Do You Need Passport To Book International Flight?

Is It Necessary to Have a Passport for Making an International Airline Reservation?

It is always a thrill when you are planning for your next foreign trip by booking an international flight. However, in the course of your searching for cheap airline tickets, you will be having this question, whether you need your passport to be valid before you complete the process of booking for a flight. Yes, you do need a passport after you go to another country. That is also for the passport when booking?

The simplest answer is no, you don’t need to have passport at the moment of booking international flight. But to gain entry to the country of your first destination you must have a passport for your first foreign outbound flight. However, it means that you can book the flight with no need to have a passport at that time but in the departure day, you must have a passport to be allowed on the flight.

Why Is a Passport Not Required for Booking?

Why airlines and online travel agencies do not ensure that you have a passport when you purchase international flights for several causes. First, they have no qualms about not demanding to verify that all your travel documents are ready several weeks to a few months in advance. In addition, it is also convenient to add that passports can be renewed in four to six weeks at best. Thus, having a passport after booking ensures that there is enough time for the trip to be made.

Secondly, there is good financial sense which is often hard to come across today due to the cut throat competition. Airline companies are commercial entities and so increased bookings equals to increased business for the companies. Eliminating the process of passport verification makes it easier for customers to avoid a step that may discourage them from booking. As for the price comparison of flights, there is no need to provide your passport at this stage, allowing travelers to compare prices conveniently.

How airlines confirm the validity of passports for international flights

This may be true, but the point is that you do not need a passport when booking the hotel but you would need it if you needed to travel out of the country by air. Hence, airlines have measures in place to ascertain whether individuals have their identification documents in order.

In most instances, airlines will require you to enter your passport details on their website once you have checked-in for your flight. This is normally done at least 3 days to the date of travel and includes the passport number, date of expiry, name, among others Then the documents shall be rechecked for validity before you are issued with boarding pass or allowed to check in your baggage.

Every time you travel by air, you are required to stand and bare your true identity to go through more passenger documentations. This year, before agents will give a boarding pass to any passenger, a passport will be scanned to ensure its authenticity. Finally, physical identification through passport check is conducted once more at the gate before passengers are allowed to board, to confirm that none of the international travelers is missing any document.

Traveling without a valid passport to travel

Please do remember though that there are certain repercussions as to not having a valid passport (or any other accepted travel document akin to a passport card) on the day of travel. If a traveler has not ensured that he/she have the right identification documents for his/her intended country of destination, airlines have no option than to cancel his/her boarding on the flight. No exception is allowed for this as this is a condition set by rules of traveling internationally.

Also, you will lose the ticket you have purchased to attend the event or that you bought earlier to be used in the future. It means that if you are not fully documented at the airport, airlines do not have to give you refunds or apply travel funds. Thus, you can decide to delay or abandon your trip completely, resulting in the loss all the monies paid in advance.

Common problems which may arise during the process of choosing the vacation destination

Although it is not required that you provide your passport number during the booking process, it is important to have the document for your trip. So be sure to apply and get one well in advance after finalizing any trip to any foreign country. Normal procedures for issuing a passport usually take six to eight weeks in total, including the time taken to apply for the passport, the time it takes for the passport to be processed and the time it takes for the processed passport to be delivered by post. ‘Expedited services are faster but attract high fees when compared to the standard services. ’

The validity of a passport is an important factor when traveling and if you have a passport that you intend to use then ensure that its validity is up to date before confirming your flight. Ensure it is renewed to be valid for at least six months after your trip dates. If not, it is advised to renew the passport before planning for the flight as per the requirement of the specific airline. You also have to make sure that the name which you book the ticket under must tally with the name written on your valid passport.

In this regard, try to know the entry requirements of the country you are visiting. Some have extra requirements regarding the passports including one of them has to have at least one blank page for the stamps, or some passports must be valid for not less than 3 or 6 months beyond the departure date.

If you are the type of person who books the last minute flight then it may prove wise to make an investment in the passport card. These passport cards can be used for domestic air travel identification, and you can obtain one in three to four weeks. This is helpful for travels that are planned at shorter notice and thus you will have a second passport to use for traveling.

Summary

All in all, it is clear that, when making an international booking, an airline does not ask for a passport. However, all passengers whether they are going to transit or final destination are required to produce passport on the day of travel. This involves physical passes in form of documents at airport security points and electronic passes in form of passports for submission online prior to the trip. If you have opted to travel, do your best to start the process of getting your passport renewed or applied for as early as possible. And that way, you will be sure to have all the necessary documentation that will allow you to have a problem-free trip to another country. Safe travels!