Not accepted on a flight with valid ticket and passport - no visa needed

[bermannor]

Dear TV Members, did anybody experience the same mishap that happened to the daughter of a Thai friend?

The girl wanted to go on a 10 days holiday to Japan, Friday one week ago. She booked the flight with Vietnam Airlines but made all arrangements for travel in Japan by herself.

She had a passport valid until February 2017, that means 5 months.

Vietnam Airlines refused her the check in on Friday based on the grounds that the passport is only valid for 5 more months and Japan needs a validity of at least 6 months.

I checked the visa requirements for Japan for Thai citizens and there is no such a prerequisite. It only says that the passport must be valid as long as she stays in Japan.

For Singapore I know that the 6 months rule exists and is clearly stated in the visa requirements.

She had to go home, wait until Monday, got a new passport and flew out the same day with a much more expensive air ticket bought by me.

Any TV Member here, having experienced a similar mishap?  What did you do? Sent a claim to the airline, reached a settlement or had to use a lawywer. If it happened to you, what could you claim?

Thank you for your attention.

Edited October 23, 2016 by bermannor
spelling

[chiang mai]

Passport validity of at least 6 months remaining seems to be a fairly standard clause set by most countries as far as I can recall.

[bermannor]

Dear Chiang Mai,

thank you for your reply. Can you verify this for Japan and a Thai citizen?

Edited October 23, 2016 by bermannor
wrong TV member name

[chiang mai]

No I can't, I wrote, "most countries" and it's purely anecdotal rather than country specific, I just wanted to let you know it's not an uncommon rule.

 

However, I see there is no requirement for UK passport holders to have at least six months remaining so it would seem odd that there are two sets of rules on this point, based on the country of origin:

 

"Passport validity

Your passport should be valid for the proposed duration of your stay. No additional period of validity beyond this is required."

 

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/japan/entry-requirements

 

[ubonjoe]

The IATA info states this for a Thai entering Japan.

Quote

Passport required.
- Passports and other documents accepted for entry must be
  valid on arrival.

Enter the required info here to check it. https://www.klm.com/travel/kz_en/prepare_for_travel/travel_planning/travel_clinic/visaform.htm

The problem a person can have is the airlines terms and conditions state 6 months especially low cost carriers that are not a member to the IATA (for example Air Asia states 6 months).

[bermannor]

Dear Chiang Mai,

thank you for clarification of your first posting. Exactly what you quoted I also read on Japan visa requirements for Thai citizens before I started this post.

I also mentioned that Singapore has this 6 months rule besides some  other Asian countries.

So, your post is a verifaction o what I said.

Thank you!

[bermannor]

Dear Ubonoe,

thank you for your reply. A similar Weblink from KLM has United Airlines. I run it and also could not find a reason for refusal. Many Airlines (Star Alliance for e.g.) took it out of their website as it is a Service of IATA and costs money. They argue, it is not always up to date.

Interesting is, what your Weblink gave as an informtion:

"Japan: Passport required.
- Nationals of Thailand are allowed to enter with an expired passport!"

Unfortunately, I could not find the 6 months AirAsia prerequisit for any country.

[bermannor]

De Ubonjoe,

Emirate has a similar IATA Information on their website

http://www.emirates.com/english/plan_book/essential_information/visa_passport_information/find_visa_requirements/find_visa_requirements.aspx

It is alo the IATA database

Nothig indicates a 6months passport validity!

[chiang mai]

It seems to be an airline specific/IATA rule rather than country specific, who would know I suppose, sorry.

[bermannor]

Dear Ubonjoe,

I checked a AirAsia website

https://airasia.traveldoc.aero/

and it accepted an expiry date of February 2017 for Japan!!!

[bermannor]

Dear Chiang Mai,

Airlines refer generally to country visa requirements (embassies) on their website.

So, tougher requirements seem to me very doubtful.

[Banana7]

You should also check the contract of carriage and conditions and tariff and terms of the original ticket. It may have contained a 6 month valid passport clause. Most tariffs are very detailed, I've had tariffs that are 18 pages long.

Edited October 23, 2016 by Banana7

[chiang mai]

There are country specific rules, and then there are airline specific rules, - OUT

[lostinisaan]

3 hours ago, bermannor said:

Dear Chiang Mai,

thank you for your reply. Can you verify this for Japan and a Thai citizen?

 

 

 

 

 

  It took quite a few Google attempts to find this out.: Thais do need a passport validity of six months, even when they don't need a visa for 15 days.

 

         

Rarotonga (Cook Islands) – 6 months

Singapore – 6 months 

Samoa – 6 months 

South Africa – 1 month

Tahiti – 3 months

Thailand – 6 months

UK – valid for length of stay

  http://www.bloggeratlarge.com/travel-tips/which-countries-require-6-months-passport-validity-2/2/

It's weird that South Africans can fly in if they only have one more month validity.

Here's a lot of information for your friend: http://www.th.emb-japan.go.jp/en/consular/visaindex.htm#falseinfo

 

  The airline just followed laws. I'm German and i could travel to Japan with a passport validity of only three months. 

