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Onward-ticket requirements can create a problem for RTW travelers

This is something can comes as a surprise to many a RTW traveler, but quite a few countries theoretically won’t let you in unless you already have your onward ticket out of the country. And one of the things that makes it trickier is that enforcement tends to be like enforcement of speeding laws on highways. In other words, you can often get away with ignoring the rule, but in some cases doing so will turn into a huge problem. There are ways around it, but they are a big hassle so most people tend to ignore the rules until they suddenly are being enforced.

The rules exist mainly so countries can easily stop just anyone from arriving with very little money and with the intention of entering the underground labor market as a new illegal alien. Having a blanket rule allows authorities to “profile” people and enforce this selectively, which means that most travelers will not have a problem. But recently we’ve heard that Thailand, and perhaps a few other neighboring countries, are enforcing the rule very strictly as of 2007.

For example, on my 2005 RTW trip I entered Egypt with no questions and no onward ticket. Then I went to India where I was asked about an onward ticket, but I told them I would buy one when I got to Delhi and they were fine with that. My next stop was Thailand and I don’t recall ever being asked about it, even though I did not have an onward ticket. But as mentioned, they are now cracking down on this rule, and other countries seem to be doing the same.

How to get around the onward-ticket requirement

The easiest solution is to buy a full RTW ticket before you leave. In doing this you’ll almost always save money and you’ll never have to worry about the onward ticket rules being enforced selectively. You can change the dates of travel for a small fee for each leg, so you still get quite a bit of flexibility in addition to the cost savings.

The other solution that is commonly discussed in this situation is a bit more complicated. I never had to do it so I don’t fully know what the headache factor is, but the strategy is to buy a fully refundable full fare ticket either to your next likely destination, or the cheapest onward destination for your location. Doing this of course means you’ll never have to worry about the onward ticket enquiry, but it means you’ll have to stand in a ticket line and go about the ticket refunding process each time. This might take 5 minutes in one place and an hour or more in another. If you do it each time you’ll be entering a new country this could be a major hassle, so people often tend to wait until the rule is enforced before doing this.

From what I can tell, this usually happens at an airport, and since in countries that are enforcing it this must come up throughout the day, they must allow travelers to go to an airline desk to buy an onward ticket. The cost of deporting people back to their previous destination is usually covered by the airline that flew the ineligible person in, so you might be asked at the outbound airport by the airline if they think you might be turned away.

The other variation on this solution is to actually buy your cheap non-refundable onward ticket before you arrive in the country in the first place. If you have a pretty good idea of where and when you’ll like to exit, this isn’t a big deal, but if you were planning on hanging around until you get bored, this obviously won’t work. Buying a cheap onward ticket and then having to pay US$50 or more to change the date is a waste of money, and if you change your destination for the next leg you might be even more out of luck.

Sadly, in 2008 this is more complicated than it has been in years prior. Those buying a single RTW ticket will always be fine, but others trying to be creative with their routes could end up stopped in their tracks in some surprising places. It’s definitely worth researching which countries have these rules and which enforce them rigorously at the moment. Personally, I found it quite surprising that certain countries even had this rule, so we can’t just assume one way or another.

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2 Responses to “Onward-ticket requirements can create a problem for RTW travelers”

1. Brian from nodebtworldtravel.com Says:
   March 12th, 2009 at 8:02 pm

   I can personally attest to this in Thailand. I had changed my schedule and didn’t have the full listing for my round the world trip. The authorities in Thailand were concerned that I didn’t have a departure ticket from ENGLAND. I asked them why were they so concerned about the UK, which was 4-5 stops and 2 months away from Thailand for me. They would not budge.

   I had to find the Internet cafe in Bangkok’s airport, print out the new itinerary and show it to the ticket agents before I could get on the flight.

   I learned my lesson. I have the full itinerary wherever I go. If I need to change my dates I print out the new itinerary immediately and keep it handy.

2. jackie Says:
   April 4th, 2010 at 11:36 am

   re: the onward ticket requirement when flying to thailan from the uk.
   if you plan to enter thailand on a visa waver (30 days on entry) you must have an onward ticket OR YOU WILL NOT LEAVE THE RUNWAY IN THE UK!!!!!
   as it is the airlines responsibility to fly you back to your origin if you were returned.
   when you arrive in thailand, they dont ask for an onward ticket anyway
   you must have a visa from the thai embassy or consulate if you want to arrive in thailand on a one way ticket

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