Get Onward Ticket
Plain-English answers from people who've worked both sides of the border counter. Written daily by four travel-industry insiders.
Airlines still expect an onward ticket at check-in even when your real plan is to leave by land, so this guide explains what immigration checks and how to handle both stages.
Being sent to secondary inspection over a missing or unverified onward ticket is common and rarely serious. Here is what officers actually check and how to clear it quickly.
Seven checks that separate a dummy ticket from a real one, from ticketing status to what immigration officers and airlines actually verify.
Airlines flying into the Dominican Republic sometimes ask one-way travelers for proof of onward travel at check-in, even though the country itself rarely enforces a visa.
EasyJet check-in staff ask about onward travel on behalf of your destination country, not the airline itself, and a confirmed booking is usually what satisfies the check.
Ryanair checks for a dummy or onward ticket at bag-drop and the gate on routes where your passport or destination requires proof of onward travel.
A dummy ticket, also called an onward ticket, can be entirely genuine and still fail to verify on an airline's website. Here's why PNR status is usually the reason, and how to fix it before check-in.
A dummy ticket only works at check-in if it exists as a live, confirmed reservation, not just a screenshot or quote.
Delta Air Lines checks for onward or return travel on many international routes, using the same TIMATIC system other carriers rely on. Here is when it looks, and how to book a dummy ticket that clears the check.
Turkish Airlines routes much of its network through Istanbul, and check-in agents verify onward travel proof for destinations that require it. Here's when the check happens and how to satisfy it.
British Airways can pull one-way travelers aside at check-in to verify onward travel, and a dummy ticket booking is often the fastest way to clear it.
Honduras shares a CA-4 free-movement zone with El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, which changes what officers expect to see. This guide covers how to book a dummy or onward ticket that fits a CA-4 itinerary.