Do you always have an onward air ticket when entering a new country?

I almost got denied boarding on my last flight to curacao from Düsseldorf. I think this might have been due to some personal issue though. An old lady asked me for an onward ticket when boarding, she didnt ask anybody else, since I didn’t have a ticket she refused me to board.

I got annoyed and went to the other side of the counter, took up my phone and started to browse tickets. After about 10 minutes another groundcrew member, told me it was okey to board. Im pretty sure that the old lady just didn’t like me and she almost screwed me big time because of it.

I’ve only had onward tickets when going to the phillipines, there seems to be no way around that.

In the past I bought real a ticket for the flight back but the cheapest you can find, which I knew I would not use anyway, like if I travel from HK to Bali, I would buy a ticket from an airport close to Singapore (forgot the name) to Singapore for EUR 20.
There also seems to be the option of buying a (fake?) ticket from an agency in China for small money.
Also: Usually airlines and immigration where cool about a screenshot of an online booking (not a ticket actually). It might be possible that that could be a fake too. If it’s from a different airline they could not check, I guess.

I use flyonward.com, they’re legit. Smh = people who buy tickets and then refund them! What a pain lol

Travelled with Aviaca in Ecuador and they made me pay a ticket for Lima->La paz then forced me to buy a ticket back to France where it’s sure that I won’t be exported(+ a lot of trouble since I used Expedia).
I have been to 3 countries in SA and never overstayed, don’t know if it’s the agency/country or just the personal that wanted to annoy me.
Or simply because I haven’t been back home for a while.

I don’t always have one, it depends on the country and the airline.
Eg: leaving Indonesia to Hong Kong I had to sign a release for the airline so that it wouldn’t come back on them if I stayed.
Coming to Indonesia from Australia, it depended on the airline staff. One person made me miss my flight due to lack of proof, and the next day, no one asked me for proof (same airline).

To be safe, get it. You never know who will give you a hard time, but make sure it is refundable or can be changed with minimal hassle. Eg: I didn’t have onward travel from HK because I was applying for my mainland China visa and didn’t want to buy a ticket since I didn’t know if it would be approved. So I signed a release (which I didn’t know existed).

The world doesn’t seem to have caught up with us.

Yes, I always have an onward ticket (thank god for FlyOnward!). The only place where I ever have issues is the UK. Even if I’m transiting for 24-48 hours, immigration keep requesting to see an onward ticket that takes me back to my country of residence.

I encourage you to read the entire thread before posting redundant information.

I’ve heard of people using www.returnflights.net.

You look up a real flight, then use those details to produce a booking itinerary that looks like the one Expedia provides.

Hi guys, I decided to write an article about this topic as this topic seem to come back again and again.

GrownUpPlayground.com/proof-onward-travel-avoid

I tried to cover every possible angle but do leave me a comment if I am missing something!

Maybe it’s because I travel on a 3rd world country passport, but I’ve been asked for my onward/return ticket a few times when clearing immigration. Better safe than sorry.

I used flyonward.com to print an onward ticket for thailand. But, no one even asked to see it

Very interesting to hear of this onwardflight.com site. I have traveled to over 70 countries and usually do not bother with onward tickets. I have only been asked by immigration to show an onward ticket 1x (Thailand) but have been asked by airlines numerous times (United, Copa, etc.). Luckily the few times I have been asked I had an onward ticket.

A trick I use is to buy a cheap bus ticket where possible. Oftentimes these are refundable and I buy the shortest one I can find (so let’s say I am flying into Bangkok, I would find a bus ticket to a neighboring country). The onward ticket you need to show doesn’t need to be air… just needs to show that you are leaving the country. this puts less money at risk and again, I’ve found I’m reimbursed about 85% of the inexpensive bus fare upon reimbursement. But this onwardflight site is another option although since it photoshops actual tickets… it’s more concerning to me than a real bus ticket.

I just used onwardflights.com to “rent” a return ticket from Guatemala and it worked just fine. I flew Spirit Airlines from Denver, connected in Ft. Lauderdale, and then on to Guatemala City. The really promising thing was that the rented ticket they gave me was also from Spirit Airlines and just I provided them with the confirmation number and date of the flight, the agent punched it into her computer, and she handed me my boarding pass without asking any other questions.

I will say this, onwardflights.com looks (and feels) a little janky, but I was willing to take the risk because it’s only $5, they use PayPal so it’s pretty secure, and you can get a flight from anywhere. Right now, with flyownward.com, they only book certain destinations (200 per day) and you can only “rent” whatever they have available for that day. They do not book tickets in Central/South America. It is a much more legit operation, but onwardflights.com got the job done for me in Central America. I will use them again.

United States, Canada, UK, Australia: Yes.
Everywhere else: Itinerary works fine in 90% of the cases.

