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

 

by @danielgenser 9yr  | 54 comments

Iโ€™m looking into visa requirements for Indonesia and Thailand (our first two stops) and itโ€™s looking like Iโ€™ll need to show proof of onward air tickets out of both countries to be allowed in. Is that true in practice?

If so, Iโ€™m curious how other nomads manage it โ€“ do you just buy cheap tickets out that youโ€™re OK with not using to satisfy the requirement? Or do you chance it?

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I almost got denied boarding on my last flight to curacao from Dรผsseldorf. 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 didnโ€™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 didnโ€™t like me and she almost screwed me big time because of it.

Iโ€™ve only had onward tickets when going to the phillipines, there seems to be no way around that.

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@busdriver 8yr

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 itโ€™s from a different airline they could not check, I guess.

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

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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 itโ€™s sure that I wonโ€™t be exported(+ a lot of trouble since I used Expedia).
I have been to 3 countries in SA and never overstayed, donโ€™t know if itโ€™s the agency/country or just the personal that wanted to annoy me.
Or simply because I havenโ€™t been back home for a while.

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@kathrynoh 8yr

Iโ€™m pretty sure that a lot of the time with things like that itโ€™s more because some other passenger has screwed up and gotten caught. If thereโ€™s been a case of someone doing bad visa things that gets the attention of immigration and/or the airline higher-ups, the staff start cracking down on it. Iโ€™m assuming that because thatโ€™s how most big organisations work :slight_smile:

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@vladepap 8yr

I donโ€™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 wouldnโ€™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 didnโ€™t have onward travel from HK because I was applying for my mainland China visa and didnโ€™t want to buy a ticket since I didnโ€™t know if it would be approved. So I signed a release (which I didnโ€™t know existed).

The world doesnโ€™t seem to have caught up with us.

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

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

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@jk1 8yr

Iโ€™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.

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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!

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

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

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@nomadicme 9yr

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 letโ€™s say I am flying into Bangkok, I would find a bus ticket to a neighboring country). The onward ticket you need to show doesnโ€™t need to be airโ€ฆ just needs to show that you are leaving the country. this puts less money at risk and again, Iโ€™ve found Iโ€™m reimbursed about 85% of the inexpensive bus fare upon reimbursement. But this onwardflight site is another option although since it photoshops actual ticketsโ€ฆ itโ€™s more concerning to me than a real bus ticket.

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I just used onwardflights.com to โ€œrentโ€ 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 itโ€™s only $5, they use PayPal so itโ€™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 โ€œrentโ€ 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.

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I used both. Onwardflights.com photoshops tickets, Flyonward.com books real tickets. Onwardflights is cheaper for a reason.

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Andrew wrote about onwardflights.com:

So how could this be โ€œonlyโ€ a photoshoped ticket??

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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 :slight_smile:

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I found this site yesterday and itโ€™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 VNAโ€™s website. I love it :smile:

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meh. itโ€™s easy to just do it yourself. why pay someone else? i guess if money less of an issue than time.

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I like flyownward.com because itโ€™s only a $10 risk. If you forget to return a ticket (e.g., through Expedia), or you get caught/delayed somewhere without an internet connection and pass the 24-hour deadline, youโ€™re on the hook for the whole fare.

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itโ€™s hard to forget when you book it then seconds later cancel it. but to each their own.

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Yes, but if they start checking to see if the flight is legit, then yeah, thatโ€™s a problem.

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I just refunded a ticket with Expedia and they told me it will take 2 months to process the transaction. Thatโ€™s dependent on the airline, not Expedia, but yeah, Iโ€™ll pay 10 bucks to avoid that.

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It doesnโ€™t take 2 months if you request the refund within 24 hours. (book before you leave, cancel when you arrive)

Even in cases where I did the refund after 24 hours, it never took more than a week or two at the most.

I would never outsource the legitimacy of my ticket to an โ€œonward ticket buying serviceโ€ in case immigration decides to ever check on it. While the chance of this might be small, it is a felony in most countries to present false information to immigration.

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I canceled within 24 hours. A week later I called to check the status of my refund. They said theyโ€™ve submitted it to the airline and it will likely take 8 weeks. It depends on the airline, not Expedia. And itโ€™s not false information if you use flyonward.com. They actually buy a legitimate ticket for you and then return it. Itโ€™s technically no different than you buying a ticket with the intention of returning it.

