My Dummy Ticket
Plain-English answers from people who've worked both sides of the border counter. Written daily by four travel-industry insiders.
Bahrain issues eVisas to most visitors, but immigration and airline check-in can still ask for proof you are leaving. Here is what a dummy or onward ticket needs to cover.
Backpackers passing through Dubai and Abu Dhabi often assume the UAE border desk checks for a return flight, but the real gatekeeper is usually the airline at check-in.
Taiwan's visa-free entry comes with an onward ticket expectation many travellers miss. Here's what immigration and airlines actually check.
A dummy ticket and an onward ticket both live as a PNR inside a GDS, and understanding the reservation-to-ticket gap explains why some hold up and others quietly expire.
Mexico has no single onward ticket law, but officers can still ask for one. Here is what actually happens at the airport and the land border.
The Australia ETA doesn't guarantee you won't be asked for proof of onward travel, so here's what Border Force and check-in staff actually check for.
India's e-Visa has no ticket field, so where does the check actually happen? Real backpacker questions about onward tickets for India, answered.
Japanese immigration rarely asks to see an onward ticket, but airline check-in staff often do, since carriers are on the hook for repatriating travellers who get refused entry.
Unpaid onward-ticket reservations don't last forever. Here's a straight backpacker Q&A on how long a dummy ticket PNR actually stays valid and how to check it yourself.
Singapore lets most nationalities in visa-free, but airlines still check for an onward ticket before you board. Here's who actually asks, and when.
Backpackers heading to the Philippines keep asking the same onward ticket questions. Here is what airlines and immigration actually check, and when.
Jamaica lets a lot of nationalities in visa-free, which makes the onward-ticket question easy to miss. Here are the real questions travelers ask before they fly.