Here’s what can ruin your summer trip
ENSURING VALIDITY OF PASSPORTS, VISAS OF FAMILY MEMBERS IN ADVANCE WILL AVOID TRAVEL DISASTERS, SAY OFFICIALS
Soon-to-expire passports or visas of family members can derail travel plans |
Picture this: You are all set to fly out of Dubai for your much-awaited summer travel and you get offloaded from the flight because your travel documents are not in order.
Aviation sources told Gulf News that this happens to several hundred passengers every year as their passports or visas are not renewed in time or due to other careless mistakes passengers make.
“Often people come with expired passports of family members, especially children,” said one source at Dubai International Airport.
He said this does not happen usually with working men and women as they might be using their documents often or their companies must be reminding them about renewal.
“But there have been cases where people come to travel with their family members’ and even colleagues’ passports by mistake. These are careless mistakes that can cost dearly.”
Prem Chand, consul, passport, at the Indian Consulate in Dubai, said the mission occasionally receives requests from parents to renew expired passports of their children very late.
“Sometimes months would have passed after the expiry of the passport. Parents realise this when they are about to travel.”
He advised residents to keep reminders on their phones to alert them about passport and visa renewals on time.
In case of countries like India, passports can be renewed one year before expiry.
Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO for Middle East, South Asia and China, VFS Global, said it is always recommended to renew your passport when it is nearing six months of expiry and ensure you have sufficient blank pages on your passport before travel.
“Most countries will not allow you to apply for a visa if your passport expires in six months from the date that you are applying for your visa.”
Flying without enough pages to stamp the visa of the destination country has also resulted in many passengers being sent back.
“Visa requirements vary widely depending on a number of factors — your nationality, the purpose of your visit, the country you are applying to and sometimes, even your age,” Malhotra said.
In a cultural melting pot such as the GCC region, he said, knowing what to keep in mind when applying for a visa can make a huge difference in your pre-travel arrangements.
“When applying for a visa, many countries stipulate that
Most countries will not allow you to apply for visa if your passport expires in six months from the date that you are applying for your visa.” Vinay Malhotra | VFS Global
your residence visa must be valid for three months post your return, so check the rules in advance.”
Airlines refuse to fly passengers not meeting such requirements even to countries where they are eligible for visa on arrival as the airline will be fined for accepting improper documents of passengers which will result in the traveller ending up without a visa at the destination airport.
Reporting three hours prior to departure to busy airports like Dubai International is advisable as they will get time to sort out any unforeseen issues such as outstanding dues in banks, immigration travel ban as well, said one industry expert.