Transit Visa requirement at Auckland

Old Jul 4, 2018, 4:59 am
  #16  
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Originally Posted by NeedstoFly
Truly bizarre visa rules. So you can fly one way without a visa but for the return journey you need one? I suspect its a cock-up in the drafting.
, The Air NZ rep suggested a direct flight out of MEL for the return journey bypassing AKL. So the airline suggestion was, "no point buying a return ticket with AirNZ - return leg with another airline".
Now I have heard everything. The travel agent also did not bring this little hassle up.
I am looking at QF/VA/AC.
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Old Jul 4, 2018, 5:01 am
  #17  
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Thank you All. Appreciate the valuable, spiriited insights
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Old Jul 4, 2018, 5:20 am
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Perhaps routing via HKG would be easier?

It's not clear where in Canada OP's mother will travel from nor where she is going to in Australia.

If it's not too late and the price is right then perhaps routing via HKG on CX might be worth investigating.

Also, a point worth considering is that flying from HKG to Canada both CX and AC are more likely to be familiar with the Permanent Resident Status of foreign residents of Canada.

It's very wise to be checking all this out in advance as someone who is arranging such a journey for a(possibly) elderly parent doesn't need any slip-ups at all!
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Old Jul 4, 2018, 5:51 am
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Originally Posted by TemboOne
It's not clear where in Canada OP's mother will travel from nor where she is going to in Australia.

If it's not too late and the price is right then perhaps routing via HKG on CX might be worth investigating.

Also, a point worth considering is that flying from HKG to Canada both CX and AC are more likely to be familiar with the Permanent Resident Status of foreign residents of Canada.

It's very wise to be checking all this out in advance as someone who is arranging such a journey for a(possibly) elderly parent doesn't need any slip-ups at all!
Thank you - elderly parent, and she will be traveling with company (me+family on Cdn passports). YYZ-MEL.
I happen to talk to the New Zealand High Commission inquiring about a visitor visa timelines and then this transit visa requirement popped up!
I thought when the travel agent drew up the itinerary, the flag should have come up regarding the visa requirement for the return journey on Air NZ via AKL. But it did not.

This is a good "need-to-know" on a valuable forum like Flyer talk.

CX is an option with the really nice PE product. But the travel time is way too long!
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Old Jul 4, 2018, 6:09 am
  #20  
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Not to berate OP or his mother, but this is a public board and odd transit documentation issues arise all the time. There are always two issues to consider and these are as much part of trip planning as hotels or anything else. It is 100% the sole responsibility of the passenger to determine that s(he) is properly documented. TA's and air carriers have no responsibility to warn in advance.

1. What will the air carrier do? Carriers check documents solely because they are subject to hefty fines and the duty to return the passenger to her origin if not admitted for lack of documents.
2. Often, local immigration authorities may be lenient. But, it does not matter if one does not get to the destination.
3. IATA populates the TIMATIC database for its member carriers for just this purpose. What you see through the various public interfaces linked above is what the check-in agent will see when you show your documents. IATA gathers the information from foreign ministries (or equivalent) and then rewrites into short paragraphs and asks the foreign ministry to recheck. If TIMATIC shows a visa as required, the likelihood of a carrier boarding a passenger unless it makes a mistake is close to nil. Some countries such as Germany do maintain a hotline which carriers --- not passengers --- may access, but that is a time-consuming process and is not direct from a counter agent somewhere in the world.

While this is all an annoyance and can be a costly and logistical mess, the when and why of visa and other documents is not always clear and if there is a remote doubt in your mind, ask yourself whether it is better to obtain the visa (presuming that there is not some issue with that) rather than leaving an elderly relative stuck somewhere, in this case Australia.
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Old Jul 4, 2018, 8:46 am
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Originally Posted by Often1
Not to berate OP or his mother, but this is a public board and odd transit documentation issues arise all the time. There are always two issues to consider and these are as much part of trip planning as hotels or anything else. It is 100% the sole responsibility of the passenger to determine that s(he) is properly documented. TA's and air carriers have no responsibility to warn in advance.
Not sure I agree with the last sentence there. i would consider it a key function of a Travel Agent to either know or find out visa requirements for a proposed itinerary, particularly if I was on a passport that doesnt have visa free entry to a large number of countries.

Agree this isnt the Airlines job, although in this case it sounds like AirNZ was pretty helpful and the OP has also been very proactive.

Side question though, knowing the transit arrangements in Auckland, assuming an airside transit is there actually any immigration facility to check that a passenger has a transit visa? I havent taken the transit lane, but I always thought it was just security and then straight back to airside departures?
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Old Jul 4, 2018, 8:47 am
  #22  
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Originally Posted by Often1
Not to berate OP or his mother, but this is a public board and odd transit documentation issues arise all the time. There are always two issues to consider and these are as much part of trip planning as hotels or anything else. It is 100% the sole responsibility of the passenger to determine that s(he) is properly documented. TA's and air carriers have no responsibility to warn in advance.

1. What will the air carrier do? Carriers check documents solely because they are subject to hefty fines and the duty to return the passenger to her origin if not admitted for lack of documents.
2. Often, local immigration authorities may be lenient. But, it does not matter if one does not get to the destination.
3. IATA populates the TIMATIC database for its member carriers for just this purpose. What you see through the various public interfaces linked above is what the check-in agent will see when you show your documents. IATA gathers the information from foreign ministries (or equivalent) and then rewrites into short paragraphs and asks the foreign ministry to recheck. If TIMATIC shows a visa as required, the likelihood of a carrier boarding a passenger unless it makes a mistake is close to nil. Some countries such as Germany do maintain a hotline which carriers --- not passengers --- may access, but that is a time-consuming process and is not direct from a counter agent somewhere in the world.

