In this case, the mistake just meant embarrassment and a short delay, but it could have been much worse.
The Turkish Air flight from London had landed late, and the immigration lines were long. (And of course, we had the slowest one.) The woman several people in front of us was having trouble understanding the officer. Finally she got the message. A visa? What visa?
Fortunately in Turkey a visa for an American citizen is basically a tourist tax stamp, less work than a tourist card to Mexico. Literally you hand over $20 per person cash to a bored looking man who puts a sticker in your passport with barely a glance.
We had already been through that short line before immigration but the woman sheepishly headed over, and came back in a few minutes, laughing and saying “I’m American, nobody told me.. etc.” (Being in the industry I refrained from telling her, “You should have used a travel agent.”)
But again, in the grand scheme of things, this was nothing. It’s not always so easy.
Most carriers do check that you have fulfilled entry requirements before you board a plane in the U.S. But sometimes people buy separate tickets. So if you, for example, purchased a ticket to London, and then a separate ticket to some destination that required a visa, the agent won’t know to ask.
One family we know had a trip turn into disaster when they bought a ticket to Argentina, and separate tickets to Brazil. Argentina at that time had no separate entry requirements (they now charge $140 reciprocity fee), but Brazil has always been tight.
They got to Argentina no problem, and somehow the smaller South American carrier let them on the plane to Brazil, without visas. Where they were detained for hours and sent back.
Another issue can come up for non-U.S. citizens. One of my clients had redeemed miles for tickets to Australia online with United. U.S. citizens only need an ETA (electronic visa) which takes about five minutes. The client, however, was a Mexican citizen, and they need regular visas. She called me in a panic the day before she was to leave, asking if I could help because she couldn’t check in for the flight.
(Unfortunately it was Good Friday, the consulate, who might have been able to help, was closed, and they had to postpone their trip.)
Travelers can also be tripped up by not having enough room in their passports — some countries want an entire blank page — and more commonly, the “six month rule.”
Yes, a passport is supposed to be valid 10 years. But some countries, including the United Kingdom, want your passport to be valid six months beyond your date of entry. This means if you are flying to London in September and your passport expires in December, they often don’t even let you on the plane.
(This 6-month rule even caught a travel agent in our office a couple years ago;
at least the airline took pity on her and let her change her ticket.)
It’s beyond the scope of a post to list all the potential pitfalls, but the simplest solution is to ask your travel agent to check the requirements carefully for any country you are visiting.
If you are a do-it-yourself traveler, research the rules carefully yourself, especially if there are any out of the ordinary conditions. And remember, rules and prices change, not all internet sites do. So make sure you are looking at up-to-date information.
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
