Do Children and Infants Need Their Own Travel Authorization?
Every major electronic travel authorization applies to minors, including babies. Each child needs a separate application and, in most cases, the full fee.
One application per traveler
Electronic travel authorizations are linked to individual passports, and every traveler — regardless of age — must hold their own passport and their own authorization. There is no family or group authorization that covers several people under a single application. A family of four means four separate applications.
Fees for children
Most systems charge minors the same fee as adults. The US ESTA (currently $40.27), Canada's eTA (CAD $7), Australia's ETA (an AUD $20 service charge), and the UK ETA (£20) apply their standard fee to every applicant, including babies. ETIAS is the exception announced so far: applicants under 18, and those over 70, are expected to be exempt from the fee while still needing to hold an authorization. All fees are set by the issuing authority and should be confirmed at the official source before applying.
Who completes the application
A parent, guardian, or other adult can complete and submit a child's application on their behalf. The information entered must match the child's own passport exactly. For Australia's ETA, which is applied for through an official app that scans the passport chip and captures a live facial image, an adult can apply for a child but must have the child's passport to hand.
Common mistakes with children's applications
The errors that cause problems are avoidable: mismatched names between the application and the passport, applying with a parent's passport details instead of the child's, and assuming a newborn added to a trip at the last minute does not need their own authorization. Each child must be registered separately and well before travel.
Children's passports expire sooner
Children's passports are typically issued for shorter terms than adults'. Because every authorization is tied to a specific passport and becomes invalid when that passport is replaced, a child's authorization may need renewing more often than a parent's. Check each child's passport expiry against the trip dates before you apply — see why your authorization is tied to your passport for what a renewal changes.
Sources
The official application site for each authorization: US ESTA, Canada's eTA, Australia's ETA, the UK ETA, and the official ETIAS portal.
About this page
This page provides general information only and is not immigration or legal advice.