While this is all an annoyance and can be a costly and logistical mess, the when and why of visa and other documents is not always clear and if there is a remote doubt in your mind, ask yourself whether it is better to obtain the visa (presuming that there is not some issue with that) rather than leaving an elderly relative stuck somewhere, in this case Australia.
Thanks, appreciated and crystal clear.
I have opted out of NZ and going either QF or VA. This discussion also provides a great reference point on Flyertalk.
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Old Jul 4, 2018, 8:54 am
  #23  
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Originally Posted by KiwiJC


Not sure I agree with the last sentence there. i would consider it a key function of a Travel Agent to either know or find out visa requirements for a proposed itinerary, particularly if I was on a passport that doesnt have visa free entry to a large number of countries.

Agree this isnt the Airlines job, although in this case it sounds like AirNZ was pretty helpful and the OP has also been very proactive.

Side question though, knowing the transit arrangements in Auckland, assuming an airside transit is there actually any immigration facility to check that a passenger has a transit visa? I havent taken the transit lane, but I always thought it was just security and then straight back to airside departures?
My take would be NZ would not issue Boarding Pass at MEL when checking in for the return journey.
And yes, the TA itinerary did not flag the visa requirement.
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Old Jul 4, 2018, 9:01 am
  #24  
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Originally Posted by B787_YYZ
My take would be NZ would not issue Boarding Pass at MEL when checking in for the return journey.
And yes, the TA itinerary did not flag the visa requirement.
Yes. I have seen Air NZ deny boarding at MEL due to a passenger's passport/visa.

As above I would expect a TA to offer visa information, if they had been told of all the travellers passports.

I have opted out of NZ and going either QF or VA
And Air Canada into MEL
You have DL, AA & HA flying into SYD

But avoiding transiting in USA is worth it, since USA does not do transits. Need full visa etc for a full entry into USA.
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Old Jul 4, 2018, 10:53 am
  #25  
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Originally Posted by KiwiJC


Not sure I agree with the last sentence there. i would consider it a key function of a Travel Agent to either know or find out visa requirements for a proposed itinerary, particularly if I was on a passport that doesn’t have visa free entry to a large number of countries.

Agree this isn’t the Airlines job, although in this case it sounds like AirNZ was pretty helpful and the OP has also been very proactive.

Side question though, knowing the transit arrangements in Auckland, assuming an airside transit is there actually any immigration facility to check that a passenger has a transit visa? I haven’t taken the transit lane, but I always thought it was just security and then straight back to airside departures?
If you expect a service, make certain that it is crystal clear. I doubt that a TA would undertake this service other than as part of a corporate contract.

OP's mother's situation is a case in point. Indian passport, Canadian LPR, traveling on a connection from Australia to Canada through a third country. If the TA does not have all of that information from the passenger, there is nothing the TA can do.

Me, I'd prefer to look it up in TIMATIC and then rest easy that I am not depending on what someone else says what a publicly available website makes available.

There certainly are high-end TA's which provide all manner of ancillary services. But, one has to make certain that the specific service is included.

Last edited by Often1; Jul 4, 2018 at 8:05 pm
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Old Jul 4, 2018, 2:46 pm
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Originally Posted by NeedstoFly
Truly bizarre visa rules. So you can fly one way without a visa but for the return journey you need one? I suspect its a cock-up in the drafting.
It would be fine if returning to your passport country which would cover most people. The issue is that they don't hold a Canadian passport. Guess AirNZ push for the rule which would cover most people flying from US and Canada and Islands to Aussie via Akl and for Aussie's flying to US and Canada and Islands via Akl.

Only use as much political as you need. No use burning that extra capital for a small number of potential pax. As Canada, US, Islands already have visa rules at easier end of spectrum so not much effort to get transit free for them.
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Old Jul 4, 2018, 2:51 pm
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Originally Posted by KiwiJC
Side question though, knowing the transit arrangements in Auckland, assuming an airside transit is there actually any immigration facility to check that a passenger has a transit visa? I havent taken the transit lane, but I always thought it was just security and then straight back to airside departures?
The computer at check in will say no. It files stuff via the SITA network and NZ Immigration/The System will say no as no transit visa exists on the system. So won't get a boarding pass to go airside in Aussie.
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Old Jul 4, 2018, 6:04 pm
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Not sure how the PE product is on AC, but I just flew SFO-YVR-SYD 2 weeks ago (in Y) and was very pleased with everything from the service to the YVR airport. YVR-SYD was on the 777 and YVR-MEL is on the 789, so it can only be better.
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Old Jul 4, 2018, 6:36 pm
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It's classic tit-for-tat: India requires visas from most countries. When eligible she should get Canadian citizenship and get a non-citizen Indian passport.
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Old Jul 4, 2018, 9:03 pm
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Originally Posted by jawnbc
It's classic tit-for-tat: India requires visas from most countries. When eligible she should get Canadian citizenship and get a non-citizen Indian passport.
tit for tat is not always applied - but seems to often be - in this case New Zealand immigration also has issues with a large number of Indian visitors, so I guess that's part of the cuatious

My corportate TA is good with the visa advice - but as my partner has a Philippines passport, when we travel we start from the premise that a visa will be required for him!
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