18

I was going to Dubai, with a transit in Istanbul. I was to land in Atatürk International Airport and, on the same day, fly from Sabiha Gökçen Airport. Both flights were on Turkish Airlines.

When I got to Murtala International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria, they refused to check me in, saying that I didn't have a Turkish transit visa.

Right now, I'm at home, and confused; I don't know what to do. I'm a Nigerian and bought my ticket through an agent.

Is there anything I can do now? And how to avoid such situation in the future?

nic
  • 9,311
  • 1
  • 40
  • 81
Thankgod
  • 237
  • 2
  • 3
  • 6
    I'm sorry to say this but your travel agent just made a blooper at your expense. – Dmitry Grigoryev Sep 21 '18 at 12:27
  • 2
    Changing airports requires a transit visa in almost every country. Only when your connecting flights are at the same airport is a transit visa usually not required. Check visa requirements yourself for any proposed itinerary before you purchase the ticket, especially if you use an agent. Don't rely on the agent to check visa requirements for you; he is not the one who will be denied boarding. And perhaps even buy the ticket yourself. With the Internet you can get much the same fares as an agent can get, and possibly even lower fares. – Michael Hampton Sep 22 '18 at 04:07
  • 1
    Your travel agent has goofed, but in my experience few travel agents earn their commission. No doubt they'll disclaim all liability -- but you've just discovered how little help they often are. What a good travel agent can do, however, is to get on one ticket flights which you as an individual might not be able to. A good travel agent, especially a large firm, can also be useful if things go seriously wrong when you're overseas. – John MacLeod Sep 26 '18 at 21:59
  • This is pretty easy that I'm wondering what you expect from an answer. You were told clearly that you need a Turkish visa, so you do. It's a formal matter. It is always the sole responsibility of the traveler to ensure that you have the necessary paperwork. – Itai Sep 27 '18 at 03:11

2 Answers2

44

You do need a Turkish visa because you are changing airports and will not remain airside. Check-in staff was right.

If your ticket had your transit on one single airport you wouldn't need one but with the current itinerary you do need it.

I don't know what to do

Solution: Get your agent to change the ticket so your connection is on a single airport, for example Ataturk International. It will cost more but it will be easier than getting a transit visa quickly.

Transit - Turkey (TR)

Visa

Visa required.

TWOV (Transit Without Visa):

Passengers with a confirmed onward ticket for a flight to a third country within 24 hours. They must stay in the international transit area of the airport and have documents required for the next destination.

Source

Community
  • 1
Hanky Panky
  • 32,876
  • 5
  • 106
  • 154
23

The question of responsibility for visas crops up from time to time here, and I don't think we can be clearer than Greg Hewgill is in the accepted answer:

In general, it is the passenger's responsibility to ensure that they obtain any required visa(s) before commencing travel.

We have a question here about the need for a Turkish transit visa, and it is clear that you do. As the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs website says:

If you will not leave the transit lounge at the airport you are not required to have transit visa. Otherwise, you have to make visa application to the nearest Turkish Representation.

Given that you're changing airports in Istanbul, it's clear that you needed a visa, and it's clear that it was your responsibility to know this. You might want to go and grumble at your agent for not keeping you informed, but I'm afraid that the airline were quite right not to allow you to check in.

MadHatter
  • 9,488
  • 2
  • 40
  • 57
  • 12
    While i completely agree that it was the passenger's responsibility to check for the required documents for the itinerary but it looks like a genuine lack of knowledge of the situation and the passenger seems to be looking for advice as to what to do. I don't think the OP is trying to suggest that the airline was wrong. – Hanky Panky Sep 20 '18 at 14:08
  • 5
    You could well be right. The OP doesn't actually ask a question, so I think we're both trying to infer what (s)he wants to know. My inference was that (s)he wanted to know if someone was responsible and so would have to bear the cost of re-ticketing. But I could be completely wrong about that. – MadHatter Sep 20 '18 at 14:09
  • I'm not familiar with Nigerian law. If in the US, the traveler would have a pretty good claim against the travel agent for the cost of rebooking. – DavidRecallsMonica Sep 20 '18 at 17:06
  • 4
    @David on what gounds? Travel agents routinely disclaim liability for documentation requirements. The responsibility to investigate these requirements lies with the traveler, not the agent. – phoog Sep 20 '18 at 19:14
  • @phooge In the US, most transactions with travel agents are done without a written contract between the customer/traveler and the agent. Without a contract specifying who's responsible for what (which would I imagine shift responsibility to the customer, as airlines do), the agent will be assumed by a court to have a higher level of knowledge and experience of travel, and will therefore be presumed knowledgeable about the customer/traveler's need for a transit visa. In a case like this, a court is very likely to assess the agent as responsible. – DavidRecallsMonica Sep 20 '18 at 19:25
  • @phoog FWIW, travel agents in Ontario, Canada, are provincially regulated and are required (among other things) to inform clients of all visas and passports needed to complete the trip being purchased...See https://www.tico.ca/ – DJohnM Sep 20 '18 at 19:32
  • 2
    @David no travel agent I ever used discussed visas with me. If courts were finding agents responsible as you suggest, they would be far more diligent about discussing visas with their clients than they actually are. – phoog Sep 20 '18 at 19:44
  • 4
    @David I doubt it, they'll just indemnify themselves in their Ts&Cs. Taking a completely random US example: "It is your responsibility to fullfil the passport, visa and other immigration requirements applicable to your itinerary. You should confirm these with the relevant embassies and/or consulates. We do not accept any responsibility in the case of you being unable to travel due to not complying with any such requirements.". – MadHatter Sep 20 '18 at 20:48
  • There is a written contract when you use an agent, a contract isn't just a document you sign, it can you made by making payment, verbal agreement, or even the nod of the head (although the last two are a lot more flimsy). As long as terms and conditions are mentioned, making payment is accepting. In Europe you'd stand a reasonable chance or aguing with this if they were obscure or unfair. But from what I've read about US contracts, their enforcement is a little less consumer friendly. – ThomasRedstone Sep 21 '18 at 12:35
  • 1
    Folks, we may have to agree to disagree. My experience (admittedly some years ago) is one walks into a travel agency in the US and buys a ticket. If the agent's paperwork (not the airline's paperwork) contains T&Cs, then I agree with MadHatter that the T&Cs will contain a disclaimer. ThomasRedstone: contracts may be written or oral; if there's no written document or T&Cs are not provided to the customer, then the contract is wholly oral, and much more disputable. I'll amend my statement: unless advised in writing, the customer likely can claim against the agent. – DavidRecallsMonica Sep 21 '18 at 21:04
  • Since it's hypothetical anyway, none of us so far having claimed familiarity with Nigerian law on the subject, could we not argue it here? @David, if you wish to write an answer advancing your theory of the agent's liability, please do so, and we can all argue the point in the comments field of that. – MadHatter Sep 22 '18 at 06:12
  • @MadHatter Thanks for bring us back to earth. You're right that this discussion is hypothetical, and speaking for myself, there's enough on my plate that hypotheticals are of limited interest. I think I'll stop now. – DavidRecallsMonica Sep 22 '18 at 16:38