Checkpoints and Borders Policy Debate - So is it illegal to buy a one way ticket out of USA?

Someone I know bought a one way ticket to Italy because it was half the price of a return tickeit (in the old days one way tickets were more expensive than return tickets) but anyway since pricing was the same now he figured he wanted to have the option of travelling through Europe and then buying a one way ticket back to USA later in the summer depending on where he ended up.

American Airlines would not let him board his flight to Italy with his one way ticket from USA to Italy unless he purchased a return ticket back to USA there and then.

This went on for a while until they asked him if he had another passport. Only because he had dual citizenship did they let him fly out of USA with a one way ticket.


So if you are a US Citizen only... you cannot fly out of US without a return ticket? Why?

I've never heard of such a thing. Why would the airline care if you had a one way ticket? Government travelers posted overseas travel on one way tickets all the time. If for whatever reason the Italian officials turned him around at the border, he'd have to buy a one way ticket back anyhow. Is there more to this story?

I suspect the issue is not with AA or the USA, but with Italian Immigrations.

They want some assurance that you will leave, or have the mechanism to do so, and not seek to set up some sort of permanent residence. Granted you could still do so.

As far as Government employees go, they (we) have a special stamp in their passport that allows them one way travel, either through the Department of State or the Department of Defense or they have official orders that cover them under the Status of Forces Agreement.

Many countries require an onward ticket before they will allow you to enter, Italy apparanently one of them. AA doesn't appear to have a Timatic link on its site, but Delta does; for Italy:

"Visitors not holding return/onward tickets could be refused entry."

Other countries (e.g. the UK) don't show a similar note, so it's reasonable of AA to insist on the same requirement before departing.

The airlines get fined when someone is refused entry to the destination country for a reason such as invalid visa, passport, or lack of onward travel. As the posters above said, since Italy requires visitors to have onward travel booked, the airline requires it as well.

It's not illegal to buy a one way ticket out of the US, regardless of citizenship. Because your friend had an Italian passport, he isn't required to leave Italy so doesn't need onward travel booked.

(This might be better suited for the "Practical Travel Safety issues" forum, since it offers practical advice.)

Funny AA would care so much when the Italians (esp in the South) most certainly do not.

I suppose that does make sense. They don't want illegal immigrants from USA! Yes, they need to build a wall over there, put up a fence. :D Can't have Americans stealing their jobs and having anchor babies over there.

That does make more sense than airlines doing it.


I remember needing to get one way tickets within US more than 10 years ago because I wanted to fly to one place, drive to the next and then fly back to the point of origin from a third location. Well return tickets were cheaper than one way tickets so I said OK I will just buy two return tickets instead of two one way tickets and then I remember having a surreal conversation wth an airline rep about how I "really" needed to fly both ways, how you can't just buy a return ticket and not show up...

I mean how were they going to enforce that rule and what would they do if you only showed up for a one way flight? To this day I remember having that conversation thinking how ludicrous that rule was.

I suspect there's something more to this story. It's certainly true that most countries (including the US) require that all visitors have a return or onward ticket, it's uncommon for such countries to actually enforce that requirement unless there's some reason for suspicion that the person might not leave. Having an airline enforce it seems even less common. I suspect this person might have been of college age and there was some concern about the person being able to afford a return ticket back. Flying to Europe on a one-way ticket isn't that uncommon: people who take cruises back will almost always do that, for example. Though when asked, they'll usually be able to show proof of the cruise. In other words, the issue isn't so much the return ticket in itself, but providing some proof that the person actually does intend to leave.

I suspect the issue is not with AA or the USA, but with Italian Immigrations.

They want some assurance that you will leave, or have the mechanism to do so, and not seek to set up some sort of permanent residence. Granted you could still do so.

Yup, that was my first thought on seeing the OP.

It's certainly true that most countries (including the US) require that all visitors have a return or onward ticket, it's uncommon for such countries to actually enforce that requirement unless there's some reason for suspicion that the person might not leave. Having an airline enforce it seems even less common.


I vaguely recall a thread that concluded that Italy actually required the airlines to check, whereas many other countries don't.

In other words, many countries have a rule requiring onward travel, but almost none of them make the airlines enforce the rule. I'm almost positive I read a thread here that said Italy was an exception. (I've shown up in multiple countries without onward travel booked. In the few cases immigration asked me for proof of onward travel, I just said "I haven't booked it yet, but I'm leaving in 4 days." Being employed by a well known company helped, I'm sure.)