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@don_lee 9yr

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?

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@jamiebond 9yr

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 canโ€™t use the ticket (itโ€™s a deposit you pay only) but itโ€™s cheaper and less hassle than the alternatives and works without any problem.

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@cephei 9yr

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 clueโ€ฆ
You got to book a flight then before they let you check in. I had that problem only once: Shanghai to Manilla / Philippine Airlines.

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@don_lee 9yr

Flew yesterday with AirAsia, I checked in with the AirAsia mobile app and proceeded straight to customs, showed the e-boarding pass in my phone to them and nobody asked anything.

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@don_lee 9yr

Sometimes they ask and sometimes they donโ€™t, most of the times that Iโ€™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 itโ€™s fake or not. However I always have an onward ticket when I fly international, I donโ€™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 Iโ€™ll use the ticket, otherwise Iโ€™ll just forget it, itโ€™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 Iโ€™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.

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@floc 9yr

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 youโ€™re checked in or at the destination.

With Orbitz, you can do all of that online.

Iโ€™ve compiled 6 onward proof workarounds on my German travel blog.

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@tama 9yr

I agree with @synaptic that if you fit the profile of a โ€œwealthy westerner,โ€ 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 didnโ€™t even hesitate to accept that. Some people think this is a risky move but I donโ€™t. I think I may have been asked again a few times, but always say the same thing. I donโ€™t even remember because itโ€™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

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@dfcowell 9yr

Iโ€™ve never had an onward ticket - had a couple of interesting discussions with airlines in the past, but itโ€™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 Iโ€™d get a bus from Thailand to Vietnam. They were happy with that and let me board.

If you arenโ€™t a good negotiator Iโ€™d recommend getting a refundable ticket just in case though.

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@oriane 9yr

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.

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@idrisraja 9yr

I just flew to Thailand from the US on a one-way ticket and was never asked for proof of on an onward destination.

I can confirm that the Orbitz trick mentioned above does work and is quite handy to cover your bases.

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@geonomad 9yr

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 didnโ€™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 didnโ€™t actually make me go and buy one. The immigration officer asked, โ€œWhat would you do if I told you you needed to buy a return ticket before boarding?โ€.

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

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@kathrynoh 9yr

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

Just remember, an onward ticket doesnโ€™t have to be an air ticket. For Japan, I booked on the ferry to Korea. I didnโ€™t even have an actual ticket, just a screenshot of the booking Iโ€™d printed out. When I got to Japan, I cancelled the ticket and got a full refund (it was only cheap anyway).

Iโ€™d be too scared to buy a โ€œrefundableโ€ air ticket in case there was some stupid fine print on the refund conditions. I donโ€™t trust airlines and the amount of $$$ it costs for a refundable ticket is more than I want to shell out.

So, donโ€™t just look at air travel but all options for onward travel :smile:

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@orois 9yr

I was wondering about this. Do you know if a bus ticket will be accepted as an onward ticket in South America? E.g. Fly to Lima from Europe, and present a bus ticket from Cusco to La Paz as my onward ticket.

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@kathrynoh 9yr

Obviously, I canโ€™t say one or the other since it would pretty much rely on the airline staff but I think what the checkin staff are looking for is enough documentation to ensure you arenโ€™t turned back by immigration when you try to enter the country you are flying to and donโ€™t really care much beyond that. They donโ€™t want to pay to fly you back home.

The immigration staff are mostly concerned with you not breaking the law and becoming an illegal immigrant - so long as you plan to get out of their country within the legal visa period, they should be happy.

Technically, if you have records proving that you have the financial means to get out of the country again (bank statements etc), that should be enough but sometimes thatโ€™s not accepted. I guess they think you might go on a bender with the money and not have enough left for a ticket or something.

But yeah, I just know what Iโ€™ve experienced or what Iโ€™ve found out from other people so take this for what itโ€™s worth. Every country and airline will be different.

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@kmander 9yr

Iโ€™ve been asked by airlines, but never at immigration.

An alternative is to Photoshop an itinerary, be it an email confirmation or boarding pass. But of course, there is an inherent risk.

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I remember seeing this the other day and thought I would share the โ€œhackโ€:

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I do like Adventurous Kateโ€ฆ United Airlines and Jetblue also have this 24-hr refund policy, and you can cancel right on the web site. Easy peasy.

