A document check is the airline's verification of passport, visa and travel authorisation before departure, based on an immigration requirements database.
A document check is the airline’s verification of passport, visa and travel authorisation before departure, based on an immigration requirements database.
Also called: Airline document verification, Timatic check.
How it works#
Airlines check because they pay for the return flight and face fines when a passenger arrives without valid documents. What governs is the database entry for the destination, not advice from a travel forum. Being refused carriage on document grounds does not count as denied boarding under passenger rights law and creates no compensation claim.
Not to be confused with#
A document check is not the same as border control: the airline assesses fitness to travel, while the entry decision belongs solely to the destination country’s authorities.
In German#
The German term is Reisedokumentenprüfung. German version of this term
Related terms#
- Passport validity rule: A passport validity rule is the requirement of many countries that a passport remain valid for a minimum period beyond departure, often six months.
- Transit visa: A transit visa is permission to pass through a country while connecting, even when no stay there is planned.
- Electronic travel authorisation: An electronic travel authorisation is an online pre-clearance for visa-free travellers that has to be in place before departure.
Articles that use this term#
TopicEvery article and term onRights and disruption.