What happens if a baby is born on a plane over the ocean?

If a child was born on a plane, while flying over a major ocean, what would be the child's citizenship? It would, mostly, be the citizenship of the baby's parents. A few countries give citizenship to anyone born in their airspace, but not in international airspace over an ocean.



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Under the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, for the purposes of determining the obligations under the convention, a birth on a ship or aircraft in international waters or airspace shall be treated as a birth in the country of the ship or aircraft's registration.

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If the birth happens in no territory, the nationality of vessel will take precedence. US, Canada and several other nations automatically grant citizenship to babies born in mid-flight above their sovereign territory which is covered by two international conventions.

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Back in 2016, two babies were reported born on flights. A baby girl born on a flight operated by Philippines carrier Cebu Pacific Air was given 1 million air mile points. About a month later A boy was born on a flight between Tripoli, Libya, and Niamey, Niger, and was given free flights for life.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) doesn't have an official age recommendation for when babies can go in bodies of water like oceans, lakes, and rivers, but most pediatricians recommend waiting until your baby is about 6 months old or can hold their head up well on their own (around 4 to 5 months).

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And from an international perspective, a vessel comes under the nationality of the flag it flies; if a child is born in international waters and the country of the vessel's flag recognizes the principle of 'jus soli' (the right of anyone born in the territory of a state to nationality or citizenship), the child should ...

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Amendment XIV, Section 1, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution directs that all persons born in the United States are U.S. citizens. This is the case regardless of the tax or immigration status of a person's parents.

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A person born abroad in wedlock to two U.S. citizen parents acquires U.S. citizenship at birth under section 301(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), if at least one of the parents had a residence in the United States or one of its outlying possessions prior to the person's birth.

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Ticket fares for babies and children On domestic flights, infants under the age of two often fly for free if seated on their parent's lap, and some airlines charge a (discounted) fare. On international flights, airlines often charge 10% of the adult ticket price.

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Ticket fares for babies and children On domestic flights, infants under the age of two often fly for free if seated on their parent's lap, and some airlines charge a (discounted) fare. On international flights, airlines often charge 10% of the adult ticket price.

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Babies and toddlers under 2 years old aren't legally required to occupy an airplane seat and can instead travel as a lap infant on their parent's ticket. Lap infants are generally free of charge, although you may pay a percentage of the full fare if you're traveling internationally.

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