Travelling abroad with children

This page gives general information about travelling abroad with children. Check the latest travel advice before travelling abroad.

Before you travel abroad with your children, there are certain things that you should consider. Check that your passports are in date and find out if you need to get any travel vaccinations before you go. There may be other things to consider about the travel destination.

A child under 18 years of age must have their own passport and cannot be included on their parent’s passport. A child’s passport is valid for 5 years. Before traveling, ensure all passports have at least 6 months validity remaining from your return date.

Within the EU and EEA, you can travel right up to the expiry date. However, you should contact the embassy of the country you plan to travel to check their specific requirements. You can apply for a new passport before it has expired, so consider applying at least 6 weeks before your trip. See our page on passports for children for further information.

If you are travelling with someone else’s child or with a child with a different surname, you may have to explain the relationship between you and the child to immigration officers in the country you are travelling to.

If you are travelling alone with your child, you may have to provide evidence that you have the other parents' consent to travel. If a child is removed from the person who has the legal right to custody without that person's consent or agreement, it is considered child abduction.

If you are travelling to Ireland with a child under 18, you can find details of the required documents from the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. If you are travelling with a child to another EU country, you can find further details of the required documents on Europa.eu.

If you normally live in Ireland and are travelling abroad, you should check whether you need vaccinations to travel to the country or countries you plan to visit.

You should get advice at least 8 weeks before you travel, as some vaccinations need time to provide full protection.

If you plan to travel within the EU, you should get a European Health Insurance Card for each person travelling before you leave Ireland. This will allow you to get emergency treatment in another EU country while abroad.

Sun exposure

Children (especially infants) can be very sensitive to the sun and sunburn is a common cause of discomfort. Heatstroke can occur because of very hot temperatures, extreme physical exertion or sunburn. Seek advice from your pharmacy or doctor before you travel about using high factor lotions, creams and sunblock and remember to take sensible precautions, keep children in the shade and covered up.

Food and water

Trying out new food is part of the experience while travelling abroad but taking sensible precautions can lessen the risk of illness or infection. It is also important that everyone, particularly young children, drink plenty of bottled water when travelling to a hot country.

Animals

Encourage your children to stay away from all animals while abroad and never attempt to bring an animal into Ireland upon your return. The risk of rabies infection may be quite small but you should seek medical advice immediately in the event of any bites or scratches, especially those from dogs, cats or monkeys, while abroad.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website provides travel advice for those planning to travel abroad, and the HSE website provides information on travel vaccines.