At what age can you travel by train unaccompanied by an adult?

When traveling around Russia, going on a long trip with their child or sending a child with relatives, not all parents know the basic rules of transportation, and if we are talking about deeper and more correct information, then the knowledgeable parents can be counted on one hand.
At what age can you ride a train? How to send a child on a train without parents? And in general, what are the rules for transporting children in Russian Railways? We can answer everything in order in this review.

General information on transporting children on Russian Railways trains

Before we move on to answering all the questions, let's get acquainted with the general rules for transporting children both in Russia and abroad.

On commuter trains

The transportation of children on a commuter train is regulated by the following standards:

children under 5 years old travel free of charge;
children aged 5 to 7 years travel at a child fare;
children over 7 years old travel at an adult rate;

In suburban destinations, children under 7 years old cannot travel unaccompanied by adults or parents. For a child over 5 years old, you must obtain a cash-free ticket at the box office. A child under 5 years old cannot occupy a separate seat on the train, otherwise he will have to issue a child ticket.

On trains in Russia and abroad

On Russian Railways trains, transportation of children in the Russian direction, i.e. It differs somewhat between cities in the Russian Federation. Namely:

Children under 5 years of age who do not occupy a separate seat can still travel for free. For 1 adult passenger 1 child. The ticket is issued at the Russian Railways ticket office;
if the seat is occupied by a child, then a child’s ticket is purchased for him;
children aged 5 to 10 years old travel with a child ticket;
in the “Lux” carriage the following can travel simultaneously: one child under 5 years of age and a child under 10 years of age, regardless of the number of adults;

Unaccompanied travel is only allowed from 10 years of age at the child fare. Exception: if the child is sent to an educational institution.

Important! Rules for transporting children may vary depending on where exactly you are traveling with your child.

For Ukraine, CIS countries, Lithuania, Estonia and Abkhazia, transportation rules and tariffs correspond to Russian ones, but please note that you cannot buy a children’s train ticket from Ukraine via the Internet;
For destinations in Finland, children under 6 years old travel free of charge, from 7 am to 5 pm they are charged at the child fare, from 17 am the fare is at full price;
Trains in non-CIS countries: up to 4 years old - free, from 4-12 at a child's fare, from 12 at an adult fare.

Don't forget that you will need to take your birth certificate and/or passport with you. For children over 14 years old, tickets are issued strictly according to their passport. If the ticket was issued using a certificate, and by the date of the trip the child has a passport, then you need to take both documents.

At what age can you travel on a train unaccompanied by an adult?

According to Russian laws, a child under the age of 10 can travel on long-distance trains only with parents or accompanying persons. An exception is made for two cases:

the child goes to a general education institution, but there is no other way to get there;
for organized groups of children.

From the age of 10 he can travel independently.

The age threshold for traveling on suburban transport has been lowered - a child can travel unaccompanied by an adult from 7 years of age. He has the right to buy a ticket at the ticket office for the electric train himself or to travel using a pass.

A child is prohibited from traveling alone on electric trains until the age of 7, and on long-distance trains until the age of 10.

Rules for transporting children's groups

Group transportation of children on a train is also subject to a number of rules that you need to know.

one adult, during group trips, can accompany no more than 12 children of different ages;
When boarding children under 14 years of age, they must present a birth certificate or a notarized copy;
the group leader must have a power of attorney for each child in the group;

We can finish with the basic rules for transporting children on a train. A power of attorney can be written by any parent or guardian. It must be notarized and be personal.

How to buy children's tickets: cost, benefits, registration

From the first part of the article, it became clear that children can travel with three tickets: free, children's or adult. Let's find out how each type of ticket is purchased and how much it costs.

Child ticket up to 5 years old.

If a child travels in the arms of his parents, that is, does not occupy a separate seat on the train, then the ticket can be considered free. If a parent wants to buy a separate ticket for their child, then its cost will be 35-50% of the cost of an adult ticket. Children under 10 years old travel free of charge in the compartment.

