Denied Boarding: Visa
Mar 17, 2009, 7:25 pm
#31
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Enn Why Cee
Programs: DL, CO, LH, BA etc...
Posts: 1,570
oops - missed a whole page of responses 
my original response is no longer relevant
my original response is no longer relevant
Mar 17, 2009, 7:56 pm
#32
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: in transit
Programs: Delta DM, *A Plat
Posts: 322
I'll be damned; it sure does. It looks like the regs may have recently changed? Like the OP, I have similarly transited ACC without a Ghanian visa, and applied for a 24-hour transit visa at the airport. I was most certainly allowed to leave the airport, as I spent the night in a local hotel.
Anyone know if Ghana has recently changed their regs, or if perhaps TIMATIC is confused? Paging B747-437B.
Anyone know if Ghana has recently changed their regs, or if perhaps TIMATIC is confused? Paging B747-437B.
Mar 17, 2009, 7:59 pm
#33
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: in transit
Programs: Delta DM, *A Plat
Posts: 322
Yikes! 2 questions:
1) I'm curious... having been to both ACC & LFW, I can't imagine the car ride between the 2 would be extremely quick. Is this route quicker than JFK-CDG-LFW?
2) After being there that many times in such a short time frame, is there a reason you don't have a multiple-entry business visa? They are valid for 1 year and with a higher fee can be completed in 2-4 business days.
1) I'm curious... having been to both ACC & LFW, I can't imagine the car ride between the 2 would be extremely quick. Is this route quicker than JFK-CDG-LFW?
2) After being there that many times in such a short time frame, is there a reason you don't have a multiple-entry business visa? They are valid for 1 year and with a higher fee can be completed in 2-4 business days.
I have had a business visa but it expired. I was counting on simply getting a transit visa on arrival and re-applying in Lome, which is a much quicker process than going through the Ghana business visa application in the U.S. I travel A LOT and 2-4 business days often is too much time for me, thus my reliance on my "tricks of the trade", which backfired in this case.
Mar 17, 2009, 8:01 pm
#34
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: in transit
Programs: Delta DM, *A Plat
Posts: 322
Mar 17, 2009, 10:16 pm
#35
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: PHX
Posts: 3,796
I admit I don't check Timatic every time I travel internationally, but it's probably a good precaution to catch new visa rules.
Mar 18, 2009, 5:32 am
#36
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Exile
Posts: 15,656
Nothing has changed in Ghana. The same processes apply and I know passengers who obtained VoA without any pre-arrangement as recently as Monday morning.
The problem you have is that TIMATIC is updated by Ministry of Foreign Affairs who get the revenues from visas issued at posts abroad. The visa-on-arrival program is run by Ghana Immigration Service which falls under Ministry of Interior. Needless to say, each side has an incentive to market their visa services.
The problem with the procedure prescribed by TIMATIC is that quite simply it doesn't always work. The fax number is constantly busy and emails can take a few days to be responded to, especially over a weekend. If one needs a VoA in a hurry, one should fax instead to +233 21 762217 (Immigration Duty Manager at airport) and follow up with a call to +233 21 777401 (VoA desk at airport) to confirm it has been received and pax ok to board.
Delta is notorious for poor Ghana visa recognition at JFK. A Ghana residence permit doesn't look anything like a Ghana visa (the residence permit is just a stamp in a passport with handwritten details added) and we have had Ghana resident employees of our company denied boarding by Delta in JFK because the folks there had never seen one of these before and were used to dealing mainly with temporary visas. We have also had approved VoA letter holders denied boarding because Delta insisted that VoA was not available. Both of these instances occured within the last few months. So I would not discount the OPs theory that this is a case of misinterpretation or lack of understanding.
The transit visa is specifically designed for those who leave the airport to exit either by road or another flight the next day. If one doesn't leave the airport, TWOV is available although one would have to sit in the nasty departure lounge the whole time. Approximately 100-200 people daily obtain transit visas on arrival and another 50-100 get regular VoA. This is hardly an uncommon thing in Accra and the lines at the VoA desk can be quite horrendous in the evenings when the European arrivals stream in.
The problem you have is that TIMATIC is updated by Ministry of Foreign Affairs who get the revenues from visas issued at posts abroad. The visa-on-arrival program is run by Ghana Immigration Service which falls under Ministry of Interior. Needless to say, each side has an incentive to market their visa services.
The problem with the procedure prescribed by TIMATIC is that quite simply it doesn't always work. The fax number is constantly busy and emails can take a few days to be responded to, especially over a weekend. If one needs a VoA in a hurry, one should fax instead to +233 21 762217 (Immigration Duty Manager at airport) and follow up with a call to +233 21 777401 (VoA desk at airport) to confirm it has been received and pax ok to board.
