My Onward Ticket
Plain-English answers from people who've worked both sides of the border counter. Written daily by four travel-industry insiders.
Bolivia's visa rules vary by passport, but the onward-ticket check applies almost everywhere. Here are the 6 mistakes that turn a routine check into a long one.
A held onward ticket can be cancelled once its ticketing deadline passes, so check your PNR status before it costs you a visa appointment.
India checks your onward or return ticket more than once: on the e-Visa form, at airline check-in, and again at arrival immigration.
Singapore lets most visitors in visa-free, but that does not mean no one checks your onward plans. Here is where the onward-ticket question actually comes up.
Cambodia gives conflicting signals on proof of onward travel, but the airline check-in gate is where most travellers actually get stopped. Here is what decides it.
Vietnamese immigration rarely asks for it, but airline check-in agents often do. Here is where the onward ticket check for Vietnam actually happens.
Embassies rarely verify a dummy ticket against an airline database, so passing a visa file does not guarantee it clears the check-in desk later. Here is what actually decides both.
The Philippines lets many nationalities in visa-free, but airline check-in counters ask for a return or onward ticket more often than immigration officers at NAIA do.
Qatar Airways checks your booking against IATA Timatic rules before you board, and a one-way ticket into the wrong country gets flagged fast. Here is what actually satisfies the counter.
Malaysia's arrival card has no flight field, but that does not mean nobody checks. Here is where an onward ticket actually gets scrutinized.
Uganda has no fixed onward-ticket statute, but airline check-in desks, Entebbe immigration, and land borders all use discretion to ask for proof you will leave.
A return ticket brings you home, but an onward ticket just proves you are leaving the country you entered. Here is how border officers and airlines tell the two apart.
Taiwan's visa waiver covers up to 90 days, but immigration and airline check-in staff can still ask for proof you're leaving, and a dummy ticket is how you show it.