 

OP, BTW, when do you start counting? It's almost the end of October, then please count to November= 1 month- December= 2 months- January = 3 months- February = 4 months.

 

  Her passport is basically only valid for four months, not five. 

    

  

  

      

Edited October 23, 2016 by lostinisaan
Adding one sentence

[lostinisaan]

2 hours ago, bermannor said:

Dear Ubonjoe,

I checked a AirAsia website

https://airasia.traveldoc.aero/

and it accepted an expiry date of February 2017 for Japan!!!

 

 

Maybe the booking showed green light but Thais must have a six months validity. You wrote that you checked, but I guess you're using your nationality. 

[gk10002000]

2 hours ago, lostinisaan said:

 

  It took quite a few Google attempts to find this out.: Thais do need a passport validity of six months, even when they don't need a visa for 15 days.

 

         

Rarotonga (Cook Islands) – 6 months

Singapore – 6 months 

Samoa – 6 months 

South Africa – 1 month

Tahiti – 3 months

Thailand – 6 months

UK – valid for length of stay

  http://www.bloggeratlarge.com/travel-tips/which-countries-require-6-months-passport-validity-2/2/

It's weird that South Africans can fly in if they only have one more month validity.

Here's a lot of information for your friend: http://www.th.emb-japan.go.jp/en/consular/visaindex.htm#falseinfo

 

  The airline just followed laws. I'm German and i could travel to Japan with a passport validity of only three months. 

 

OP, BTW, when do you start counting? It's almost the end of October, then please count to November= 1 month- December= 2 months- January = 3 months- February = 4 months.

 

  Her passport is basically only valid for four months, not five. 

    

  

  

      

Good job on the research. As for South Africa only requiring one month, well, I just can't see a lot of Thais wanting to spend a lot of time in South Africa.

[geriatrickid]

The Timatic rules are clear: 6 month validity requirement for passports.

 

The flight had a transit in Vietnam. Vietnam Airlines is very clear in regard to passport requirements and posts this on its website;

A passport is required for ALL international travel. If you're traveling anywhere overseas, even to Canada, the Caribbean or Mexico, you need a passport to board an international flight and to enter any country. In general, your passport must be valid for at least six months after the date you enter a foreign country.

 

In respect to your comment about an expired passport, that waiver only applies to Japanese ationals.

 

Always, always maintain a minimum 6 month period before travel.

 

 

[lostinisaan]

11 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

The Timatic rules are clear: 6 month validity requirement for passports.

 

The flight had a transit in Vietnam. Vietnam Airlines is very clear in regard to passport requirements and posts this on its website;

A passport is required for ALL international travel. If you're traveling anywhere overseas, even to Canada, the Caribbean or Mexico, you need a passport to board an international flight and to enter any country. In general, your passport must be valid for at least six months after the date you enter a foreign country.

 

In respect to your comment about an expired passport, that waiver only applies to Japanese ationals.

 

Always, always maintain a minimum 6 month period before travel.

 

 

 

 

 How long can I stay in Thailand with an expired passport?   

[lostinisaan]

13 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

Good job on the research. As for South Africa only requiring one month, well, I just can't see a lot of Thais wanting to spend a lot of time in South Africa.

 

 

 Hoops, sorry forgot all the townships and stuff. Must be frightening. 

[HooHaa]

19 hours ago, chiang mai said:

Passport validity of at least 6 months remaining seems to be a fairly standard clause set by most countries as far as I can recall.

 

not true, varies by country and passport.

i have encountered this and always traveled with a link or document to back up may claim.

[samsensam]

 

6 months validity is pretty standard for foreign travel. it's fairly common knowledge and usually mentioned when international flights are booked.

[Anthony5]

16 hours ago, lostinisaan said:

 

  It took quite a few Google attempts to find this out.: Thais do need a passport validity of six months, even when they don't need a visa for 15 days.

 

         

Rarotonga (Cook Islands) – 6 months

Singapore – 6 months 

Samoa – 6 months 

South Africa – 1 month

Tahiti – 3 months

Thailand – 6 months

UK – valid for length of stay

  http://www.bloggeratlarge.com/travel-tips/which-countries-require-6-months-passport-validity-2/2/

It's weird that South Africans can fly in if they only have one more month validity.

Here's a lot of information for your friend: http://www.th.emb-japan.go.jp/en/consular/visaindex.htm#falseinfo

 

  The airline just followed laws. I'm German and i could travel to Japan with a passport validity of only three months. 

 

OP, BTW, when do you start counting? It's almost the end of October, then please count to November= 1 month- December= 2 months- January = 3 months- February = 4 months.

 

  Her passport is basically only valid for four months, not five. 

    

  

  

      

 

The link you post is the validity requirement to ENTER those specific countries.

 

So to enter Thailand you need 6 months validity, but nowhere in your link does it say how long Japan requires.

 

You could even have gone further in the link you provided yourself and found that Japan requires passport for duration of stay only.

 

Damn, for a moment you even sounded smart.

 

https://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/basic-info/tourist-info/visa-information.html

 

Any foreign visitor who wishes to enter Japan must have a passport, which will remain valid during the period of stay.