American Airlines would not let him board his flight to Italy with his one way ticket from USA to Italy unless he purchased a return ticket back to USA there and then.

It shouldn't have had to be back to the USA.

He could have bought a cheap one-way flight from Italy to London or Paris. Or even a train ticket to Switzerland or France would have sufficed.

I read earlier this year that a 1 way ticket is very suspisious. Like could be a terroist act.

And that TSA and so on would investigate.

I have a lot of times bought one way tickets to my birth country. Since I dont know the exact date I will return.

Guess I have to stop that one .Unless I want to be investigated.

I suspect the issue is not with AA or the USA, but with Italian Immigrations.

They want some assurance that you will leave, or have the mechanism to do so, and not seek to set up some sort of permanent residence. Granted you could still do so.

As far as Government employees go, they (we) have a special stamp in their passport that allows them one way travel, either through the Department of State or the Department of Defense or they have official orders that cover them under the Status of Forces Agreement.

Italian immigration rarely checks such things. You are required to register with the police in whatever town you are staying (hotels do this for you) officially if you are staying with friends or family or whatnot by day 8 you are supposed to.

What special stamp are you talking about? Most government employees get official passports, or as you state the military gets NATO orders to Europe or both.

What does this stamp look like? No Fee passports for families get an endorsment but often times orders are still needed.


Can't have Americans stealing their jobs and having anchor babies over there. .

There are a fair number of Americans teaching English illegally in Italy actually.
Since Italy has "jus sanguinis" the citizenship is normally based on blood. If two Americans had a kid in Italy it would not automatically be a citizen.

I vaguely recall a thread that concluded that Italy actually required the airlines to check, whereas many other countries don't.


No country ever "requires" the airlines to check, but most countries will require the airline to transport the person back if they are denied entry. Therefore, it is in the airline's interest to check before departure.

It is standard practice for countries to require proof of onward travel when admitting you without a visa. You can always buy a refundable ticket to show and then cancel it, or in the case of Italy, a train ticket.

It shouldn't have had to be back to the USA.

He could have bought a cheap one-way flight from Italy to London or Paris. Or even a train ticket to Switzerland or France would have sufficed.
London, probably, but France and Switzerland probably not since those are also Schengen.

I read earlier this year that a 1 way ticket is very suspisious. Like could be a terroist act.
If the TSA had a single braincell they'd see the absurdity of that "suspicious" activity given a one way ticket is often more expensive than a return ticket.

If the TSA had a single braincell they'd see the absurdity of that "suspicious" activity given a one way ticket is often more expensive than a return ticket.
That's rarely the case domestically any more. Almost all markets are one-way markets now and have been for years. There are exceptions (NYC->GRR is the first one I can find), but very few.

If the TSA had a single braincell they'd see the absurdity of that "suspicious" activity given a one way ticket is often more expensive than a return ticket.

I should have written it is if you buy a 1 way ticket over seas. Sorry about that.

I vaguely recall a thread that concluded that Italy actually required the airlines to check, whereas many other countries don't.

In other words, many countries have a rule requiring onward travel, but almost none of them make the airlines enforce the rule. I'm almost positive I read a thread here that said Italy was an exception. (I've shown up in multiple countries without onward travel booked. In the few cases immigration asked me for proof of onward travel, I just said "I haven't booked it yet, but I'm leaving in 4 days." Being employed by a well known company helped, I'm sure.)

Back in 82 we hit the rule in Zimbabwe. The airline did *NOT* check, immigration did and wouldn't admit us until we bought an onward ticket. (We were leaving by train, not plane. We could only refund the plane ticket once we had the train ticket in hand to show them.)

I have never had problems with my one way tickets to or from Canada or Europe. Are all viewed as suspicious? Fortunately, none of these tickets resulted in any issues going through security.

There are quite a few threads about it.

If they are denied entry because they don't have a ticket showing they are going to leave italy, AA has to bly them back and will be fined.

It's not illegal by the way, there is no law saying you can not buy a one way ticket to Italy (indeed, he did buy a one way ticket)

search for "proof onward travel" and you will find dozens of threads about it. It's also not just for US Citizens, and has little to do with leaving the country, but getting into the country you are flying to.