Delta is notorious for poor Ghana visa recognition at JFK. A Ghana residence permit doesn't look anything like a Ghana visa (the residence permit is just a stamp in a passport with handwritten details added) and we have had Ghana resident employees of our company denied boarding by Delta in JFK because the folks there had never seen one of these before and were used to dealing mainly with temporary visas. We have also had approved VoA letter holders denied boarding because Delta insisted that VoA was not available. Both of these instances occured within the last few months. So I would not discount the OPs theory that this is a case of misinterpretation or lack of understanding.
The transit visa is specifically designed for those who leave the airport to exit either by road or another flight the next day. If one doesn't leave the airport, TWOV is available although one would have to sit in the nasty departure lounge the whole time. Approximately 100-200 people daily obtain transit visas on arrival and another 50-100 get regular VoA. This is hardly an uncommon thing in Accra and the lines at the VoA desk can be quite horrendous in the evenings when the European arrivals stream in.
Mar 18, 2009, 6:18 am
#37
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: in transit
Programs: Delta DM, *A Plat
Posts: 322
Nothing has changed in Ghana. The same processes apply and I know passengers who obtained VoA without any pre-arrangement as recently as Monday morning.
The problem you have is that TIMATIC is updated by Ministry of Foreign Affairs who get the revenues from visas issued at posts abroad. The visa-on-arrival program is run by Ghana Immigration Service which falls under Ministry of Interior. Needless to say, each side has an incentive to market their visa services.
The problem with the procedure prescribed by TIMATIC is that quite simply it doesn't always work. The fax number is constantly busy and emails can take a few days to be responded to, especially over a weekend. If one needs a VoA in a hurry, one should fax instead to +233 21 762217 (Immigration Duty Manager at airport) and follow up with a call to +233 21 777401 (VoA desk at airport) to confirm it has been received and pax ok to board.
Delta is notorious for poor Ghana visa recognition at JFK. A Ghana residence permit doesn't look anything like a Ghana visa (the residence permit is just a stamp in a passport with handwritten details added) and we have had Ghana resident employees of our company denied boarding by Delta in JFK because the folks there had never seen one of these before and were used to dealing mainly with temporary visas. We have also had approved VoA letter holders denied boarding because Delta insisted that VoA was not available. Both of these instances occured within the last few months. So I would not discount the OPs theory that this is a case of misinterpretation or lack of understanding.
The transit visa is specifically designed for those who leave the airport to exit either by road or another flight the next day. If one doesn't leave the airport, TWOV is available although one would have to sit in the nasty departure lounge the whole time. Approximately 100-200 people daily obtain transit visas on arrival and another 50-100 get regular VoA. This is hardly an uncommon thing in Accra and the lines at the VoA desk can be quite horrendous in the evenings when the European arrivals stream in.
The problem you have is that TIMATIC is updated by Ministry of Foreign Affairs who get the revenues from visas issued at posts abroad. The visa-on-arrival program is run by Ghana Immigration Service which falls under Ministry of Interior. Needless to say, each side has an incentive to market their visa services.
The problem with the procedure prescribed by TIMATIC is that quite simply it doesn't always work. The fax number is constantly busy and emails can take a few days to be responded to, especially over a weekend. If one needs a VoA in a hurry, one should fax instead to +233 21 762217 (Immigration Duty Manager at airport) and follow up with a call to +233 21 777401 (VoA desk at airport) to confirm it has been received and pax ok to board.
Delta is notorious for poor Ghana visa recognition at JFK. A Ghana residence permit doesn't look anything like a Ghana visa (the residence permit is just a stamp in a passport with handwritten details added) and we have had Ghana resident employees of our company denied boarding by Delta in JFK because the folks there had never seen one of these before and were used to dealing mainly with temporary visas. We have also had approved VoA letter holders denied boarding because Delta insisted that VoA was not available. Both of these instances occured within the last few months. So I would not discount the OPs theory that this is a case of misinterpretation or lack of understanding.
The transit visa is specifically designed for those who leave the airport to exit either by road or another flight the next day. If one doesn't leave the airport, TWOV is available although one would have to sit in the nasty departure lounge the whole time. Approximately 100-200 people daily obtain transit visas on arrival and another 50-100 get regular VoA. This is hardly an uncommon thing in Accra and the lines at the VoA desk can be quite horrendous in the evenings when the European arrivals stream in.
Agree on the transit visa and could not for the life of me understand why the Delta agent insisted the transit visa was good only for airside transit (I've done that in Accra too to connect to an Ethiopian flight and the process involves a very loosely escorted walk to the check-in area) since the visa is good for 48 hours.