Flyonward.com is a good solution though - +1 for that

I found this site yesterday and it’s amazing, I tested with them and it worked flyonward.com I booked a test ticket from Thailand to Vietnam and they sent me a Vietnam Airlines ticket from Bangkok to Ho Chi Ming city, the code was valid when I checked with VNA’s website. I love it

Are you sure you have used it before @JamieBond? The domain was registered on June 21, 2015, only 2 days ago? I guest you just built it today?

Entering the Philippines especially on a one way ticket is always a problem! I had two buy a full priced ticket when they asked to see proof of onward travel and then go to the trouble of getting a refund once I arrived in the Philippines. I now use onwardflights.com to buy an onward ticket for $5. You can’t use the ticket (it’s a deposit you pay only) but it’s cheaper and less hassle than the alternatives and works without any problem.

I am almost all the time asked about my return tickets.
Just answering, yes I got my onward ticket to country XY works. Have a printed plan or a plan on your phone about any leaving flight within the next month ready, in case they want to see it.
If they claim that you did not actually book that flight: Just act like you had no clue…
You got to book a flight then before they let you check in. I had that problem only once: Shanghai to Manilla / Philippine Airlines.

Sometimes they ask and sometimes they don’t, most of the times that I’m asked to show an onward ticket I fly with Airasia, they are a little bit more tricky with this rule. I showed them my ticket and they even checked it online to verify if it’s fake or not. However I always have an onward ticket when I fly international, I don’t plan, I just book a random cheap ticket for the date that my visa expires, eventually if I want to go to the country I’ll use the ticket, otherwise I’ll just forget it, it’s cheap though. Normally I book tickets directly from the airlines but last week I bought one through Expedia and noticed that the ticket can be refunded within 24 hours, so I’ve been thinking of booking a random ticket a few hours before I checkin and claim for a refund a few hours later, it should work.

With US airline agencies, tickets have to be refundable for 24 hours cause of a US law.

A good approach is to book a ticket before checking in and canceling it soon after you’re checked in or at the destination.

With Orbitz, you can do all of that online.

I’ve compiled 6 onward proof workarounds on my German travel blog.

I agree with @synaptic that if you fit the profile of a “wealthy westerner,” you do not really need to have a return ticket.

I never have an onward flight. I was asked for one going from HK to Bali at the gate right before my plane was going to board, and just said that I would be happy to pull up my bank statement to prove that I have funds in my bank account to buy an onward ticket. They didn’t even hesitate to accept that. Some people think this is a risky move but I don’t. I think I may have been asked again a few times, but always say the same thing. I don’t even remember because it’s such a non-issue. Calm confidence and a western passport are the keys here. (I have an American passport.)

Some airlines even have it in their own policy that if you have the cash for your entire intended stay plus money to buy an onward ticket, they will accept proof of that in place of the actual onward ticket. The gate agents may not know this.

@namehra, TripIt is a great suggestion

I’ve never had an onward ticket - had a couple of interesting discussions with airlines in the past, but it’s never stopped me from boarding.

One particularly fun experience was leaving Fukuoka, Japan en route to Bangkok. The check-in agent asked where I lived (I had numerous Japanese and Vietnamese visas in my passport, as well as stamps from a bunch of different countries) which was a bit awkward, given I had all of my worldly possessions in tow.

Ended up explaining that I lived in Vietnam and pointed to a single-entry visa that expired after my return, claiming that I’d get a bus from Thailand to Vietnam. They were happy with that and let me board.

If you aren’t a good negotiator I’d recommend getting a refundable ticket just in case though.

I never bought return ticket. I was asked for it two time only. First time a flight from Hong Kong to Malaysia. They asked me at the airline checkin counter and when I said that I did not have one, they made me sign a discharge and prove I can buy a way out (credit card or enough money), which Malaysian custom never cared to ask. Second time when I went to the immigration office in Malaysia, for a visa extension on a separated journey, the agent asked me if I had a return ticket and I just reply that I was waiting for the visa extension before buying it, they say nothing and extended the visa.

Most of the time, even if a return ticket is supposed to be required for a visa they never ask for it. I guess be a Canadian help.

I have often bought fully refundable tickets to show the airline or immigration if asked. Just remember to check carefully when you buy them that they are actually refundable and remember to do it as soon as you are in. All it means is that some of the available credit on the credit card is unavailable for a day or two.

Lots of airlines have asked but they rarely actually required proof, so it would have been easy to just say I had a return ticket.

The only immigration that gave me a hard time, when I didn’t have a return ticket, was the United States. In that case, they accepted that my American Express card would allow me to buy a ticket any time and didn’t actually make me go and buy one. The immigration officer asked, “What would you do if I told you you needed to buy a return ticket before boarding?”.

This was boarding a plane in Canada, so the immigration clearance was actually before the flight.

The only time I’ve been asked for an onward ticket was flying to Japan. Luckily, I found out a few days beforehand.