If you look up the requirements for US Citizens visiting Italy it says

Visitors are required to hold proof of sufficient funds to cover their stay (unless a sponsor can guarantee for him at the airport upon arrival) and documents required for their next destination .

And the other way around, Italians visiting the US

Visitors are required to hold proof of sufficient funds to cover their stay and documents required for their next destination.

It's actually a fairly common requirement, and something they should have checked before heading to the airport.

So if you are a US Citizen only... you cannot fly out of US without a return ticket? Why?

I do most of the time, and it is fine as long as the airline and/or receiving country are fine with it. I have exited the US on many hundreds of one-way tickets to at least a couple dozen countries, and as long as the airline was convinced I would be allowed in without issue and the immigration auhorities were fine with it on my arrival there and not push back on the airline with a fine and/or denied entry passenger, no problems whatsoever for me as just a US citizen.

What special stamp are you talking about? Most government employees get official passports, or as you state the military gets NATO orders to Europe or both.

What does this stamp look like? No Fee passports for families get an endorsement but often times orders are still needed.



I am talking about a full page sized stamp that each of my family members have in their passports stating that:


"The bearer is a member of a civilian component or a dependent of a member of a force or civilian component of the United States of America and is entitled to unrestricted entry into and exit from the Federal Republic of Germany"

It is written in English, French and German.


Orders have never been required for my family to transit Germany, though on occasion they have asked for my Military I.D.

I vaguely recall a thread that concluded that Italy actually required the airlines to check, whereas many other countries don't.



I believe there was a thread a few years ago about AA(or BA) in BOS who denied a pax going to Italy for the very same issue. Easiest solution is just to buy a refundable ticket out of Italy. In reality, the odds of it actually being an issue with Italian immigration is minimal.

1. This has nothing to do with what Italy (or any other country) "normally" does. It has to do with what the rules say. If OP is refused entry to Italy: A. AA is fined; B. AA is responsible for costs of security & detention until next AA flight back; C. AA must return OP to his USA origination. While AA can try to recover its costs from OP, if AA can't, it is out the money. Why would AA take the risk?

2. The requirements can be found on TIMATIC, which happens to be free on delta.com.

3. There is nothing illegal about buying a OW ticket.

4. This has zero to do with TSA.

For what it's worth the US has the same requirement. If you're not a US or Canadian citizen (and I think only if you're entering from outside N.A.) you are expected to have onward travel booked. I've seen it pop up on US's check-in screen in Dublin in andry red that I had a one-way ticket*. The agent spent a minute reading the rules to determine if he had a problem.

*(actually not true but it was part of a complicated award with stopovers going to both Canada and the US so I guess it had trouble identifying the return).

I am talking about a full page sized stamp that each of my family members have in their passports stating that:


"The bearer is a member of a civilian component or a dependent of a member of a force or civilian component of the United States of America and is entitled to unrestricted entry into and exit from the Federal Republic of Germany"

It is written in English, French and German.


Orders have never been required for my family to transit Germany, though on occasion they have asked for my Military I.D.

I was in Germany with NATO full time until recently and reserve with them till last year. I never saw it, thanks for sharing.

I just have an official passport, seperate NATO blanket orders, and any and all family with the US at our place in Germany and the Netherlands had no fee passports. No stamps.

interesting, thanks again for sharing

I was held up checking in Friday on B6, with a one way ticket SJU-SXM. I had to show them my full itinerary, including other carriers and ferries, before they'd let me have a BP.

I was held up checking in Friday on B6, with a one way ticket SJU-SXM. I had to show them my full itinerary, including other carriers and ferries, before they'd let me have a BP.And how did they verify your itinerary? Hmmm...

No airline issues flight coupons any longer, just e-tickets which you then print out. Now I'm not advocating this of course ;) but how would a GA or immigration agent tell the difference between an actual e-ticket and one you simply fabricated for the purpose? I can not believe they have access to every future manifest from that country.

I do this regularly - fly in on one airline, out on another and usually not from the same city/country (in Europe). Never had a problem but if "they" have started to play silly bu99ers, err... tighten up, then I need to know.

Last May my wife and friend were refused boarding to Berlin due to this issue. No quick thinking to solve it left them stuck in New York and forced to buy new RT tix.

