Being allowed to board a flight when visa is only obtainable on arrival?
I have booked three flights on American (2) and British Airways (1) to Oman, a country that issues its tourist visas only upon arrival at the airport in Muscat. Tried twice but unsuccessfully to obtain a tourist visa at the Omani Embassy in Washington but was told to purchase my visa in the Muscat International Airport.
How do I manage to board my three flights without an Omani visa in my passport? The two airlines have told me "no visa, no boarding of flights."
Best Answer
The check-in personnel are supposed to know which nationalities are eligible for visa-on-arrival, and thus not ask you for a visa. However, you can print out a copy of this page which shows which nationalities are eligible for visa-on-arrival and keep it with you in case the airline personnel ask you anything.
I once got asked to show my visa at Chennai Airport (India) while checking in for a flight to Australia. I was eligible for visa-on-arrival in Australia, but the check-in personnel apparently didn't know that. (I would guess that most of the people flying that route were either Indians or Australians, and that the person asking me might have been new or inexperienced.) By sheer luck I actually had something to show. As it happened, I had (unnecessarily) applied for an eVisa (which was instantly, automatically granted) online. These eVisas are purely digital. Immigration in Australia scans your passport and the visa information appears in their computer. I had actually printed the receipt email (which is actually not the visa, just a receipt.) I'm not sure if the person at the check-in knew that this was actually not my visa, but she accepted it. It was lucky that I had printed it and taken it with me. (Otherwise, there might have been the hassle of convincing them that I was eligible for visa-on-arrival in Australia.) Similarly, you can avoid some hassle by printing out the page I linked to above.
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Can you board an international flight without a visa?
It's quite normal to book a flight before getting a visa. In fact (as I had to last week) you may have to produce the flight booking in order to secure the visa! As the accepted answer indicates if you don't have a visa (and you do require some kind of visa to land) they'll generally prevent you from boarding.Why an airline might deny boarding to US visa holder?
If you are traveling on a tourist visa, the airline might stop you from boarding based on its suspicion that CBP will deny you entry because you don't intend to return to your home country or you intend to work in the United States.Can you be denied entry to USA with a visa?
The truth is, is that no one is guaranteed entry to the US, even citizens. Even if you have the correct documentation, visas, or legal status, you could still be denied entry to the US so being prepared for the worst is the best thing to do.How to AVOID Being DENIED Boarding a flight | 5 Common Flight Mistakes International Travelers Make
More answers regarding being allowed to board a flight when visa is only obtainable on arrival?
Answer 2
Just remind them that citizens from your country get visas on arrival.
I had to do that at Changi airport on my layover on the way to Taiwan. They accepted it.
Get there early if you're really worried about it so they'll have time to check with a superior if they don't know and don't trust you.
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