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Iโ€™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 Iโ€™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 theyโ€™ll go with it. You can then decide whether to actually pay or not (I believe 48 hours until itโ€™s cancelled) depending on your plans.

The customs in Bali didnโ€™t ask me for any return ticket at all.

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@notanomad 9yr

Iโ€™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 ยฃ150 locked up for a week is not the worst possible outcome.

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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 wasnโ€™t sure when I would want to return. I didnโ€™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 wouldnโ€™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 arenโ€™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 donโ€™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.

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Same as the others, Iโ€™ve only ever been asked by airlines. I think I just told them where I was going next, but didnโ€™t say I had a ticket.

Immigration never seem to ask me anything when Iโ€™m entering or exiting.

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@namehra 9yr

I have found myself in the same situation many times in the past. Entering a country and not knowing when Iโ€™ll be leaving or where Iโ€™ll be going next. I donโ€™t recommend lying to government authorities, butโ€ฆ

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. Iโ€™ve never had anyone ask specifically โ€œhave you actually purchased this ticket already!?โ€ nor have I ever had anyone call the airline to confirm the booking.

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

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@crigor 9yr

@namehra Iโ€™ve always had a ticket for my next flight but I thought that if I have to present a fake ticket, Iโ€™ll get an old ticket and change the details. Good to know TripIt makes this easier. Not that I want to try it!

The most โ€œadventurousโ€ trip I did was not booking anything from Sevilla to Barcelona beforehand. That train ride was so expensive! It would have been cheaper to go back to Paris :slight_smile:

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Iโ€™ve never bought an onward ticket, and having a British passport, luckily Iโ€™ve never had any problems.

However every time I go somewhere with my Thai gf, she has to have an onward ticket or they wonโ€™t let her board.

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

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@grum 9yr

Oh, side note, I was in those two countries in the last month and I totally forgot about the ticket thing and wasnโ€™t asked. Never have been asked anywhere.

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Good to know โ€“ seems from what Iโ€™ve heard anecdotally off the forum, too, that the problem would come when boarding our Seattle --> Bali flight, likely. Since our next destination will probably be Thailand, weโ€™ll just buy our AirAsia/TigerAir Bali --> Thailand tix.

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@grum 9yr

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. Iโ€™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 โ€œoh, my tickets are with my friend, Iโ€™ll go get themโ€ trick, leave the queue and purchase tickets online on their phones. Iโ€™m yet to hear anyone who has actually tried that though.

The only times where Iโ€™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 donโ€™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 youโ€™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.

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Ditto what @grum said. Chances are you may not be asked for proof of onward travel but itโ€™s better to be prepared. If you donโ€™t have it and need it, it can be a pain.

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Read and participate in 14,117 discussions on Nomad List

Suggested topics

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App/tool/service for nomads to bring things from another country?


by @brmolin 5yr 5 years ago  | 4 comments

I vaguely remember hearing about such a service before, but Iโ€™m drawing a blank on the name. Basically I left my tablet on a connecting flight in Europe, right before my main flight to Thailand. They have my tablet and are willing to ship it out for me, but people have warned me thereโ€™s a big risk of it getting โ€œlost in the mailโ€ if I ship something expensive like that to Thailand.

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Has anyone from EU bought tickets at Ticketmaster.com and Fandango.com for USA


by @gmisjura1 6yr 6 years ago  | 2 comments

Hey everyone,

I got into situation when nothing really helped me, and now searching for alternatives.

Two web site where I was trying to buy tickets for Tribeca film festival and just cinema do not let me to buy tickets and the websites are quite big -

Ticketmaster.com
Fandango.com

My question is , does anyone know alternative where I could buy tickets for example Madisson Square show and AMC Cinema screening. Eventbite worked fine for example with European card.

Best,

Georgius.

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I have a one way ticket and two laptops, is it suspicious?


by @amirrafiepour 6yr 6 years ago  | 1 comment

Has anybody traveled as a DN with a one way ticket and two laptops?

Iโ€™m going to Chile in a couple weeks and I only have a one way ticket and Iโ€™m going to Argentina after Chile. I donโ€™t know when so that is why I still have not bought my onward ticket to Argentina but I will go there before my Chilean visa expires. Iโ€™m also going to carry my work windows laptop and my personal mac with me.

Now my question is, is this enough reason for an immigration officer to get suspicious and not let me in Chile? What would you tell them if they try to give me a hard time about my one way ticket and two laptops?

