Booking tickets for children

Children up to 10 years old may only travel on long-distance trains if accompanied by an adult. The age of the child is determined as of the day the train journey begins.

Special rates apply to children depending on their age and the route of travel.

To board a train with a child aged up to 14 years old, you must carry an original or notarized copy of the child's birth certificate. Children over 14 years old must carry a passport. When ordering a ticket, you must provide the passport details. Three months after the child's 14th birthday, the train attendant has the right to refuse a passenger to board the train if their ticket was issued on the basis of a birth certificate.

For female/male/mixed compartments in trains traveling within Russia, children up to 10 years old will be issued a ticket in the same compartment with their parents regardless of the child's gender. If you travel with your children outside Russia, we recommend that you order e-tickets in a mixed compartment.

Age categories depending on the route of travel

The following provisions apply when traveling in Russia or on routes to CIS countries, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Estonia, and the Republic of Abkhazia:

• Up to 5 years old – free travel or child fare (for children up to 10 years old in first-class cars for journeys within Russia)
• From 5 to 10 years old – child fare
• Over 10 years old – full fare

Important!The website does not issue free e-tickets to children up to 5 years old traveling from stations in Ukraine..

For international services (non-CIS countries: for trains listed in the table in the section on buying tickets):

• Up to 4 years old – free travel or child fare
• From 5 to 10 years old – child fare
• Over 12 years old – full fare

For trains to/from Finland:

• Up to 6 years old – free travel or child fare
• From 6 to 17 years old – child fare
• Over 17 years old – full fare

For local trains:

• Up to 5 years old – free travel or child fare
• From 5 to 7 years old – child fare
• Over 7 years old – full fare

Rules for issuing tickets for children

Free ticket

Any full-fare passenger may travel with one child of the appropriate age without paying the child fare if the child does not occupy a separate seat/berth. When traveling on long-distance trains, the child is issued a free ticket without reserved seat/berth. The full-fare ticket and free ticket for the child are issued under one order. For local trains, no separate ticket is issued for a child without a separate seat.

When ordering e-tickets for a Single fare (MKL1/1) in a Lux car on long-distance trains to/from Finland and Europe, an adult passenger may, at no additional charge, travel with two children of an age entitling them to free tickets, by ordering two free tickets together with one full-fare ticket.

You can also get a free child ticket at the ticket office. To do this, you need to buy a full fare e-ticket (a boarding coupon printed on a travel document form).

If you want your child to have a separate seat/berth, you can order an e-ticket with reserved seat/birth at the child fare. This ticket should be issued in the same order as the full fare e-ticket at full fare.

Child fare

For children of the appropriate age, an e-ticket is issued at the child fare and the child will be reserved a separate seat/berth. A ticket must be ordered for each child. The child-fare ticket is issued under the same order as the e-ticket at full fare.