The airline doesn't care about a one-way ticket, they just need to make sure you have a way back from where you're going. You could have a one-way to Europe on AA and a one-way back on United.

The solution is pretty simple. Purchase a refundable one-way ticket back from wherever you're going, then after you arrive at your destination, cancel the return one-way ticket. Problem solved.

Several years ago, I visited the US for a holiday with my wife. We flew from NAN to HNL and were moving onto SFO, LAX, LAS, STL and JFK. At the immigration desk, I had to prove I had a valid ticket for my onward journey out of the US before I was granted entry.

Although we were together at the desk, the stupid woman manning it then demanded to see the ticket my wife had for onward travel. Had the worker not been so assertive and agressive, it would have been funny.

I know most American workers lose all common sense when they get a job in an airport, but before you criticise others, perhaps you need to look closer to home for stupid rules on "making life difficult for visitors". I know of plenty of Brits (myself included) who simply take holidays elsewhere due to the pettyness of US airport staff.

I would add that this does not include airline staff, just the border agency and TSA idiots.



Rant over.

I read earlier this year that a 1 way ticket is very suspisious. Like could be a terroist act.

And that TSA and so on would investigate.

I have a lot of times bought one way tickets to my birth country. Since I dont know the exact date I will return.

Guess I have to stop that one .Unless I want to be investigated.

Oh, don't be silly. I buy revenue and mileage tickets all the time as one ways. Last year, on one trip, I bought 6, one way intl tickets, covering 4 countries. Never a peep.

Only if you're going to try and overstay, should it be a problem. Most are just trying to keep people from moving there. Show funds to cover your stay, and maybe an onward ticket to *somewhere*.

In December I traveled to BKK on AA. I did technically have a return one-way ticket but on UA... perhaps big brother could see that my two one ways were a round trip.

The airline doesn't care about a one-way ticket, they just need to make sure you have a way back from where you're going.

Technically that's not even true as well.

For all intents in purposes, they just want to know you have some way of getting out of Italy, not a return ticket back to the US.

A simple "I'm planning to buy a train ticket to Switzerland/buy an EasyJet ticket to another European country/take a ferry to Malta/hitchhike to Croatia" would've also sufficed.

Oh, don't be silly. I buy revenue and mileage tickets all the time as one ways. Last year, on one trip, I bought 6, one way intl tickets, covering 4 countries. Never a peep.

Only if you're going to try and overstay, should it be a problem. Most are just trying to keep people from moving there. Show funds to cover your stay, and maybe an onward ticket to *somewhere*.

"oh,don't be silly" ?!

I read that on this forum some time ago. It could be 1-2 years ago. That TSA looked into "one way tickets" of passengers. That it looked suspisious to have one. Since they connected that with terrorists.
Personally I think it is crazzy that they think that. i cant help that though. I am not them.

Over stay. Hardly since I live in USA and I am a swedish citizent.
So dont tell me that it is silly. Tell TSA that.

Last May my wife and friend were refused boarding to Berlin due to this issue. No quick thinking to solve it left them stuck in New York and forced to buy new RT tix.

For the lurker: Purchase a fully refundable OW return ticket for a few weeks later. Once you arrive at your destination, cancel.

I was in Germany with NATO full time until recently and reserve with them till last year. I never saw it, thanks for sharing.

I just have an official passport, seperate NATO blanket orders, and any and all family with the US at our place in Germany and the Netherlands had no fee passports. No stamps.

interesting, thanks again for sharing


FWIW, when we moved to Germany, with said passport and travel orders, the UA agent at IAD didn't want to let us on the plane, insisting that we needed a RT ticket, in spite of the stamp and travel orders.

I asked for her supervisor, who resolved the issue in about 0.5 seconds.

In years of traveling back to the States and returning to Germany with the US-FRA ticket and not ticket returning us to the States, we were never again asked for a "return" ticket. German passport control frequently asked for my leave form or travel orders when departing Germany.

My sister-in-law was refused boarding to Canada with one-way ticket even though she was planning to drive on the way back. She had to buy a refundable ticket out of Canada in order to board the plane. I wanted to argue with the check-in agent (AA), but she would not budge. And she was apparently a supervisor. Oh well...

Tanja, could you please stop spamming in this thread? It is not about TSA, so please leave your obsession for other more relevant topics.