 

For a period of 15 days or less

 

(*2)　For nationals of Thailand (since July 1, 2013) and Serbia (since May 1, 2013), visas are not required only for holders of ePassport in compliance with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) standards.

Edited October 24, 2016 by Anthony5

[stevenl]

From the VA website:

Quote

A passport is required for ALL international travel. If you're traveling anywhere overseas, even to Canada, the Caribbean or Mexico, you need a passport to board an international flight and to enter any country. In general, your passport must be valid for at least six months after the date you enter a foreign country.

I think they are referring to this. Since they don't mention this as a hard requirement and provided your friend was legally allowed entry, I would go to VA and demand a refund.

[lostinisaan]

34 minutes ago, Anthony5 said:

 

The link you post is the validity requirement to ENTER those specific countries.

 

So to enter Thailand you need 6 months validity, but nowhere in your link does it say how long Japan requires.

 

You could even have gone further in the link you provided yourself and found that Japan requires passport for duration of stay only.

 

Damn, for a moment you even sounded smart.

 

https://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/basic-info/tourist-info/visa-information.html

 

Any foreign visitor who wishes to enter Japan must have a passport, which will remain valid during the period of stay.

 

For a period of 15 days or less

 

(*2)　For nationals of Thailand (since July 1, 2013) and Serbia (since May 1, 2013), visas are not required only for holders of ePassport in compliance with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) standards.

 

 

 

 

 Any foreign visitor who wishes to enter Japan must have a passport, which will remain valid during the period of stay. In order to enter Japan, visitors usually must comply with the conditions of their visas and authorizations of resident eligibility. 

 

    I've posted two links. Link number one:

How long must passports be valid for travel?

 

    And it shows :  Thailand – 6 months

 

    You don't get it, do you? It's got nothing to do if the country of destination requires a visa or not. 

 

   Thais need a passport with a 6 months validity to travel, which was the reason for the OP. 

 

     

Edited October 24, 2016 by lostinisaan

[stevenl]

3 minutes ago, lostinisaan said:

 

 Any foreign visitor who wishes to enter Japan must have a passport, which will remain valid during the period of stay. In order to enter Japan, visitors usually must comply with the conditions of their visas and authorizations of resident eligibility. 

 

    I've posted two links. Link number one:

How long must passports be valid for travel?

 

    And it shows :  Thailand – 6 months

 

    You don't get it, do you? It's got nothing to do if the country of destination requires a visa or not. 

 

   Thais need a passport with a 6 months validity to travel, which was the reason for the OP. 

 

     

I would not trust a site 'bloggeratlarge' to reflect the official Japanese requirements. The other site you mention seems to be the official site, but there is noi mention at all of passport validity.

[Anthony5]

5 minutes ago, lostinisaan said:

 

 Any foreign visitor who wishes to enter Japan must have a passport, which will remain valid during the period of stay. In order to enter Japan, visitors usually must comply with the conditions of their visas and authorizations of resident eligibility. 

 

    I've posted two links. Link number one:

How long must passports be valid for travel?

 

    And it shows :  Thailand – 6 months

 

    You don't get it, do you? It's got nothing to do if the country of destination requires a visa or not. 

 

   Thais need a passport with a 6 months validity to travel, which was the reason for the OP. 

 

     

 

 

The link you posted shows the validity to enter those specific countries.

 

So it show how long to enter Thailand, not how long Thais need for any other country.

 

http://www.bloggeratlarge.com/travel-tips/which-countries-require-6-months-passport-validity-2/

 

Anyway, here is a list of 30 countries and the rules around how long your passport must be valid for entry…

 

Japan – valid for duration of stay

 

 

Thailand – 6 months

[Anthony5]

6 minutes ago, stevenl said:

The other site you mention seems to be the official site, but there is noi mention at all of passport validity.

 

Actually there is, it is in an embedded link.

 

For the immigration examination which is a measure that has been conducted, travelers should prepare documents or items such as

 

If you click that link and are directed to this page.

 

http://www.th.emb-japan.go.jp/en/consular/visaref.htm

 

Visa Exemption for Thai Nationals

(Necessary Documents that might be required for Immigration Inspection on entering Japan)

 

(※) Conditions of entry with visa exemption:

1. Must hold a valid electronic passport

[CNXBKKMAN]

I would advise your friend to put a complaint in writing to Vietnam Airlines to ask why was she denied boarding when Thai passport holders only need a valid passport for visits to Japan( no 6 month validity restrictions) and also seek compensation. Vietnam Airlines know the entry requirements for Thai passports to Japan but the check-in staff on the day look to have made a mistake.

[Clamhua]

Perhaps the problem was transiting through Vietnam and not Japan....in case she was having to stay in Vietnam, her passport validity might need have been acceptable for that country...

[IMA_FARANG]

The rules  for entrance to any particular country and the validity of a passenger's passport are

determined by the country they are entering, not by the airline.

The oligation is on the airline according to IATA rules that if for some reason the passenger is not allowed to enter the country,  that the  airline must remove the passenger that is not allowed to enter that country.

At the airlines expense.

Whuch is why the airline's accountents  insist on the airlines being strict with the rules.