Thanks for you help in advance!

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How to get US visa outside home country?


by @ibobriakov 6yr 6 years ago  | 6 comments

Hi guys!
Iโ€™m originally from Ukraine and now traveling through SEA.
And I was thinking about potential possibility to apply for US visa in any of South East Asian countries.
Does anyone has successful experience of getting US visa in SEA region?
Or maybe it is not possible and I have to apply from my home country?
(for example, friend of mine from Ukraine tried to apply for South Korean visa in Bangkok, but they refused to do so and asked him to apply for the visa from Ukraine)

Thanks in advance!

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Entering Nicaragua with a one way ticket


in Nicaragua by @theunisk 7yr 7 years ago  | 2 comments

Does anyone have experiencing entering Nicaragua by plane with a one way ticket ? Specifically, I intend to book a ticket via Spirit. I am aware it is mostly airlines that check for onward travel. Does anyone have experience with this ? Flyonward seems to have been getting bad reviews lately. Would a bus ticket to a neighbouring country be enough to convince Spirit ?

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Anyone use FlyOnward?


by @jeremyluebke 7yr 7 years ago  | 14 comments

Anyone here use FlyOnward.com?

Seems legit but due to how the tickets are only good for 24/48 hours I want to make sure everything is on the up and up and Iโ€™m not stuck at the border.

Thanks for any guidance.

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Extending Thai visa immediately after entering possible?


by @gonchs 7yr 7 years ago  | 3 comments

I tried googling this for hours without success.

If I enter Thailand on single entry 60-day visa, can I extend it for +30 days (for a total of 90 days) IMMEDIATELY the next day after the entry?

E.g. entering on Aug 1 and extending it on Aug 2. Have anyone done this?

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Living in one EU country with a residence from another EU country?


by @robetus 7yr 7 years ago  | 8 comments

I really thought this had already been asked on here but couldnโ€™t find anything specific. Apologies if it has been asked before and a link would be greatly appreciated. Iโ€™m a US citizen and if I have a residence permit for one Western European country that states I only have to live in the country for 6 months out of the year can I live in another European country for the other 6 months. I plan on EU country hoping every other 6 months to avoid becoming a resident of more than one country.

Is anyone doing this now?

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Is it possible to get Schengen Visa out of your home country?


by @andrusha 7yr 7 years ago  | 2 comments

Iโ€™m traveling South Americas for the next couple of months and want to visit friends in EU afterwards, given my Russian passport I have to apply to visa. Is it possible to do outside of my home country?

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I'll be entering the UK for 6 months, will immigration ask to see my finances?

 

by @shayna 8yr 8 years ago  | 24 comments

Hi!

I (American) and my husband (Brazilian) are going to London for 6 months.

Heโ€™s going to study English - heโ€™s already registered & paid for the course.

Iโ€™m going to be a touristโ€ฆ and work on my online business.

Iโ€™ve heard UK border control can be a bit difficult and am wondering if they are likely to ask for financial evidence that we can support ourselves for six months.

I have savings in the bank, but of course Iโ€™ll also be receiving regular, stable income from the online business (I could show them a history of payments stretching back a year or more, if necessary).

Any thoughts/tips?

Thanks in advance!

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How do I apply for a visa from another country?


by @mkoehler 8yr 8 years ago  | 3 comments

Hi guys. My plan is to travel from country to country, spending about 2 months in each country respectively. For most countries you can only apply for a visa about 2-3 months prior to your visit and some like China, require you to apply from your home country or country of residence. How do I know apply for visas for my second, third and fourth destination? Say Iโ€™ll apply for a China visa in South Africa (where I live), go to China for 2 months, then I want to go to Thailand for 2 months. Letโ€™s assume I cannot apply for a China and a Thailand visa while still in South Africaโ€ฆ how do I go about that. And then, once I leave Thailand for say Vietnam, same question again. Do I have to go to the respective embassys in the countries Im staying in and apply for my next destination?
Thanks for your feedback and help in advance!

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How would you define "visiting" vs. "living" in a country?


by @krompson 8yr 8 years ago  | 11 comments

CouchSurfing.com profiles have a section where users list countries theyโ€™ve visited and countries theyโ€™ve lived inโ€“an interesting distinction for a nomad to think about.

Certainly thereโ€™s no one right way to define โ€œvisitingโ€ and โ€œliving,โ€ but how would you define each of these?

