Dedicated Service for Unaccompanied Minors (UMNR)

We offer a dedicated service for children traveling alone, ensuring they are accompanied throughout the journey. The service includes:

• Assistance from check-in to handover to the designated guardian at the destination airport.
• Supervision during transit in case of connecting flights.
• At the destination, the minor will remain under supervision until handed over to the designated guardian.

 

An Unaccompanied Minor (UMNR) is a child aged between 5 and 11 years who is traveling without an adult.
The UMNR service can also be requested for young passengers aged 12 to 17, inclusive, upon special request by parents or legal guardians, or if there is any doubt about their ability to travel independently.

Children aged 5 and above are permitted to fly alone with TAP, provided the defined conditions are met:

                

Child / Minor	Unaccompanied or travelling in a different cabin to the companion	Travelling with a young person aged 12 or over and under 16	Travelling with a young adult aged 16 or over and under 18
Under 2 years old	Not permitted.	Not permitted.	Not permitted.
From 2 and under 5 years old	Not permitted.	Both must be considered unaccompanied minors.	Only considered unaccompanied minors if their guardians request it.
From 5 and under 12 years old	Mandatorily considered an unaccompanied minor.	The child is mandatorily considered an unaccompanied minor. The accompanying minor may or may not be considered an unaccompanied minor.	Only considered unaccompanied minors if their guardians request it.
From 12 and under 18 years old	Only considered unaccompanied minors if their guardians request it.	Only considered unaccompanied minors if their guardians request it.	Only considered unaccompanied minors if their guardians request it.

 

Conditions for Acceptance of Unaccompanied Minors (UMNR):

a) If the minor's itinerary includes connecting flights, the UMNR service does not cover journeys with overnight stopovers between connections (i.e., the minor cannot stay overnight between flights).

b) Reservations for unaccompanied minors are accepted for connections in Porto and Lisbon on TAP-operated flights only, provided there is no overnight layover at the transfer stop (LIS/OPO), and the maximum connection time is 6 hours.

c) The service is not available for journeys involving other airlines. Unaccompanied minors are only accepted on flights operated by TP/NI/WI.

d) Waitlist bookings and online check-in are not available for unaccompanied minors.

e) Minors under 2 years old must travel accompanied by an adult aged at least 18 years, capable of taking full responsibility for the infant throughout the journey, including check-in and customs formalities. Learn more on our dedicated Babies and Children Onboard page.

f) On the day of travel, for each unaccompanied minor boarding the flight, three completed and printed copies of the UMNR travel authorization form (PDF, 0.12 MB, PT/EN), signed by a parent, legal guardian, or authorized representative accompanying the minor, must be presented.

g) Children aged 5 to 11 traveling with a passenger aged at least 16 years are not considered "unaccompanied minors," provided the accompanying passenger is declared capable of supervising the child throughout the journey, including check-in and airport formalities.

h) When booking a ticket for an unaccompanied minor, additional fees per unaccompanied minor (aged 5 to 11, or 12 to 17 if parents or guardians request UMNR status) and per flight segment will apply. Fees vary based on the flight type (direct or connecting) and the origin and destination. See the "Applicable Fees" section on this page.

i) The transportation of unaccompanied minors is subject to availability, with a limit of 11 UMNRs in Economy Class ("Y") and 2 UMNRs in Business Class ("C"). To secure the service, we recommend booking as early as possible.

j) To ensure the safety and well-being of unaccompanied minors throughout the journey and enable effective communication if needed, all relevant contact details must be accurately included in the reservation. These details must include the names, relationships, addresses, and phone numbers of the responsible persons at both the origin and destination.

k) The parent, family member, or legal guardian accompanying the minor must remain at the airport until the aircraft has departed and be contactable by phone at all times while the child is under TAP’s care.

l) The UMNR service is not available for travel from Morocco to Canada.

m) Travel arrangements, including dropping off/picking up the minor at the origin/destination airport, are the responsibility of the parents/legal guardians or their authorized representative.

 

FLIGHT CONNECTIONS	ACCEPTANCE CONDITIONS
TAP / TAP	TAP/TAP  Stopover/ overnight stops are not permitted.
TAP / OTHER AIRLINES	Connections with other airlines are not permitted
OTHER AIRLINES / TAP	Not permitted/not applicable.
INTERLINE	Not permitted/not applicable.

 

Baggage for Unaccompanied Minors

Like adult passengers, unaccompanied minors are entitled to carry one personal item and between one to two pieces of hand luggage, depending on the travel class and flight destination. Additionally, they can check baggage free of charge or for a fee, depending on the fare type and destination.
Learn more on our Hand Baggage Allowance and Checked Baggage Allowance and Extra pages.

