Sending a child to Spain alone: what to check before you book the flight
Airline rules, airport handover and the paperwork Spanish camps usually ask for.
Book the camp before the flight
Airlines charge for the unaccompanied minor service and most of them will not let you change the named adult at the destination once it is booked. Confirm with the camp who will meet the child, and get that person's name, before you buy the ticket.
The age thresholds that matter
Airlines differ, but the pattern is consistent: a formal unaccompanied minor service is usually compulsory below a certain age, optional in a middle band, and unavailable above it. Check the specific airline's current policy — it changes, and it varies by route.
At the Spanish airport
Ask the camp three things:
- Does someone meet the child airside or in arrivals?
- Is that person a camp employee or a subcontracted transfer company?
- What happens if the flight is delayed by six hours and lands at 02:00?
The third question is the useful one.
Paperwork Spanish camps commonly ask for
- Passport or national ID, plus a copy
- European Health Insurance Card, or private travel insurance
- A signed parental authorisation, sometimes notarised
- A medical form listing allergies and medication
Direct flights
A direct flight removes the connection, which is where unaccompanied minor arrangements most often go wrong. We list the direct routes we know of into the main gateway airports.
Common questions
- Is a notarised authorisation always required?
- Not always, but several camps ask for one and some Spanish airlines request it for minors travelling alone. Ask the camp for their exact requirement in writing.