Under 18s admissions policy

From 1st March 2026, 16- and 17-year-old guests will no longer be permitted to stay in dorm, camping or cabin accommodation unless accompanied by an adult. We will continue to offer private room accommodation for unaccompanied 16- and 17-year-old guests at selected hostels which have 24/7 staffing, provided written parent or guardian consent is received at least two full days prior to arrival (for example, for a Friday arrival, consent forms must be received by 23:59 on the preceding Tuesday).

YHA has updated its policy on unaccompanied stays for 16- and 17-year-olds to ensure our continued high levels of safeguarding.

Each guest aged 16 or 17 must have a parent or guardian complete and return a parental consent form at least two full days before arrival. For a Friday stay, this would mean submitting the form by 11.59 pm on the preceding Tuesday.

Each guest aged 16 or 17 must bring valid form of photographic ID to show at check-in.

Partner hostels remain an important part of the YHA network but are independently operated. It is up to independent partner operators to decide if they wish to accommodate unaccompanied 16 and 17-year-olds, however these stays will not be available to book via our website.

Young people aged between 12 and 18 can stay in dorm rooms as long as an adult of the same gender accompanies them.

Young people aged 16 and 17 travelling independently of an adult will no longer be allowed to stay in a dorm or camping and cabin accommodation (including pitching their own tent). They can only stay in private rooms at selected hostels with 24/7 staffing.

Any dorm rooms, camping or cabins bookings (including pitch-up camping) will no longer be accommodated. Private rooms will only be accommodated at hostels that are staffed 24/7.

Our customer resolutions team will contact guests affected by this change to offer an alternative, if appropriate, or they will receive a full refund. Our customer resolutions team will also contact 16- and 17-year-olds with a booking in our 24/7 hostels to inform them written parental or guardianship consent will be required.

At YHA, we prioritise our high levels of safeguarding and the wellbeing of our guests. We apologise for any inconvenience.

All consent forms must be completed and submitted no later than two clear days before arrival (for example, for a Friday arrival, consent forms must be received by 23:59 on the preceding Tuesday)

If we don’t receive any consent forms by the deadline, the booking will be cancelled and the lead booker will be informed. A full refund will be issued in this situation.

If only some consent forms are received, the booking can still go ahead only for the guests whose forms have been completed. Anyone without a completed form will not be allowed to stay and must not travel to the hostel.

If the remaining forms can be submitted before check-in, they will be accepted. No refunds apply, as the room is still in use.

The additional data we collect is for the health and welfare of our guests only, in accordance with the Law.  Please read our Unaccompanied minors privacy notice for full details and retention periods.

Our website privacy notice sets out how to contact us about this data processing, your rights with regard to your data and information about raising a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you feel we have not handled your data appropriately. 

If guests choose not to travel, this is treated in the same way as any other no-show. YHA is responsible for the young people only once they arrive on site, and we aren’t responsible for contacting them or their parents/guardians if they don’t arrive.

The booking will be processed as a no-show in line with our standard booking terms.

Most 16- and17-year-olds travelling independently will enjoy their stay without any need for YHA to contact their parents or guardians. We don’t act in a parental role.

However, if there is a concern about your safety or wellbeing, we may need to contact your emergency contact. This could include situations such as:

• A medical emergency or significant illness
• A safeguarding or welfare concern
• Behaviour that causes serious concern

(This list is not exhaustive.)

Our priority is always your safety and wellbeing.

D of E groups/educational and young person groups are allowed to carry on as they always have, as long as they have an appropriate number of adult leaders staying onsite. We will continue to allow camping but only allow alternative accommodation use if the adult leader is also present in the hostel or its grounds and is contactable if required.

Yes, but the adult remains responsible for the children at all times.

No, YHA’s online travel agent partners do not accept bookings without an adult as part of the booking.