Originally Posted by
Crazydre
Lots of misinformation here. Airlines or check-in companies have no say whatsoever in anything - they're meant to go by what Timatic says, because that's what it's there for.
I'm not sure why you dredged up this thread to post misinformation of your own. Airlines are obliged to comply with the laws in the jurisdictions in which they operate. Those laws require passengers to have the necessary documentation to enter the country(ies) to which they're travelling and typically require airlines to return passengers to their origin, if inadmissible, at the airline's cost.
Timatic is a tool built by IATA to help airlines identify required documentation. It is not official. Canadian laws do not tell border agents to admit someone if Timatic says they're permitted to enter, it spells out the specific documentation that's required for entry.
If AC transports a passenger who doesn't have the necessary documentation, it can't say to CBSA "not our fault, Timatic said this guy was admissible!"
All conformists on here with the "just bring the passport for the convenience of idiot agents" mindset are the exact reason why these agents will never learn.
No, those are people offering
practical advice. Some of us are busy people travelling on tight schedules who would rather not have to spend time arguing with/educating MOLAs at the airport. I have had had to go through this with a check-in agent (WestJet at JFK) about the very subject of this thread, but only bothered to spend the 10 minutes or so to discuss it with her, get her supervisor involved, and get them to get clearance by phone from someone back in YYC or YYZ, but that was because I had forgotten my passport at the hotel and using my NEXUS card was the only way I was going to get back home that night.
As a Swedish citizen I'm allowed to visit the country of Georgia with an ID card instead of a passport. Some officers don't know this and insist on a passport. I'll tell them I don't have one and don't need one, and show a government website printout in Georgian pointing it out.
Does it cause delays? Sometimes. But I'm not obliged to adjust to their ignorance, on the other hand they're obliged to follow the law. And if I have to be the one to teach them the laws they're supposed to know by heart, so be it!
You would be wise to ensure that you actually know the laws. For instance, in Canada:
Originally Posted by
Nazdoom
Notwithstanding CBSA entry requirements, airlines are legally permitted to have more strict requirements, and can decide to require a passport even if the CBSA do not. Airlines are legally liable for failing to properly determine citizenship and subject to fines for failing to do so. If you want to fly with just your Nexus and not your passport, you should research the airline's ID requirements before booking.
I don't know what the laws in Sweden or Georgia are, and that's really not very relevant to this thread in the Air Canada forum. What's relevant is CBSA's rules; the post I quoted above was from a CBSA officer. But if an airline flying you to Canada demanded a passport when you thought the law entitled you to travel for less, you wouldn't have a legal leg to stand on, no matter how much huffing and puffing you did.