Could the airline be stricter than immigration?
I'm flying to the US with my daughter who has an Israeli passport valid for 3 months and a visa valid for 10 years. I read here that you can enter the US with a passport valid only for the length of your stay. I know that some countries require you to have a passport valid for 6 months after your return flight. I also heard that the airline gets fined if someone is denied entry. Is there a risk that the airline won't let me board because they're being stricter than US immigration?
I emailed Delta but they might get back to me after we fly.
Best Answer
Yes, they are more strict, but not often.
I have reproducibly situations where the airlines are stricter than required; for example try to fly from the US to Germany: a German ID card (Personalausweis) is absolutely sufficient to enter Germany, but the airline insists on a passport.
The other way around will be much more rare because the airline pays dearly for such errors.
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Answer 2
The answer to your first question is YES for two primary reasons:
- Airlines use Timatic to determine border eligibility before embarking passengers and, while rare, Timatic can be incorrect.
- The airline is not required to transport anyone and may, due to market or business conditions, choose to refuse transport to someone they feel is at risk of denied entry, despite having all necessary credentials.
However, it us universally expected that the airline will, provided Timatic is correct, merely follow the rules of the destination country. So, the answer to your second question is, yes, but it's so small as to not worry about it.
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