Minors travelling alone

You can only buy tickets for minors under the age of 12 through Serviberia, the ticket office at the airport or a travel agency.

If you book the service at the same time as your flight, you will be charged for it with the ticket. If you book it as an extra at a later date, we'll re-issue the ticket to reflect the new service and fare.

These are the rates for our unaccompanied minors service:

Please bear in mind the fluctuation in exchange rates when you book the service. There may also be additional charges, taxes and levies depending on the legislation in each country.

This form is mandatory for children travelling alone, on both the outbound and return flights. You can fill it in and print it here: Release of Liability Form in which case you should arrive in good time because it is quite a lengthy process.

The details required are as follows:

IMPORTANT: The person responsible for the child at the departure airport and the person who collects them at the arrival airport must be the ones indicated on the form and they will be asked to show valid photo ID.

• Name of the person responsible for the minor at the origin; address and contact telephone number (preferably mobile to be able receive our text messages).

• Name of the person responsible for the minor at the destination; address and contact telephone number.

All passengers over age 14 must carry a national ID card or passport.

On domestic flights, minors under the age of 14 are not obliged to carry one of these forms of identification but it will be easier for them to prove their identity if they do carry an ID card or passport.

There is no standard procedure for international flights (European and third countries) but all minors, accompanied or not and regardless of age, will need to carry their national ID card or passport (plus a consent form authorised at a police station if they are travelling alone) and meet the requirements of the country of destination

For further information, please check Documentation required for minors.

On the day of the flight, report to any check-in desk at the airport with your child approximately two and a half hours before the departure of the flight, where we'll verify all the documents and do the check-in. Mobile and online check-in are not available for children travelling alone.

Once we've completed check-in, we'll tell you where to go and at what time, and we'll give the child a neck pouch for all the documentation (ticket, passport, release of liability form, etc.), which they should keep visible at all times until they reach the destination.

When you reach the place indicated, we'll accompany the child to the plane and hand them over to the crew.

• Accompaniment to the boarding gate

  At some national airports, you can go with your child to the boarding gate. Ask at the Iberia check-in desk at the airport whether this service is available.

  As a companion, you will need to carry your valid passport or national ID card. For certain international flights, you will also need the relevant authorisations and exit and entry visas for the country.

• Departures from Madrid Airport

  We recommend that you arrive at Madrid Airport two and a half hours before the departure of the flight. To check in, go to the Customer Service point next to check-in desk 850 and our agents will assist you.

  The recommended times are as follows:

  • 60 minutes for flights departing from T4 (national and Schengen destinations. Zones H, J, K and M).

  • 90 minutes for flights departing from T4S (Non-Schengen and intercontinental destinations. Zone S, connected by train to the main building).

  • 150 minutes if you still have to fill in the Release of Liability Form.

• Departures from London-Heathrow Airport

  Please report to the Special Assistance area in Zone H (Terminal 5 > Departures) two hours before the departure of the flight, where they will ask you for the following documents: Release of Liability Form, duly completed and signed; a copy of the ticket; a receipt of payment for the service; and your national ID card or passport.

• Departures from Geneva

  Minors travelling alone from Geneva must be accompanied to the boarding gate by the person in charge of them, so you will need to ask for a companion boarding pass at the check-in desk. You will also be required to wait until the plane has taken off.

  For all other airports in the network, we recommend that you arrive 60 to 150 minutes before the departure of the flight, depending on the destination. Add another 30 minutes if you have not filled in the Release of Liability Form.

  As the child's companion, you must remain at the airport and be available for contact by phone until take-off.

The child will board the plane first and will be seated conveniently near the auxiliary crew, who will give them their attention throughout the flight.

On long-haul flights they can enjoy our entretenimiento a bordo system, which includes films, cartoons and audio programmes suitable for children. In any case, the crew will activate parental control.

If your child is under the age of 12, we'll serve them our children's menu on intercontinental flights. If your child is under the age of 12, we'll serve them our children's menu on intercontinental flights. Don't forget to request it when you make your booking or up to 24 hours before the date of travel.

We recommend that you tell your child not to change seats during the flight and to remain seated on arrival until a member of the crew collects them.

On arrival, the minor will disembark last. A member of our assistance staff will accompany them and hand them over to the person authorised to collect them, who will be required to show valid photo ID. Once their details have been checked, they will have to sign the consent form accepting custody of the child.

If the child has checked baggage into the hold, we'll collect it from the arrivals belt.

If the child is taking a connecting flight in Madrid, our staff will collect them and take them to our Unaccompanied minors lounge, where they will remain in our care until it is time to board their next flight.

If the flight is delayed or cancelled, we will immediately contact the people indicated on the Release of Liability Form. During this time, the child will receive constant assistance and supervision.

All passengers over age 14 must carry a national ID card or passport.

On domestic flights, minors under the age of 14 are not obliged to carry one of these forms of identification but it will be easier for them to prove their identity if they do carry an ID card or passport.

There is no standard procedure for international flights (European and third countries) but all minors, accompanied or not and regardless of age, will need to carry their national ID card or passport (plus a consent form authorised at a police station if they are travelling alone) and meet the requirements of the country of destination

For further information, please check Documentation required for minors.

To access the unaccompanied minors service from the website, the minor must be travelling on a flight to/from Madrid/Barcelona. If your child is travelling alone on the Air Shuttle Service, you will need to arrange it directly at our offices at the airport on the date of travel. We recommend that you fill in the Descargo de Responsabilidad Obligatorio in advance to speed up the process.

A child aged 5 to 11 is considered to be travelling alone if they are seated in a different cabin from you and are not accompanied by a person aged 16 or over. In this case, you will need to book the unaccompanied minors service and fill in the Release of Liability Form.

Within US territory, children under the age of 14 are treated as minors and you must book the unaccompanied minors service.

If your son or daughter is studying abroad, we advise you to fill in the Descargo de Responsabilidad Obligatorio and send it to them directly, or through the school, so that the school simply has to sign and stamp it. If the minor arrives at the airport (especially on our flights departing from London or Boston) without this form, duly completed and signed, Iberia reserves the right to deny boarding.

All minors who travel alone or accompanied by a third person who is not one of their parents or legal guardian must present a document signed by both parents or by the person who has parental custody or guardianship before a notary or pertinent authority which attests that the minor is permitted to leave the national territory.

When it is a document granted abroad, it should be authorised or apostilled, depending on the case, with a translation (if in a language other than Spanish).

In the specific case of Spain, the police have an authorisation document especially for these cases.

The Italian authorities require all minors under age 14 to be accompanied at all times by a person aged 18 or over. Italian unaccompaned minors under age 14 (UMNR) must also carry a passport and a sworn statement signed by their parents or legal guardians. This document must be authenticated by the police (Questura) and must include the name of the airline with which the minor is travelling.

Please check our FAQs about minors, which probably covers all your questions.