Round trip ticket required for entry with a K1?

[TomLena 0]

Lena is in Russia and had her embassy interview last Tuesday in Moscow. They told her that she is approved and to expect her visa soon. It is currently on the way to her via DHL (it's showing in their tracking system) as of this posting.

She visited a local travel agency today to book her tickets to come here, but the agent refused to sell her tickets based on the following reasons:

1) Claims that she needs to see Lena's actual passport (her local passport - essentially a government issued ID - was not good enough apparently)

2) Claims that she needs to have the Visa #

3) Claims that Lena needs to buy a round-trip ticket regardless of the visa type

Is this agent crazy, or is there any legitimacy to her claims? I know that I could book this ticket on Expedia.com - it'd cost about $100 more after all of the courier costs to expedite getting it to Lena, but they wouldn't stop me from buying her a ticket... but after these claims from the travel agent, I'm concerned about the claim about needing a round-trip ticket. She would be flying in via Aeroflot to NYC and then taking a local Delta flight to get to Tampa if we get the tickets we want. Anyone have any ideas about who's 'rules' these are and who I have to call to get confirmation or denial of this?

Thanks!

[mRx 16]

No you dont need round trip tickets for a K-1. That agent is crazy. She also shouldnt have to present a visa or a passport, because it is the responsibility of the traveler to ensure that they are eligible for travel, not the agency issuing the ticket.

why not try a different agency?

[Neonred 3,562]

She does not need a round trip ticket. You can buy what ever is cheaper. I ended up buying a round trip here through Delta so we could fly back together and it was cheaper to buy the round trip. Delta has always had the best flight connections for me for getting back to SW Florida without long layovers. Do leave some extra time at POE in case there are several international flights arriving at the same time. It took us longer than we expected in Atlanta (our POE from Moscow) and just made the flight to Fort Myers. I saw others that missed their connections.

It is true that buying tickets in Russia they must see her passport. Even when we bought tickets together in Russia they needed to see my passport too. It is apparently their "rules". And yes they probably need to see the visa number too.

Again I bought her ticket to the US along with a round trip for me over the phone direct from Delta and, as I recall, they never asked about passport information. I did have a copy of her passport just in case....

[DanNNina 5]

If you buy tickets on Delta, using their 800 number, you can get e-tickets so no need to mail. Also, they don't ask for any of the passport info as they must show their passport at the airport. If she is far from Moscow and needs internal Russian flights that may be a different story. It is usually cheaper to buy round trip tickets, but not required. Many travel agencies in Russia still are following a lot of the old Soviet rules, so this may just be their interpretation of the rules.

[patiently_waiting 0]

Sounds cray to me. Many people buy one way ticketd simply becaue they are unsure about a return date, espeically when traveling internationally. I would try a different agent. It is not the agent's job to review the passport. Good luck.

[fozzie 41]

Sounds cray to me. Many people buy one way ticketd simply becaue they are unsure about a return date, espeically when traveling internationally. I would try a different agent. It is not the agent's job to review the passport. Good luck.

Each country has its own rules. It sounds like the visa is not too far away from arriving so why not just wait, then you willl have the passport and the visa.

In UK the travel agent I used asked if I had a visa but didn't ask to see it. She was just making sure I knew I would need one if I didn't have a return flight. As it goes the return was cheaper so i picked an arbitrary date less than 90 days after the outward flight. Didn't use the return as I didn't need to.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

One-way ticket is OK (Pras used this, no problem); but OK to buy roundtrip if it is cheaper.

[Ladylethal 12]

That agent is crazy. If I wanna buy 10 tickets and not even have a visa and get my ####### sent back home it's my problem. And this thing about needing a visa number? #######?!?! And no, you don't need a round-trip. You're immigrating, meaning you're not coming back anytime soon.

[Ken_Maria 0]

Yea we have seen this before with travel agencies for what ever reason. Have you tried booking the flight for her online? Try booking online with Kayak, I have never tried it for your locations, but they are pretty good at finding the cheapest fares. Good luck, Ken & Maria

Lena is in Russia and had her embassy interview last Tuesday in Moscow. They told her that she is approved and to expect her visa soon. It is currently on the way to her via DHL (it's showing in their tracking system) as of this posting.

