Applying for ETIAS on Behalf of Your Children
Every traveler will need their own ETIAS, including infants. Children under 18 will be exempt from the application fee. Parents and guardians will apply through the portal on the child's behalf.
One ETIAS per traveler
ETIAS is not yet in operation, so this article describes how it is designed to work once it starts. ETIAS will not allow family applications or dependents to be added to a parent's or guardian's authorization. Each person traveling to a Schengen country that requires ETIAS will need their own authorization, individually linked to their own passport. This applies to all travelers regardless of age, including infants and young children who cannot apply themselves.
There is no exception for children traveling as part of a family group. A family of four will require four separate ETIAS authorizations. This rule holds across every major system, not just ETIAS — see do children need their own travel authorization? for how the UK ETA, US ESTA, Canada's eTA, and Australia's ETA each handle it.
Who can apply on behalf of a child
A parent or legal guardian will apply through the official ETIAS portal using the child's own passport details. The applicant will have to confirm their relationship to the child and their capacity to act on the child's behalf. This confirmation will be a required step in the application process.
The application is completed in the child's name and linked to the child's passport. The parent or guardian's contact details may be requested, but the authorization is issued in the child's name.
What information is required
The application requires the child's full passport details, including the document number, issuing country, and expiry date. Guardian information and confirmation of the relationship to the child are also required.
The application will include a section on security-related matters, as it will for all ETIAS applications. These questions will be calibrated to the applicant's age. The complete declaration will have to be submitted before the application can be processed.
The fee exemption
Travelers under 18 at the time of application will be exempt from the €20 ETIAS application fee. The exemption will apply automatically based on the date of birth entered in the application. No additional documentation will be required to claim it.
The exemption applies at the time of application. If a child turns 18 before their ETIAS expires, the existing authorization remains valid until its expiry date — there is no retrospective charge. A new application made after the child's 18th birthday would be subject to the standard €20 fee. Confirm the current fee structure at the official ETIAS portal.
Passport validity for children
Children's passports typically have shorter validity periods than adult passports — commonly five years rather than ten. ETIAS validity is capped by the expiry date of the linked passport, so an ETIAS for a child whose passport expires in 18 months will also expire in 18 months, regardless of the nominal three-year term.
If a child's passport is renewed before the ETIAS expires, the existing authorization becomes invalid and a new ETIAS must be obtained using the new passport. This is the same rule that applies to adult travelers. See ETIAS and passport renewal for detail on what passport renewal means for ETIAS validity.
Traveling without both parents
ETIAS authorization does not substitute for documentation that some countries require when a minor travels without one or both parents. A number of Schengen member states may ask to see evidence of parental consent at the border when a child is traveling with one parent or in the care of a non-parent guardian.
Requirements vary by destination country. Families in this situation should check the entry requirements of each country they plan to visit directly with that country's border authority or consulate before travel.
About this page
This page provides general information only and is not immigration or legal advice.