 

Booking and Seat Assignment

• The unaccompanied minors (UMNR) service does not cover journeys with overnight stopovers between flights in the minor's itinerary or online check-in.
• The booking is considered confirmed, and the ticket should only be issued after the service is fully confirmed. Waitlist bookings are not accepted.
• Specific seat assignments for UMNR are mandatory; however, seats are automatically and free of charge allocated at the time of booking in designated rows within the standard zone. If you wish to reserve a specific seat (e.g., window seat), this can be done within the designated rows.
• It is mandatory to inform TAP by adding OSI entries to the booking with the name and contact details (phone and address) of the family member or legal tutor who's dropping off and picking up the minor at the airport.
  Learn more in the "GDS Entries" section on this page.

 

At the Airport

These minors have the same resident status as that granted to either of their parents.

In order to apply for a residence permit, either parent must submit the application within six months following registration of the child’s birth.

 

Foreigners aged under 18 years must present a written travel authorisation in order to enter Portugal. 

Foreign unaccompanied minors only have permission to enter the country if they present this document duly validated or if a legal representative is waiting for them in Portugal.

 

 Minors leaving Portugal not accompanied by a parent or legal guardian must present at border control a legally certified authorisation from their parents or legal guardians. 

For further details check the website of the Portuguese border authorities - SEF - Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras -

 

 

Underage passengers with Brazilian or dual nationality who are traveling unaccompanied by one or both parents, when departing from Brazil.

TAP Air Portugal would like to inform its Customers that the documentation to be produced by these passengers must comply with the requirements of the National Council of Justice (Conselho Nacional de Justiça - CNJ). 

Brazilian children and/or adolescents residing abroad, whether they have another nationality or not, and who are visiting the country unaccompanied by one or both parents, must hold a valid travel authorization issued in Brazil (Resolution No. 131 of the CNJ, issued on 05/26/2011) to return abroad. This authorization may take various forms:

• International Travel Authorization Form (Formulário de Autorização Internacional de Viagem), two original physical copies, signed with a notary's stamp proving their authenticity or similarity (if obtained at a notary's office abroad, the document must include the HAGUE apostille); 
• Electronic International Travel Authorization (Autorização Eletrônica de Viagem Internacional - AEV; e-notariado.org.br); 
• Explicit authorization on the Brazilian passport (please note that if the passport is expired, the authorization will not be valid);
• Judicial Travel Authorization (Autorização Judicial de Viagem), issued by a Brazilian judge (judicial process, requires a longer period);
• Travel Authorization issued by the Brazilian Consulate.

Authorization is not required if the minor presents a Certificate of Residence Abroad issued less than two years ago by a Brazilian consular office, provided that the minor is accompanied by one of the parents. No other proof of residence will be accepted unless it is issued by the Brazilian Consulate.

For passengers living in Portugal: the Citizen Card is not accepted as proof of residence. 

 

Unaccompanied minors on domestic flights in Brazil

According to Art. 83 of the Child and Adolescent Statute, no child or adolescent under 16 (sixteen) may travel unaccompanied by their parents or guardians outside the district where they live without express judicial authorisation (as drafted by Law No. 13,812 of 2019).

For this reason, for passengers up to the age of 16 from abroad to be able to travel within Brazilian territory on connecting flights, domestic airlines require the express authorisation of parents or legal guardians; in their absence, legal authorisation is mandatory. In addition, it is compulsory to purchase the unaccompanied minor service (UMNR). This applies to all Brazilian passengers or those with dual nationality.

ATTENTION: To contract the UMNR service on the domestic leg, it must be issued separately from the TAP ticket.

 

Children under 14 years of age with an Italian passport cannot travel to and from Italy alone. 

If they are accompanied by someone other than their parents or legal guardian, they must have their own passport and the form "Dichiarazione di Accompagno (PDF, IT, 0.4MB)" duly filled out. 

This document must be signed by both parents (or legal guardians) in the presence of a police officer.
This document can be obtained at a local police station (Questura), but never at the airport police department. 
If living abroad, they must apply for it at an Italian embassy or consulate.

 

 

From September 1, 2019, new conditions for trips for unaccompanied minors enter into force.

Unaccompanied minors wishing to travel outside Spanish territory, in addition to having to present their DNI and Passport (the latter for trips outside the Schengen area), must be accompanied by the duly completed "Travel Authorization for Unaccompanied Minors", signed by both parents (or legal guardian).

This authorization must be recognized in the following facilities: National Police, Guardia Civil, Autonomous Communities Police, Notaries, and Alcaldías.

For more information, visit the Ministerio del Interior page here.

 

 

Since January 15, 2017, a new regulation for minors of French nationality travelling outside of France has come into force.

This regulation requires minors (under 18) travelling unaccompanied to present an "autorisation de sortie de territoire" (authorization to leave the country) at the borders of France.

The original authorization must be presented along with the minor's identity document, as well as a copy of the identity document of the parent or guardian who signed the form.
This obligation is based on the French Decree: décret n° 2016-1483 du 2 novembre 2016