Transit through Muscat airport with 2 different tickets and two different airlines, do I need a visa?
Iam travelling to Israel from India with a transit point at Muscat. My transition time at Muscat is 5 hours. On my way back to India, my transit point is again Muscat with transit time 20 long hours. I had no choice to book my ticket through Air India till Muscat ( as a rule of our company), from there I booked Turkish airlines. So, the two tickets are different and two airlines are different. Same is the case with my return journey on same airlines.
Both airline operators have told me that they can't do chek-in of my baggage till last point, and I have to manually collect it at transit point Muscat, and do re check in with next airline for my next leg of journey...both to and fro journeys
Now, my questions are below: ( I'm travelling first time in international flights)
- Will I be able to collect my checked-in baggage at Muscat, and go to Turkish( AIr India for return journey) airline counter to do check-in for next leg of journey ? What problems I may face ?
- Do I need a transit Visa if my transit time is more than 6 hours ? Is entering transfers area for catching next flight considered as leaving airport ? Do I need a Visa for entering transfer area ?
Do I need to go through immigration, security check and customs if I just want to go to transfer area to catch next flight ?
If due to some circumstances I'm unable to collect baggage, will there be attendants of AIr India and Turkish airlines at my arrival at Muscat to help me collecting and check-in my baggage for next leg of journey ?
thanks, Shravan
Best Answer
- Picking up and rechecking luggage will require going through Immigration to enter and leave Oman, so...
- Yes, you will need a double-entry transit visa.
- Since you need to pick up and check in luggage, this is not just a transfer.
- As a rule, no: since your flights are separate, neither Turkish nor Air India is obliged to help you.
Two potential solutions:
- Change flights. El Al flies BOM-TLV directly, and would be much easier than India-Muscat-Istanbul-Tel Aviv. (Yes, since you're flying Turkish, you will have another transfer at Istanbul with your current flights.)
- Bring only carry-on luggage, so you don't need to deal with checked bags.
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Do I need a visa for connecting flight in Muscat?
Do I need a visa for a transit / stopover in Oman? If you are in transit \u2708 in Muscat but do not leave the airport, you will not need a visa. If you are in long transit (up to 72 hours), you can apply for a transit visa with the help of your airline.Do connecting flights require visa?
Travelers transiting through India for less than 24 hours are advised to book the connecting flight on the same ticket as the flight to India. This way, there will be no need to leave the designated Transit Area in order to re-check luggage for the connecting flight, and so a transit visa will not be required.Do I have to check-in again for a connecting flight different airline?
In cases where the connecting flight is one another airline or another terminal, passengers must go through a security and baggage check once again before you get on board the connecting flight to reach your destination.Do I need a second boarding pass for connecting flight?
Do I need a boarding pass for a connecting flight? Yes. You'll probably get all boarding passes at once when you check in for your first flight, whether you check in online, on your smartphone, or at the airport.Transit Muscat 19 hours ! OMAN Air Connection Flight
More answers regarding transit through Muscat airport with 2 different tickets and two different airlines, do I need a visa?
Answer 2
You will not be able to collect your bags, as there is no airside baggage claim in Oman.
At some airports (like Dubai), there is a (premium - ie, paid) service for transit passengers that allows staff to collect bags and re-check them in for the next flight - but this depends entirely on the airlines involved as some do not allow this.
At Muscat International Airport, the lounge services are provided by Plaza Network; they offer "baggage services" (but no further details are provided on their website). They can also assist with your transit visa.
As you cannot select your final in-bound flight; I would recommend contacting the lounge operator to see if they can assist, or at minimum - get them to assist you with the transit visa so you can collect your bags and re-check them for your final leg.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Ksenia Chernaya, Tim Douglas, Maria Orlova, Ksenia Chernaya