Tickets can be issued on our website (indicate the need for a children's ticket when purchasing) or at the Russian Railways ticket office.

Only one child travels free with one adult. If there are more children than parents, they will have to buy a separate ticket at the child fare.

When purchasing a ticket on the website for a child under 5 years of age, please note that it must be in the same order as tickets for adults. A child will not be allowed on the train without a ticket!

Tickets for children from 5 to 10

The cost of a ticket for children at this age ranges from 35 to 50% of the cost of an adult ticket. The child is given a separate seat. If your child turns 10 on the day the train departs, you have the right to send him or her at the child fare.

When purchasing a ticket on our website, simply add a child's ticket to your order. You can also buy a ticket separately, the system itself will calculate the cost of the ticket.

But don’t forget that he won’t be able to board the train without adults.

Tickets for children over 10 years old

Children aged 10 years and older travel at adult fares. The exception is schoolchildren and students of VMU, who can travel with a 50% discount by providing a certificate from the school or college.

Travel of children on commuter trains (electric trains)

On commuter trains, children under 5 years of age are transported free of charge and without a ticket. For children from 5 to 7 years old, a child fare applies and a ticket is issued. Children over 7 years old are transported at an adult fare.

Travel of children under 7 years old without an adult passenger on commuter trains (electric trains) is prohibited.

If transportation is carried out on an electric train with designated seats, then tickets are issued for all passengers, including children under 5 years of age.

The child's age is determined on the start date of the trip. Phrases “up to 5 years”, “up to 7 years”, “up to 10 years”, etc. mean that the benefit applies until the child turns 6, 8, 11 years old, respectively. Moreover, if the train departure date coincides with the date of birth, the benefit will apply.

Accompaniment: what is needed to send a child without parents

The rules for transporting children in Russia and abroad without parents are significantly different. Let's look at the main nuances for sending your baby with his grandmother or relatives by train.

With escort throughout Russia

How to send a child on a train without parents, but with an escort? This question is asked by every second parent who wants to let their child and relatives relax. The collection of documents begins, some powers of attorney.

We can safely say that traveling around Russia with an escort is quite easy for children. As we have already said, after 10 years a child can travel on a train independently. Until this age, it is best to ask friends or relatives. To accompany you in the Russian Federation, you do not need a special permit. All you need is:

child's birth certificate;
accompanying person's identity card;
tickets;

At this point the list of documents can be considered closed.

Accompanied abroad

If the trip involves crossing a border or the final destination is not on the territory of the Russian Federation, you need to be thoroughly prepared. You will need:

child's birth certificate;
official permission, which states the full name of the person accompanying your child, his passport details, as well as the child’s details;
identification document of the accompanying person;

The most important thing is that the child must clearly understand who he is traveling with so that no questions arise at the border.

A train ride accompanied by grandma.

If a minor is accompanied on a trip by his grandmother, then written permission is not required from the parents.

Power of attorney for the grandmother to accompany the child. [11.00 KB]

But this rule only applies to traveling within Russia. When organizing a trip to another country, you will need permission documents from both parents.

It is necessary that the child can clearly explain who is accompanying him on the trip, so that the inspectors do not have questions.

Permission to travel abroad must be certified by a notary. It must contain information about the child and accompanying person.

Power of attorney for the grandmother to take the child abroad. [29.50 KB]

Notary power of attorney for a child: price, abroad, for grandmother.

Travel of unaccompanied children

Children can travel on a train unaccompanied by adults only after the child reaches 10 years of age. The first thing you need for your child to travel independently:

have a conversation with the child, tell him about safety rules, safety precautions and all the nuances that he may encounter on the road. Don't intimidate your child, but be honest;
The lowest shelves are considered the safest place, so buy your child a ticket for this;
do not forget to provide your child with personal hygiene products and medications for the trip;
ask the conductor or passengers in the carriage to look after the child and provide assistance if necessary;
bring a mobile phone with you on the road;
Be sure to tell those greeting you the number of the carriage where your child is traveling and his telephone number.

