reclaim.
In the departure hall at Rotterdam Airport, there is a special room for baby care. A microwave oven is available there which can be used for, among other things, warming up your baby's bottle.
When travelling with a buggy, pushchair, MaxiCosy etc. special rules apply. More information on this may be obtained in Extraordinary Luggage »
We would like to bring to your attention the fact that each new member of a family should possess his or her own identity card and that this is referenced in the passport of the travelling parent(s) or guardian.
Known (infectious) childhood illnesses
A child which is infected with one of the childhood illnesses listed below will not be accepted without a medical certificate (only in Dutch or English) signed by an (independent) physician. This medical certificate must indicate the illness is not contagious (anymore) and that it is safe to fly. This for the safety of yourself, your child, other passengers and the crew.
Infectious childhood illnesses are:
- Mumps
- Whooping cough
- Measles
- Rubella
- Scarlet fever
- Fifth disease
- Chickenpox
If in doubt, always consult a doctor.
Children travelling alone
Children travelling alone (not accompanied by a person of 16 years old or over) are allowed to travel with the majority of airlines, but only under specific conditions. We advise you to contact your airline company for more information.
Children of 4 years and below are not allowed to travel without accompaniment. All travelling children in the age range 5 to 15 may travel unaccompanied, if the proposed journey is registered with the airline in good time. The airline will take care in accompanying the child to and from the aircraft. The purser receives the child on board and will then hand him/her over to the ground personnel at the flight destination. There has to be somebody (16 years old or over) available at the receiving airport for this purpose. There is a charge for this service.
Travel Documents for children
Children up to 15 years old who travel with their parents or legal guardian do not need to have their own travel document if they are registered in the passport of their parents or guardian. Registering of children on the Dutch identity card however is not possible. For some countries the rules are different so it is best to enquire at the travel agency or local authority.
Children who are not travelling with parent(s) or guardian must possess their own travel document. From 12 years old onwards, children can have an independent Dutch identity card. Below this age they must have permission from their parents (if they still have legal authority) or their guardian. However, to obtain a passport for children up to 18 years old, permission is necessary from both parents or from their legal guardian. Both for people with Portuguese nationality and foreigners under 18 years old, who leave Portugal or return without their father, mother or legal guardian, a special travel permit is necessary. We advise you to enquire about this at the Portuguese embassy or consulate. Foreign juveniles under 18 years old who are allowed to travel alone will however be refused entry if there is nobody in Portugal to accept responsibility for their stay.
Supplementary conditions for the entering of a child into a passport
For each addition of a child to a passport (new or existing one) a recent true likeness passport photo is required; the photo must be taken face-on. The child also needs to be present for establishing identity when the request is made. For the entry in a new passport, the average waiting time is about 1 week, with the possibility of speeding this up if additional costs are paid. In order to enter a child into a passport dated before the 1st October 2001, a secure sticker providing photo, name, date and place of birth of the child is added. For this procedure, the child's presence is also needed. Some countries outside the EU also require this type of sticker for cases where children were already entered without a photo on passports predating the 1st October 2001. We advise you to contact your travel bureau, the embassy or consulate of your destination country for information, in good time, to prevent possible problems at passport control.
