I was denied boarding due to outdated information on passport validity? What to do?
I (Swedish citizen) was to board a flight to Vietnam but got stopped and they said I couldn't board due to my passport expiring in 5 months and that I need at least 6 months. My visit was for 15 days so I was under the visa exemption rule and had no visa.
Now, I checked the Vietnamese embassy in Sweden and on their site it says that there are new visa exemption rules that say you only need 3 months validity of passport. It even says this:
Due to the fact that this visa exemption rule is relatively new, the traveler may experience difficulties boarding on some airlines other than Vietnam Airlines who will require a Vietnam entry visa be presented before boarding a flight to Vietnam. The Vietnam authority has informed all major airlines of the new rules and hope that the problems will soon disappear, however if the traveler encounter such problem, please be patient and explain the new rule to the airliner's staffs.
The embassy in Sweden also said that we were good to go when we called them before our flight to see if we needed a Visa. I tried showing the airline this but they refused to read it and gave me a printed paper of the rules from Timatic-3.
What is the best course of action now? Is the airline correct with their rules or are they outdated? If they are outdated, can I complain somehow and get compensation and new flight booked ? I have been unable to reach their staff today anymore because they are closed.
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Does it matter if your passport is out of date?
If your passport expires within six months of the date you're planning to travel, it may mean that you have to renew it before your holiday. The majority of countries won't consider a passport valid for entry if it has less than six months' validity left on it.How long does your passport have to be valid beyond your departure date in order to travel?
As a general rule, passports must be valid for six months beyond the date the traveler will exit the United States. However, the United States has signed agreements with a number of countries to waive this requirement.How long does my passport need to be valid for France?
Your passport must be: Issued less than 10 years before the date you enter the country (check the 'date of issue') valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave (check the 'expiry date')Which countries do not require 6 months of passport validity?
While most countries such as Australia, Canada and the USA, just need your passport to be valid for the length of your stay, other countries such as China, Thailand, Egypt and Turkey need at least six months. Always check the specific entry requirements for the country you are visiting on the GOV.UK website.France Denied/refused/deport to give entry on valid Schengen visa
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Images: Karolina Grabowska, Ketut Subiyanto, Nataliya Vaitkevich, Olya Kobruseva