Many countries require children to have their own passports so you should check at least two months before your departure the requirements of the country you are travelling to and three months in advance if you need visas.

In Ireland since 1 October 2004, all children, regardless of age, must obtain an individual passport in their own name. The Passport Office ceased the practice of including children on their parents' passports from 1 October 2004. This was to increase the security of international travel for children and reduce the risk of kidnapping and child trafficking.

Children who are included on a parent's passport issued before 1 October 2004 may continue to travel to many countries up to their 16th birthday along with that parent providing the passport and it is still valid. There are, however, some exceptions including the Czech Republic which requires persons aged 15 and over to carry their own passport and Estonia which requires all persons aged 7 and over to carry their own passport. Additionally, since 26 October 2004, all persons, irrespective of age, require an individual passport for entry into the United States.

If in doubt, parents should check with the Embassy or Consulate of the country concerned before they travel.

Trying to get a legal passport photograph of a fidgety toddler or baby can be a challenge. There are requirements on what is acceptable and your best bet is either a photo shop or a professional photographer. Give yourself lots of time to get the application ready as you need birth certificates and two different sets of witnessing sessions which can take some time.

There are limits as to the length of a passport which is issued to babies and young children. Up to the age of three in Ireland you can get a three year passport and between three and seventeen you can be issued with a five year passport. A common pitfall with parents is to get a passport for a young baby which lasts only three years and then forget to check when it expires. You should check that all kids passports are still valid and that you have the requisite time left to run as some countries require minimum period of six months or more to run.

For further information and up to date requirements check with the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland.

Make sure you also have adequate family travel insurance. You can book family travel insurance here inlcuding cover for kids free.

In some cases you may need extra legal documentation for your children to travel and if you have an adopted child you should also make sure you take their adoption papers. If you are the only parent travelling (regardless of marital status), you may be required to prove that you have the consent of the other parent to let your child travel. This is quite rare but it is a possibility if you are going to countries where overseas adoption and/or child trafficking are common.

Make sure you organise your documents keeping them in a secure and waterproof folder in your hand luggage when you travel. Documents to include on the list are passports, visas, travel insurance papers, your itinerary, medical and vaccination records, medical certificates , authorisation to carry medicines where relevant, adoption papers, your driving licence, reservation records and receipts and your contact details while you are away. When packing your travel documents bring two recent photos of your children with you (one in your bag and one with your travel documents). This way if you get separated from your child you can show people quickly what they look like.

We would also recommend that you take two copies of everything with one set in your hand luggage and leave the other with a friend or relative at home.

You will find lots of family friendly travel tips and advice in our research and advice section to help you book the right family holiday. Check out also the experiences of other parents and travellers in our parents forum and add your own experiences as we are a great believer in real parent's experiences as the best measure of whether somewhere will suit you for your family holiday. 

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