She visited a local travel agency today to book her tickets to come here, but the agent refused to sell her tickets based on the following reasons:

1) Claims that she needs to see Lena's actual passport (her local passport - essentially a government issued ID - was not good enough apparently)

2) Claims that she needs to have the Visa #

3) Claims that Lena needs to buy a round-trip ticket regardless of the visa type

Is this agent crazy, or is there any legitimacy to her claims? I know that I could book this ticket on Expedia.com - it'd cost about $100 more after all of the courier costs to expedite getting it to Lena, but they wouldn't stop me from buying her a ticket... but after these claims from the travel agent, I'm concerned about the claim about needing a round-trip ticket. She would be flying in via Aeroflot to NYC and then taking a local Delta flight to get to Tampa if we get the tickets we want. Anyone have any ideas about who's 'rules' these are and who I have to call to get confirmation or denial of this?

Thanks!

Edited January 27, 2007 by Ken_Maria

[Magnolia31 0]

Lena is in Russia and had her embassy interview last Tuesday in Moscow. They told her that she is approved and to expect her visa soon. It is currently on the way to her via DHL (it's showing in their tracking system) as of this posting.

She visited a local travel agency today to book her tickets to come here, but the agent refused to sell her tickets based on the following reasons:

1) Claims that she needs to see Lena's actual passport (her local passport - essentially a government issued ID - was not good enough apparently)

2) Claims that she needs to have the Visa #

3) Claims that Lena needs to buy a round-trip ticket regardless of the visa type

Is this agent crazy, or is there any legitimacy to her claims? I know that I could book this ticket on Expedia.com - it'd cost about $100 more after all of the courier costs to expedite getting it to Lena, but they wouldn't stop me from buying her a ticket... but after these claims from the travel agent, I'm concerned about the claim about needing a round-trip ticket. She would be flying in via Aeroflot to NYC and then taking a local Delta flight to get to Tampa if we get the tickets we want. Anyone have any ideas about who's 'rules' these are and who I have to call to get confirmation or denial of this?

Thanks!

No one told me that and I think that agent is purely crazy! I know you have found a ticket on Expedia but have you ever heard of American Travel? Their website is:

http://www.flyusave.com

When my brother was still in the army, we booked his tickets for Christmas through these people and we paid $400 roundtrip for him to fly to germany from NJ. My fiance uses it every time he comes to Germany too.

Oh, and a bit of advice from someone who's mom was a travel agent, a roundtrip ticket is usually cheaper for some reason.

When I left the US in 2002, I looked for a one way ticket which all turned out to be over $1,000. I checked into roundtrip tickets and I ended up paying only $600.

Good luck!

[Kinsey 0]

That's insanity. If she's using her visa to immigrate to the US, why on earth would she need a return ticket? That's the point of the visa, to remain there. I agree with the others that a travel agent should not ask for your passport. It's the traveler's responsibility to have that on the date of travel.

I'm also a little confused. You seem to want a hard copy of a plane ticket? I've always booked my flights online (Expedia or through the actual airlines site... whatever is cheapest) and just printed out an itinerary. They work just the same as an actual ticket. She'll just need an email and a printer.

Hope everything works out!

[Arnold_and_Joan 0]

Different countries have different rules. In the Philippines for example, they won't sell you a ticket unless you have a visa. Sometimes the Travel Agency will assist you getting the visa (for an extra fee of course). But every travel agent we went to always asked if we had a visa first, otherwise they won't issue a ticket. As far as one way or round trip tickets - I hope one way is fine, since that's what i'm getting for my fiance. One way is cheaper than round trip here in Phil. Good Luck!

[mybackpages 0]

Every now and then you hear stories on VJ where a one way ticket holder was not allowed to board the plane. It's very rare. Even within the same country there are different experiences. It must have something to do with the airline used. I've heard Royal Air Maroc insists on a round trip, Air France always asks for passport info when purchasing, Lufthansa only placed a disclaimer that it is the ticket holder's responsibility to bring valid documentation for the POE.