Short stay visas for children aged under 18
Short stay 'C' visas for children aged under 18 must show if the child is travelling alone (unaccompanied) or with an adult (accompanied).
If the child is accompanied, the person(s) named on the child's visa must be with them for the entire journey. If not, the child will not be allowed to travel.
Child travelling alone
A visa for a child travelling alone will show the following text in the 'remarks' section:
- "[Purpose of visa] Child unaccompanied"
- See an example of an Irish visa
A child with this endorsement will be allowed to travel alone or be accompanied by an adult.
Child travelling with an adult
A child may travel with a named parent, legal guardian or other adult.
A visa for a child accompanied by an adult will show the following text in the 'remarks' section:
- "[Purpose of visa] Child accompanied. Only valid if accompanied by (name and passport number of adults)."
- See an example of an Irish visa
The person named on the child's visa must accompany the child for the entire journey. If the person named is not present, the child:
- May not be allowed to board an aircraft or ferry to travel to Ireland
- Will not be allowed to pass through border control into Ireland
Child travelling with more than one adult
A child may travel with more than one named parent, legal guardian or other adult.
A visa for a child accompanied by more than one adult will show the following text in the 'remarks' section:
- "[Purpose of visa] Child accompanied. Only valid if accompanied by (passport numbers of both adults)."
- See an example of an Irish visa
Those named on the child's visa must accompany the child for the entire journey. If the people named are not present, the child:
- May not be allowed to board an aircraft or ferry to travel to Ireland
- Will not be allowed to pass through border control into Ireland
Child who turns 18 before travelling
If a child issued with a visa reaches the age of 18 before travel, their visa will be treated as if it carried no remarks.
Contact
If you have questions, contact us.
Updated: 20 January 2017
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