General rules for traveling unaccompanied children

You need to understand and follow the general rules for transporting small passengers without parents, namely:

Children can travel within their region of residence with a ticket;
children aged 10 to 18 years travel within the Russian Federation only with written permission from their parent;
unaccompanied children do not exit the train onto the platform;
children are handed over to their parents only if they provide a passport;

Also, do not forget that Russian Railways has a special service for accompanying children

Children's w

Price. A child from 5 to 10 years old takes a separate seat. The ticket is purchased at a children's rate (the total cost will be somewhere in the region of 35-50% of an adult). The exception is luxury carriages. Children under 10 years old travel for free. If a child turns 10 years old on the day the train departs, the ticket can be issued at a child fare.
How it is issued. When buying a train ticket online, you simply add a child’s ticket to your order. Or you can buy a ticket for the child later (but he will not be able to board the train without an adult). The online sales system itself will calculate the cost of the child fare and show it to you at the stage of entering passenger data.
Additionally. Children under 10 years of age cannot travel by rail unless accompanied by an adult (except when visiting an educational institution). A child ticket has its own baggage allowance and hand luggage allowance, just like an adult ticket (that is, you don’t have to pay separately for suitcases, more about that here).

Ukraine, CIS countries, Abkhazia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia. Tariffs and rules are the same as for domestic Russian trains. If the departure station is located on the territory of Ukraine, unfortunately, it will not be possible to issue a free ticket for a child under 5 years old via the Internet. You need to do this in person at the station.
Finland. Children under 6 years of age who do not occupy a separate seat travel for free; the ticket is issued in one order with an adult (or later upon presentation of an adult ticket). From 6 to 17 years old (or up to 6 years old, but with a separate seat) - children's rate. It can also be completed together with an adult. Over 17 years old – full rate.
Far abroad. Children under 4 years old without a separate seat are free (a cash-free ticket is issued in the same order with an adult or later). From 4 to 12 years old (or up to 4 years old with a separate seat) - children's fare, ticket purchased with or after an adult. Over 12 years old – full rate.

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Service for accompanying children from Russian Railways

This service is provided for children aged 10 to 16 years, its cost is 1.5 thousand rubles. It turns out the service is as follows:

Two days before the train departs, you will need to contact one of the ticket offices. If there are less than two days before the train's departure, the service is provided at the discretion of the employees if there are empty seats in specialized compartments.
The following documents are provided: for the child, passport of one of the parents or representatives.
Next, fill out a special application, where you will need to indicate the contact information of the greeter.
Pay the cost of the ticket and the cost of the service.
Arrive at the station at least half an hour before the train departs and hand the child over to Russian Railways employees.
Children travel in a special compartment under the supervision of a trained Russian Railways employee.
If at the time of arrival the greeter is delayed, the children will be accommodated in a special waiting room.

This is a rather convenient service for those who are worried about their children, but cannot send them with anyone. The service can be purchased in the following cities: Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, St. Petersburg, Krasnodar, Sochi, Adler.

Before the train departs, you can cancel the service, and the full cost will be returned to your parents.

Documents for children

To summarize, you need to voice a list of all the necessary documents for children traveling by train.

for children under 14 years of age - birth certificate or foreign passport;
child over 14 years old - Russian Federation passport or international passport;
for children who are not citizens of the Russian Federation, a birth certificate is required;
when buying a ticket online, you need to provide the document for which the electronic ticket was issued;

Remember that a copy of documents is only suitable if it is notarized!

Price of a child ticket for a Russian Railways train up to 10 years old

In summer, children under 17 years of age are also entitled to a 50% discount in second-class and seated carriages of regular trains. This tariff was introduced in 2021 so that joint vacations with schoolchildren would not make a hole in parents’ finances. During the summer holidays, a certificate from school is not needed; it is enough to show a birth certificate, and for children over 14 years old - a passport.

Today, JSC Russian Railways regulates a number of rules for transporting children by train, which make up the total cost of a child’s railway document. Next we will look at how to find out the price of a ticket for children under 10 years of age and older.