Separate Ticket Transit - Does it matter which country the transit is in?
This is for a Sri Lankan national traveling from Sri Lanka to Bahamas, no checked in baggage, transiting without VISA.
Ticket #1: Single Ticket sold by Emirates: CMB to DXB (Emirates), DXB to GRU (Emirates), GRU to PTY (COPA Airlines).
Ticket #2: Ticket sold by COPA airlines: PTY to NAS (COPA Airlines)
The issue here is the separate ticket transit in PTY, a lot of people said we might be denied boarding at CMB because of that.
What if I do this instead:
- Ticket #1: Single Ticket sold by Emirates: CMB to DXB (Emirates), DXB to GRU (Emirates), GRU to DXB (Emirates), DXB to CMB (Emirates)
- Ticket #2: Single Ticket sold by COPA: GRU to PTY (COPA Airlines), PTY to NAS (COPA Airlines)
This would satisfy all the requirements because you have "onwards travel" from GRU and you have single ticket transit in PTY.
The only weird thing would be the check in folk would see us going to Brazil and then coming right back.
Best Answer
I have to applaud your inventiveness and perseverance on this topic.
The issue is that the airline won't sell you #1 as a single "trip", but rather as two separate trips (outbound and inbound) on the same ticket, i.e. a return ticket. So when you check-in at CMB, they'll consider your final destination for that trip to be GRU, so shouldn't apply transit rules but entry into Brazil rules, and you don't have a visa.
However a variation on this could be to book a ticket to a country where you can enter without a visa or with visa on arrival, but still routed through the right places. I've tried finding an itinerary starting with CMB-DXB-GRU and ending up in Bolivia (which gives visa on arrival to Sri Lankan citizens) but failed, there may be a few others to try. There could be itineraries directly via PTY rather than GRU as well. As in your plan in your question, you would then skip the last leg and hop onto GRU-PTY-NAS or PTY-NAS instead.
If you find such a combination, a few things to watch out for:
In some places, transit passengers from some countries will actually be escorted by the authorities or staff to a secure holding location and then to the ongoing flight. Or they could keep your passport during transit. Or both. No idea if that happens in GRU or PTY (I think it was mentioned in previous questions that this happens in Mexico for instance). If that happens, you won't be able to switch destination.
When you book an itinerary, if there are any issues, the airline can reroute you nearly any way they want (and is compatible with your visa situation), they could put you on a different routing that does not stop at GRU (or PTY), so you may end up at the final destination rather than the intermediate point you wanted.
I still recommend you try to get a transit visa for either the US, Panama or Brazil (or possibly a few other places), that would make things a lot easier. Have you tried reaching out to the honorary consul of Panama or the embassy of Brazil in Sri Lanka for advice? Even for the US it may not be as difficult as you think depending on circumstances (especially available funds).
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Can I transit with separate tickets?
A: It depends, but the general rule is NO. Some airlines will through check baggage onto separately ticketed flights, but some won't (even if both tickets are with the same airline). Some airlines will take pity if your delay is due to them, but others don't.What does travel in transit to another country mean?
What is your travel to the US occurring in transit to another country meaning? If you are planning to stop for a short period in a country on the way to your destination, it means that you will be in transit. This can happen if your plan has to refuel or if you have to change flights.Do connecting flights count as being in the country?
It is normally considered a visit if you are processed by Customs and Immigration, which you don't usually do on a connecting flight. Unless, of course, that connecting flight happens to be in the U.S. or you leave the airport during the connection.Is transit the same as entering a country?
A transit is when you stay airside and do not exit formalities. I understand some people do transit and leave airport for a hotel etc, but technically if you went thru immigration, then you are deemed to have visited the country. 2.The Country Where All Public Transit Is Free
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