My sister-in-law was refused boarding to Canada with one-way ticket even though she was planning to drive on the way back. She had to buy a refundable ticket out of Canada in order to board the plane. I wanted to argue with the check-in agent (AA), but she would not budge. And she was apparently a supervisor. Oh well...

Tanja, could you please stop spamming in this thread? It is not about TSA, so please leave your obsession for other more relevant topics.

I am not spamming. It is not illegal to buy a one way ticket. But it can cause problems. And times even extra screening.

I am not spamming. It is not illegal to buy a one way ticket. But it can cause problems. And times even extra screening.

Indeed there is a history of the TSA and other parts of DHS and the federal government viewing one-way ticket passengers as more "suspicious" than roundtrip ticketed passengers. But it is far less frequently an issue now than it used to be when it comes to the TSA nonsense.

Indeed there is a history of the TSA and other parts of DHS and the federal government viewing one-way ticket passengers as more "suspicious" than roundtrip ticketed passengers. But it is far less frequently an issue now than it used to be when it comes to the TSA nonsense.

Thank you for confirming it.

Selection criteria

Neither the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) nor the airlines publish the criteria that are used when boarding passes are issued to identify passengers who will be given extra screening or be denied boarding.

Some criteria are:
Passengers with a one-way reservation.[2]
Passengers who pay cash for their tickets.[3]
Passengers who book reservations the day of their flight.
Passengers who "no show" a single leg of their flight.
Random selection, according to TSA spokeswoman Amy Von Walter in 2004,[4] and as suggested by a 2003 DOI newsletter.[5]
Flight to specific final destinations.
Flying without ID
Having one's name on a list of names supplied by the government to the airlines, according to an airline staff questioned.

Since neither the TSA nor the airline run a background check at the time boarding passes are issued, immigration status and criminal records are not taken into consideration during SSSS. Furthermore, personal information such as a passenger's addresses, employment history, and medical records are not taken into account during SSSS and may not even be available at the time.[

For what it's worth the US has the same requirement.Only for those who come without a visa.

I think this is a universal airline rule. I was going from Australia to Germany on a one way ticket and when I checked in at the Malaysian Airlines desk they asked if I would like to book my return flight then and there. I said no, I will be staying in Europe for an extended period of time but I don't know how long. She explained that if I plan on staying longer than 90 days then I would either need an extension visa or would need an outgoing ticket from the Schengen area.

I then pulled out my British passport and all the questions went away.:D

It is handy being a dual citizen.

I think this is a universal airline rule. I was going from Australia to Germany on a one way ticket and when I checked in at the Malaysian Airlines desk they asked if I would like to book my return flight then and there. I said no, I will be staying in Europe for an extended period of time but I don't know how long. She explained that if I plan on staying longer than 90 days then I would either need an extension visa or would need an outgoing ticket from the Schengen area.

I then pulled out my British passport and all the questions went away.:D

It is handy being a dual citizen.

It is a universal "rule". Has been like that as for long as I remember.

It is just the last 10 years or so that "security" is a part too.

I have no problems either. Swedish living in US.

Both from posts in this thread and personal/family experience, it seems to me that AA is unusually paranoid and annoying and making-up-rules on this point.

My wife was almost refused boarding in MIA for her MIA-MVD flight on a 1-way AA award a few about 7 months ago, on that same pretense of "no 1-way ticket allowed" per the AAgent. Uruguay has no rule that says you must have proof of onward or return travel, but this agent wasn't having any of that. A supervisor cleared it up. But clearly AA has badly trained agents who just take it upon themselves to decide that all countries have this rule. A simple check of Timatic and 5th-grade reading comprehension would have prevented the confusion.

She's still there. But with a nice "resident in processing" stamp that eliminates the need to leave :-)

Poorly trained - or just plain stupid - counter agents are nothing new. I will always remember arguments on 2 separate occasions with US Air reps on why I didn't need a passport to go to Puerto Rico. And with agents, back in the 90s, about how I didn't need a passport to go to Canada.

As the airlines outsource more and more, this problem will escalate. United has outsourced most of their counter people at Dulles to minimum-wage AirServ, who don't know jack about anything.

I had a similar problem in London. I got sick when in the Middle East and went to london to recover with no departure date set... The immigrations agent did not take kindly to this. I had to book a ticket. (not like If I did not want to leave, I couldn't just not show up)