Children 12 and Under Will Need ID for Flights

Children who appear to be 12 years of age or older will have to present government-issued ID to board an airplane once Transport Canada's new no-fly list comes into force in March.

The new rules mean children as young as 10 or 11 could be denied the right to board domestic flights if they can't produce government photo ID or present two pieces of non-photo ID issued by government.

The no-fly list will come into force for all domestic flights when final regulations are published in March. The program will be extended to international flights in June.

Under the Passenger Protect program, airlines will be required to screen the names of all persons "who appear to be 12 years of age or older" against the no-fly list before issuing a boarding pass. If there's a match, passengers must produce government-issued ID that shows their name, birth date and gender.

The program also requires airlines do a second screening at the boarding gate by asking passengers who appear to be 12 or older for government-issued ID and comparing it with the name on the boarding pass.

According to the Passenger Protect regulations, the required documents can either be one piece of government-issued photo ID, such as a passport or driver's licence, or two pieces non-photo ID issued by government, at least one of which must show name, birth date and gender.
Unless young travellers have a passport, they will likely fall into the second category and have to produce two pieces of non-photo ID.

According to Transport Canada spokesperson Jacques Dufort, that would most likely be a birth certificate, which shows date of birth and gender, along with a second piece of government ID, such as a health card or social insurance card, showing only the person's name.