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Can I show an e-ticket on my smartphone instead of printing it?


by @nunoarruda 8yr 8 years ago  | 5 comments

Do you nomads still print your tickets and/or reservation emails? Anyone travelling with everything on your smartphone?

I still see many airlines asking to print tickets or reservation emails for check-in but canโ€™t I just show them on my phone? Did any of you had any problems with not printing stuff and instead showing everything on your smartphone?

Airlines might have different policies I thinkโ€ฆ

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Where do I get cheap plane tickets to go to Chiang Mai, Thailand?

 

in Chiang Mai , Thailand by @talberly 9yr 9 years ago  | 20 comments

Where do I get cheap plane tickets to go to Chiang Mai, Thailand? I would like to know if there is a site where the cost of the plane ticket was under $1,000. If it is offered at a price even lower, the better. I want to minimize expenses as much as possible. Iโ€™m curious to know the price of the flight ticket that digital nomads have purchased in the past and from which sites. Could you help me? Thank You.

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Can I be a resident in a country with a company in another country?


by @marcoschwartz 9yr 9 years ago  | 0 comments

Hello there,
I am currently staying in Poland, and Iโ€™d like to stay for more than 6 months which would make me a resident of this country. I really donโ€™t want to open a Polish company (I donโ€™t know the language, there is an initial capital requirement, etc).
So my plan would be to open a limited company somewhere else in Europe first (for example Ireland), then apply for residency in Poland (I am a EU citizen so thatโ€™s no problem), and finally from what I understood I need to declare a โ€˜branchโ€™ of my Irish company in Poland.
Does somebody here have some experience with that? Is that legal? Thanks!

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Can I use a bus/train/boat ticket as a departure ticket to get a visa in Thailand?


in Thailand by @knocte 9yr 9 years ago  | 1 comment

So either if I choose the 30day-no-visa way, or the 60-day-visa which I have to apply for in the embassy, they require that I have a flight ticket to go back from Thailand, or a ticket to go into another country.

But butโ€ฆ I was thinking of getting out of the country with a different means of transportation, maybe bus/train/boat to go to Cambodia/Laos/Malaysia. Can I explain this to the authorities when they ask me for the 2nd flight ticket, so I donโ€™t need to buy a roundtrip/multi one?

Thanks in advance

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How far ahead should tickets be bought for the best price?


by @nihilista 9yr 9 years ago  | 12 comments

Hello everyone,

Iโ€™m sending my passport renewal out in the mail tomorrow and am wondering how far ahead of time I should buy my ticket - likely to Bali or Thailand (Chang Mai). Is there some optimal period of time? Iโ€™d assume DNs tend to buy at the last minute - do you find you are paying a lot more doing this vs. booking ~8 wks ahead (which Iโ€™ve heard is the rule of thumb for intโ€™l flights)?

Thank you!

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Anyone received a non-work visa in an EU country?


by @ramblurr 9yr 9 years ago  | 6 comments

Iโ€™m talking about residency visas in EU countries that donโ€™t give access to the labor market, donโ€™t require family, donโ€™t require you to study, etc.

Spainโ€™s is called the โ€œNon-Lucrative Residence Visaโ€, and Austriaโ€™s is โ€œSettlement Permit - Gainful Employment Exceptedโ€.

Iโ€™m planning on applying to Austriaโ€™s, and would like to hear othersโ€™ experiences for Austria or any EU country.

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Should I jump on a cheap Chiang Mai - Krabi ticket or are these prices typical?


in Chiang Mai , Thailand by @lucha54 9yr 9 years ago  | 9 comments

Hey all, I know I should probably be asking this on a travel forum but I figure there are plenty of you in Chiang Mai that would have the answer for meโ€ฆ Iโ€™m coming for two months Dec/Jan (yay!) and looking at tickets for a side trip by plane to Krabiโ€ฆ round trip is ~$76 right now (probably not including checked back). Iโ€™m always anxious and book things too far in advance, but was wondering if I can expect to get a price like this (i.e. at least under $100 return, nonstop) closer to last minute. Especially since January is busy travel season for Thailandโ€ฆ thanks for your input !!! Canโ€™t wait to meet some of you in Chiang Mai.

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What vaccinations did you get prior to leaving your home country?


by @nihilista 9yr 9 years ago  | 1 comment

Did you just get what you needed for your first country? Do you check about immunizations prior to moving to your next destination?

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