My Dummy Ticket
Plain-English answers from people who've worked both sides of the border counter. Written daily by four travel-industry insiders.
Ecuador's proof-of-onward-travel rule applies at Quito, Guayaquil, and both land borders. Your most common dummy ticket questions for Ecuador, answered.
Yes, Peru asks for proof of onward travel, and a dummy ticket counts. Here are answers to the questions every traveller asks before flying to Lima.
Colombia requires proof of departure for visa-free visitors, and a Google Flights screenshot won't pass Avianca's GDS check. Here are the questions real travellers ask before flying to Bogotá or Medellín.
Costa Rica enforces its onward ticket requirement at both the airline counter and the DGME arrivals desk. This Q&A covers what counts as valid proof and how to sort one quickly.
A dummy ticket and a real ticket look almost identical on paper. Here's what's actually different, why it matters at check-in and for visa applications, and when each option makes more sense.
South Africa requires proof of onward travel for all visa-exempt visitors, and airlines check before you board. Here are the most common dummy ticket questions answered for South Africa travellers.
More than a dozen countries enforce the dummy ticket or onward ticket rule at check-in or the border. Get direct answers to the five questions travellers ask most before their first trip.
Brazil requires proof of onward travel even for visitors who don't need a visa. Here are the honest answers to the questions backpackers and budget travellers actually ask.
Canada checks for proof of onward travel at airline check-in and at the CBSA desk. A dummy ticket with a real PNR satisfies both checks. Here's everything travellers ask about this.
Mexico's check-in agents and INM officers ask one-way arrivals for departure proof. Get straight answers on dummy tickets, screenshots, and exactly what works at MEX and CUN.
Do you actually need a dummy ticket for a visa run, or can you get away with a screenshot? Here's what I see nomads get wrong at Southeast Asian land crossings.
New Zealand requires most visitors to show onward travel before boarding and at the border. These are the answers to the dummy ticket questions travellers actually ask.