Just remember, an onward ticket doesn’t have to be an air ticket. For Japan, I booked on the ferry to Korea. I didn’t even have an actual ticket, just a screenshot of the booking I’d printed out. When I got to Japan, I cancelled the ticket and got a full refund (it was only cheap anyway).

I’d be too scared to buy a “refundable” air ticket in case there was some stupid fine print on the refund conditions. I don’t trust airlines and the amount of $$$ it costs for a refundable ticket is more than I want to shell out.

So, don’t just look at air travel but all options for onward travel

I remember seeing this the other day and thought I would share the “hack”:

I’ve recently flown in from Hong Kong to Bali, with a stopover in Kuala Lumpur, with AirAsia. They did ask me for a fly out of Indonesia ticket in order to check me in, so I’ve opened my laptop and booked one (had to do it anyway).

The other option is to purchase a ticket and choose to pay via wire transfer. Show them the confirmation email and they’ll go with it. You can then decide whether to actually pay or not (I believe 48 hours until it’s cancelled) depending on your plans.

The customs in Bali didn’t ask me for any return ticket at all.

I’ve been asked for onward tickets by an airline when flying to Thailand before; they simply directed me to their ticket desk and suggested I bought the cheapest refundable ticket out of Thailand going. Unfortunately it required me to waste time going to their Bangkok office to actually obtain the refund, but having £150 locked up for a week is not the worst possible outcome.

Airlines consult the TIMATIC database to determine what document requirements they need to check before allowing you to board. These can be found in several places online like http://www.staralliance.com/en/services/visa-and-health/.

I had a bit of a scare this year when I was flying from Hong Kong to Bali. I bought a one-way business class ticket on Cathay using my airline miles since I wasn’t sure when I would want to return. I didn’t have any luggage to check, so I checked in online and went through security/immigration with the electronic boarding pass on my phone. When I was boarding, the boarding pass scanner beeped three times and the gate agents informed me that I wouldn’t be able to board without a ticket number for a flight out of Indonesia. I have a US passport.

I had to quickly think of a solution since the boarding doors were going to close in 15 minutes! Luckily I knew that if I booked a return flight with my miles, I could get it all refunded within 24 hours. So I quickly opened up my laptop, tried to sign on to the airport wifi (which required painful SMS authentication), and searched for available return flights. I had just enough miles and booked the reservation. Many award flights aren’t immediately ticketed, so I had a suspenseful 10 minutes waiting for my reservation to go from confirmed to ticketed. Luckily, I barely made it, but my heart was racing!

I don’t suggest winging it like I did - check the database and sort out the appropriate option before entering the country. There are plenty of options to book fully refundable airline tickets to allow you through immigration.

Same as the others, I’ve only ever been asked by airlines. I think I just told them where I was going next, but didn’t say I had a ticket.

Immigration never seem to ask me anything when I’m entering or exiting.

I have found myself in the same situation many times in the past. Entering a country and not knowing when I’ll be leaving or where I’ll be going next. I don’t recommend lying to government authorities, but…

I use TripIt to manage all my travel plans. You can always add a flight to TripIt for planning purposes without actually buying the ticket. Then print your updated itinerary. I’ve never had anyone ask specifically “have you actually purchased this ticket already!?” nor have I ever had anyone call the airline to confirm the booking.

For what it’s worth, I often end up buying tickets and traveling on those flights, I’m just not always sure of that when I enter the country.

I’ve never bought an onward ticket, and having a British passport, luckily I’ve never had any problems.

However every time I go somewhere with my Thai gf, she has to have an onward ticket or they won’t let her board.

Thanks @grum. Kind of what I was thinking. I’ll probably purchase my Bali --> Thailand leg before leaving for Bali then.

The only legitimate way is to simply purchase a refundable ticket. Sure, it usually costs more but if you do your homework, you should be able to get the entire thing refunded - just make sure you do the aforementioned homework as many carriers may charge you a fee or three.

Aside from this, there is no way around the rule without breaking it (or at least heavily bending it).

As a side note, from experience I have not once entered a country where this rule existed and they have questioned me on my exit strategy. I’ve discussed this many times with fellow travellers and some have done the refundable or fake ticket trick. Other travellers have said that they will pull the “oh, my tickets are with my friend, I’ll go get them” trick, leave the queue and purchase tickets online on their phones. I’m yet to hear anyone who has actually tried that though.

The only times where I’ve spoken to someone where the issue has been raised was when the airlines themselves kicked up a fuss. They do this as if you are denied at the border they have to fly you back to where you came from and they don’t particularly want to be handing out free flights. As a traveler, you have a ability to ask for a waiver to sign that forms a guarantee with the airline, stating you’ll pay for the fare. This is usually backed with a credit card.

The essence of the rule is to make sure you are not planning on illegally staying in the country for longer than your stay allows. As an extra precaution if you are tempting fate with no return ticket, keep copies of your bank statements showing that you have a healthy balance and that should keep the powers that be happy.