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Morons

Its quite common for airlines to ask about return flights, they are liable if immigration rejects your entry.

.Why is it an airlines rep job to act as an immigration judge and jury??? How can they possibly know the intracacies of each countries immigration processes?.
-@Earlyant

Easy.

Airlines may get fined if they carry passengers who are ineligible to enter the country in question, and/or they may be forced to return the passenger to the origin country.

Airlines know what each passenger must have to enter any given country because that country's immigration service tells them.

This has been going on all over the world for a lot of years.

I wrote this a few months ago in response to a member's concern regarding his airline imposing conditions on his traveling to VN.

As an aside, I find it a little overbearing of airlines to request proof of anything other than your valid visa, in light of the fact that the host country has already reviewed and approved your application and already issued your e-Visa permitting entry.

VN does not insist on visitors/travelers/tourists hold prepaid exit tickets/passes.

I'm sure Qatar Airways is well aware of this, but yet...

"To get to the point, after 30 minutes of waiting for the rep, the rep said that I could not travel as my visa, a Vietnamese evisa, was only valid for a month and that my return flight was in 6 months."
-@Earlyant

Was your return prepaid as part of what we Americans call a "round trip ticket" and i believe you call something like a "return ticket" or was it only a reservation? If you were prepaid he/she should have had no concern about the length of your visa as it always seems easier to change a ticket to earlier rather than later.  If you only had a reservation to return, she may have been justified in her concern as detailed by others above.

I took the first flight with Qatar airways at 08:00. Destination Ho Chi Minh city via Doha.
I proceeded to walk towards the bag drop off desk, but was guided by a staff member to one of the terminals.

I was not in the best of moods, as due to unrelated reasons, I was forced to spend the night at Heathrow Terminal 4.

I asked the staff member what was the point of checking in online and printing out boarding passes if I had to do the same again here. How was that saving time as informed by online check in???

Also, confusing is on the app. It states you can print the pass or download it. But, the email you get only says you can print it.

I was told that they needed to check immigration requirements. As was heading to Vietnam had to show my visa. Staff member told me I had to wait for an airline rep.

To get to the point, after 30 minutes of waiting for the rep, the rep said that I could not travel as my visa, a Vietnamese evisa, was only valid for a month and that my return flight was in 6 months.

Told her I was visiting family, though she looked at visa and said it says as a tourist. I told her to continue reading and she would see a comma and then visiting relatives.

I also tried explaining that I was married and that you needed an evisa as the first step in applying for a family visa and then a TRC. It fell on deaf ears.

She would not accept it and said that if I still wanted to travel then I had to book a journey out of the country before the evisa expired. She then suggested I book a bus from Vietnam to Phnom Penh in Cambodia. I said that could be difficult from here at 05:30 in the morning. Thankfully with the strong internet connection it wasn’t. But, it had cost me £30.

Showed the rep the booking details and she grudgingly let me travel.

Why is it an airlines rep job to act as an immigration judge and jury??? How can they possibly know the intracacies of each countries immigration processes?

If there were questions about my visa and return date, then that would be the job of the immigration service in Vietnam.

Forced to rush as time was slipping away and missed the opportunity to use one of the lounges, have a lounge pass, and enjoy the breakfast offered.

Hungry, grumpy and disgruntled, I boarded the flight.

Won’t be using the services of the so called ‘Best airline in the world’ again.

Not an experience you want to go through at 04:40 am.

And, for what is it with the Health declaration you are told by email to download and must complete before check in and give it to check in staff. No one asked for it at check in. Waste of time.

Will stick to Singapore airlines or Emirates. They don’t pretend to act as immigration officials.

Have a TRC now, but gawd knows what Qatar airlines would think of that if presented with one.
-@Earlyant

For every negative there is a positive I suppose.

I travelled back to Vietnam on a 30 days e visa from Paris on the 17th November with Qatar Air & was not asked for any proof of an exit flight within the 30days visa term either at CDG or Doha. As far as my trip went it was flawless as usual traveling with Qatar & I have in my working days travelled with many of the so called 5 star airlines including the two you mention & Qatar are way up there with the best in my humble opinion.

As far as airlines checking documents required by country you are traveling to, I recently flew to Singapore & had to produce my proof of Covid vaccine in English at the Vietjet check in Tan Son Nhat & without it or recent negative test I was not getting on that flight.

I guess those who used the middle east as a transit those causes are comments, Next time you should prepare for your trip till the end.

@Earlyant I travelled on a one way ticket on ANA . They didnt understand a VEC either. They tried to deny me my flight

I said VEC good for one year

I just signed a waiver . Problem solved but one hour of wrangling with the checkin staff

Won’t be using the services of the so called ‘Best airline in the world’ again.

Not an experience you want to go through at 04:40 am.