I am sure this is a case of misunderstanding, though both Delta or Ghana Immigration seem to blame. I understand the agent acted conservatively and drew the same conclusion that other posters here did by reading the IATA screen. But if Delta serves Accra and as B747-437B points out has had other problems (and presumably other complaints) I would think they would take a look at their Accra / Ghana visa screening policy.
Mar 18, 2009, 6:28 am
#38
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: in transit
Programs: Delta DM, *A Plat
Posts: 322
The Delta business lounge is awful and depressing with newspapers mostly in Afrikaans and uncomfortable seating. No separate bathrooms, just more isolated public ones.
The EK/AF/Ethiopian etc. business lounge is actually quite nice with a decent selection of drinks and snacks, free wi-fi, comfortable chairs and couches, and its own clean restrooms. It is quite small though and gets very crowded before flights. Newspapers are typically in German.
Mar 18, 2009, 8:14 am
#39
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Exile
Posts: 15,656
The Delta business lounge is awful and depressing with newspapers mostly in Afrikaans and uncomfortable seating.
The EK/AF/Ethiopian etc. business lounge is actually quite nice with a decent selection of drinks and snacks, free wi-fi, comfortable chairs and couches, and its own clean restrooms. It is quite small though and gets very crowded before flights. Newspapers are typically in German.
Mar 18, 2009, 11:04 am
#40
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: SAN
Programs: AS 100K, DL MM, AA PLT
Posts: 2,934
Mar 18, 2009, 12:04 pm
#41
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: New York, Atlanta, Amsterdam, KSAV
Programs: QR Gold, EK, Accor, SPG Gold, Hilton Gold VIP, Delta
Posts: 422
For my $0.02 worth, I can't see how on earth showing an Israeli passport to an airline, with the explicit sole purpose of proving that the passenger can legally enter Israel, and after showing them a US passport, could qualify as "leaving the US on a non-US passport". (And exactly what, for that matter, does the "on an XXX passport" refer to here, given that there is no passport control on exit?)
Originally Posted by US Dept. Of State Website
Most U.S. citizens, including dual nationals, must use a U.S. passport to enter and leave the United States. http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p.../cis_1753.html
If I recall correctly, and this is subject to my interpretation, I think that when you depart the United States, the country you arrive at you must use your USA passport, and when you return to United States, enter with your USA passport. Example, you go from US to country A, you need to use the USA passport upon arrival in country A and upon your return to US. Now say you make a side trip from country
A to country B, you then can use the passport from your other country.
Make sense? I hope so, I am starting to get confused.
Mar 18, 2009, 12:17 pm
#42
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: SYD
Posts: 2,903
If I recall correctly, and this is subject to my interpretation, I think that when you depart the United States, the country you arrive at you must use your USA passport, and when you return to United States, enter with your USA passport. Example, you go from US to country A, you need to use the USA passport upon arrival in country A and upon your return to US. Now say you make a side trip from country
A to country B, you then can use the passport from your other country.
Make sense? I hope so, I am starting to get confused.
A to country B, you then can use the passport from your other country.
Make sense? I hope so, I am starting to get confused.
goodo
Mar 18, 2009, 12:30 pm
#43
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Yiron, Israel
Programs: Bates Motel Plat
Posts: 68,928
If I recall correctly, and this is subject to my interpretation, I think that when you depart the United States, the country you arrive at you must use your USA passport, and when you return to United States, enter with your USA passport. Example, you go from US to country A, you need to use the USA passport upon arrival in country A and upon your return to US. Now say you make a side trip from country
A to country B, you then can use the passport from your other country.
Make sense? I hope so, I am starting to get confused.
A to country B, you then can use the passport from your other country.
Make sense? I hope so, I am starting to get confused.
Mar 18, 2009, 1:46 pm
#44
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Programs: DL DM; UA; AA
Posts: 446
If I recall correctly, and this is subject to my interpretation, I think that when you depart the United States, the country you arrive at you must use your USA passport, and when you return to United States, enter with your USA passport. Example, you go from US to country A, you need to use the USA passport upon arrival in country A and upon your return to US. Now say you make a side trip from country
A to country B, you then can use the passport from your other country.
Make sense? I hope so, I am starting to get confused.
A to country B, you then can use the passport from your other country.
Make sense? I hope so, I am starting to get confused.
Perhaps what this means after all is, if you do for some reason get questioned by any authority while leaving the US, you can't show just your other passport and claim that you're a citizen of that country -- and ask for consular help, for example. (Which, AFAIK, you can't do while in the US, either, if you are a US citizen.)
Mar 18, 2009, 8:11 pm
#45
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Seattle
Programs: Delta 1MM/DM, *wood Lifetime Gold
Posts: 285
Exactly, the last time I checked, Israel was not one of the 50 states, so sorry to break it to anyone but US laws do not apply.
Last edited by syd999; Mar 18, 2009 at 8:44 pm