Visas
As a passenger, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have the appropriate visas and travel documents for your trip. A visa is generally required even for transit purposes, rechecking your baggage.
How to check your visa requirements
Start by visiting the embassy or consulate website of the country you intend to visit. The website should have all the necessary information on visa requirements, application procedures, and required documents.
Alternatively, you can use online visa services. You can input your nationality, destination, and purpose of travel, and the website will provide you with the required visa type and application process.
Wikipedia can also be a source of quick information for visa requirements.
Airport transit visas
Passengers transiting through an international airport but not entering the country may need an airport transit visa, which allows them to change planes without leaving the airport's international transit area. Some reasons include:
- Rechecking your baggage
- Moving between terminals
- Multiple PNRs in your booking
It's essential to check whether an airport transit visa is required before booking your flights. You can check the embassy's website of the country you'll be transiting through to find out the visa requirements.
How to check if you need a visa for self-transfers
- Find the contact details of the embassy for the country you will enter during self-transfer.
- Google search. E.g. "Thai embassy in the United States" and find the contact details on their website.
- Contact the embassy and ask for the visa requirements for entering the country and mention:
- That you’ll leave the visa-free transit zone during your self-transfer to enter the country.
- The time of the layover — it could influence the type of visa you need.
- Tell the embassy that you’ll leave the visa-free transit zone. Otherwise, you might get misleading information.