A little challenge for you. Try to do the same thing but visiting the U.S for example, through let's say Delta Airways. Going for one month, but flight back is booked in six months. I get the feeling they won't be as nice as Qatar Airways was to you, even if there's a "little note after the comma". It's common sense here. As others have stated, the airline is liable as they'd need to fly you back to your point of origine if the destination country refuses you, so yes they need to enforce visas.

That being said, she definitely was overzealous and you hit some bad luck.

I needed a little break from work so, against my better judgement because the deliberately annoying ads in order to get you to subscribe to their premium service bugs me, I played on Youtube.

I selected a documentary about Singapore's lovely airport where I saw a couple of passengers denied boarding by airlines because they didn't have onward tickets.

That brought back recollections of other such programs I've seen over the years but were hidden in the bit of my memory palace where unimportant stuff is kept. Anyway, dusty store rooms for crap memories that would equate to the corner of a spare room where you keep your old LPs aside, it demonstrates the point about airlines not allowing passengers to fly when they will hit immigration issues.

Nothing new and no big issue if you plan ahead.

@Vaneric

I wonder what Qatar Airways check in staff would make of a TRC then?

Airlines know what each passenger must have to enter any given country because that country's immigration service tells them.
This has been going on all over the world for a lot of years.
-@Fred

No, she did not seem familiar with a Vietnamese evisa. and did not know what the requirements were. She had to take the lift up to the offices to get some help from management.

Airlines know what each passenger must have to enter any given country because that country's immigration service tells them.
This has been going on all over the world for a lot of years.
-@Fred
No, she did not seem familiar with a Vietnamese evisa. and did not know what the requirements were. She had to take the lift up to the offices to get some help from management.
-@Earlyant

  The says it is a 30 day Visa.

It requires:

• A passport with six (6) months’ validity
• A photo in .jpg format of your full passport data page
• A passport photo in .jpg format (4x6, white background, without glasses)
• A valid international credit or debit card
• An email address for support purposes
• A temporary address within Vietnam
• Your entry and exit dates and entry and exit points/airports

Other posters may wish to know why you would be exempt from the stated rules as it might well impact on their plans.

Airlines know what each passenger must have to enter any given country because that country's immigration service tells them.
This has been going on all over the world for a lot of years.
-@Fred
No, she did not seem familiar with a Vietnamese evisa. and did not know what the requirements were. She had to take the lift up to the offices to get some help from management.
-@Earlyant

The says it is a 30 day Visa.

It requires:

A passport with six (6) months’ validity
A photo in .jpg format of your full passport data page
A passport photo in .jpg format (4x6, white background, without glasses)
A valid international credit or debit card
An email address for support purposes
A temporary address within Vietnam
Your entry and exit dates and entry and exit points/airports

Other posters may wish to know why you would be exempt from the stated rules as it might well impact on their plans.
-@Fred

And an onward ticket to exit the country is not required.

And an onward ticket to exit the country is not required.
-@Aidan in HCMC

So how would you explain the last point?

Your entry and exit dates and entry and exit points/airports

If an exit ticket isn't required, how to prove the exit date and point?

Other posters may wish to know why you would be exempt from the stated rules as it might well impact on their plans.
-@Fred

I get the feeling some people here are confusing what's *enforced* versus what's official law. It's not because they never enforce it (or rarely) that it's not official regulations.

Other posters may wish to know why you would be exempt from the stated rules as it might well impact on their plans.

-@Fred

I get the feeling some people here are confusing what's *enforced* versus what's official law. It's not because they never enforce it (or rarely) that it's not official regulations.
-@WillyBaldy

That might well be a factor. Law and reality commonly diverge in more than a few countries.

And an onward ticket to exit the country is not required.
-@Aidan in HCMC

So how would you explain the last point?

Your entry and exit dates and entry and exit points/airports


If an exit ticket isn't required, how to prove the exit date and point?
-@WillyBaldy

You don't have to "prove" an exit date nor an exit gate. In fact, when applying for the eVisa, it asks only what your "intended" exit gate is, and the exit date can be up to 30 days post-entry, unless you specify earlier. Even with an exit date 30 days after arrival, you are free to exit VN at any date prior to that.

See

No onward ticket is required by VN immigration to enter VN (once you have received your eVisa).

  I get the feeling some people here are confusing what's *enforced* versus what's official law. It's not because they never enforce it (or rarely) that it's not official regulations. -@WillyBaldy

I would be very interested in seeing how this "official law" is worded.

I get the feeling some people here are confusing what's *enforced* versus what's official law. It's not because they never enforce it (or rarely) that it's not official regulations. -@WillyBaldy


I would be very interested in seeing how this "official law" is worded.
-@Aidan in HCMC

So the text on the official website from the government isn't clear enough or do you think it's a translation error? The one Fred posted @

Also, the fact that the exit date can't be later than 30 days post-entry, doesn't it prove that they're actually trying to enforce that you'll leave the country before the end of your visa? I'm a bit confused here because it seems kind of obvious to me. The main subject being, someone at some airline not liking the fact that there was a plane ticket leaving Vietnam 6 months in the future.