Good news for Madrid families with teenage children. Starting this Wednesday, October 14, the Community of Madrid has extended the Youth Card to minors aged 12 and 13, who until now had to wait until they turned 14 to apply for it. The document is free and allows access to discounts and advantages in leisure, culture, shopping, restaurants, sports or training.
own official website of the Youth Card of the Community of Madrid explains that the minimum age of the Youth Card has been “extended to 12 years”, allowing these minors to access “for the first time to all its discounts and free advantages”. With this change, some 130,000 more young people will be able to join the program, which already has more than 744,000 users.
The novelty also adds to another change introduced this year. The Youth Card can now be carried in Google Wallet on Android phones, without always having to carry the physical card. Its digital version contains the name and surname, date of birth, expiration and identification number, as well as a QR code that allows you to quickly check the owner’s data.
What discounts does the Madrid Youth Card have?
Young people aged 12 and 13 will have the same advantages as the rest of the starters. Among them are discounts at cinemas such as Cinesa or Kinépolis, as well as promotions for the Madrid Amusement Park, Zoo Aquarium, Parque Warner or PortAventura.
There are also advantages in restaurants, establishments such as Llaollao, Domino’s Pizza or Muerde la Pasta, sports and cultural activities, youth hostels, theater and musicals such as The Lion King either Wickedas well as discounts on shopping, bookstores, technology, opticians, dentistry and training in languages, dance or theater. The Community of Madrid has also developed campaigns such as free access to swimming pools during the summer.
Furthermore, it is not limited only to Madrid. The document is approved within the European Youth Card Association, which allows access to promotions available in more than 37 European countries. Since last September 24, it has also included free travel assistance insurance, both for new cards and for those issued previously.
The card is free, personal and non-transferable and remains valid until the holder turns 31 years old.
Requirements and how to apply for the Youth Card from the age of 12
For new beneficiaries there are two basic requirements: be 12 or 13 years old and reside in the Community of Madrid. The official website also clarifies, in general terms, that it is not necessary to be registered to apply for the Youth Card, but rather to provide the address of residence in the region.
In the case of minors under 14 years of age, the request will have to be made by their father, mother or legal guardian. It will be necessary to present the official form, the minor’s original identification by means of ID, passport or residence card and responsibly prove or declare legal guardianship.
The procedure can be done online through a Digital Account, using an electronic identification system such as Cl@ve or IDentifica. Once processed, you obtain the digital version in PDF or PassWallet. The information released on the occasion of the extension warns, however, that applications from minors under 12 and 13 years of age could take a few days due to the expected volume.
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It can also be requested in person. The father, mother or guardian can go with the documentation to the youth offices of Moncloa or Salamanca or to one of the issuing points spread across more than 65 municipalities. In these cases, the physical card is delivered immediately.