traveling without visa - unbelievable

hi,

a couple of acquanitances were traveling to india for a week for business purpose. it was their first time outside europe and didn't know that one needs a valid visa. also they were allowed to board flights from vienna (via swiss ) and whoever checked their passports didn't bother .

when they landed in mumbai, had the shock of their lives, were aksed to leave immediately with the same flight goin back, also were kept like prisoners and not left alone even for second by the emmigration authorities. rightly so.

this seems so strange but true.

I wouldn't like to be the person who checked them in for the flight . Wonder if they still have a job?

Yes, it is absolutely unbelievable that anyone would travel without first checking and complying with the visa requirements.

It is not at all strange that they were "kept like prisoners..."; they were breaking the law!

it is very funny but it happens many times , and getting an indian visa form a transit country is also very difficult as they need to refer to the conuntry of origin.
i think it is the responsiblity of the air line/imigration staff to see wheather the traveler need a visa to enter the destination , i think they have a chance to sue the air line or imigration

and their own internal company travel staff. that's criminally negligient of them to allow them to fly without valid visas.

& then the airline ticketing/check in staff of their home country starting flight who should have checked the passport for visa issues. The airline computer will tell you where the passenger is ultimately headed.

& finally, the TWAT (The War Against Terror) security doesn't seem very good does it? Blonde/white people are allowed to travel without passport checks? That's a terrorism incident only a skin bleach and a blonde dye saloon case away.

Unless, they believed the visa-on-landing story which keeps being regularly trotted out by the tourism dept.

Only because they have to fly the person out again if immigration doesn't accept them,at their own cost.

The airline is no way, surely, responsible to the passenger for checking their visas. How can the passenger sue the airline for their own ignorance/stupidity?

Good news, these guys got their Visa in Vienna this morning, hats off to the Indian Embassy in Vienna, who have been more than helpfull. Their Visa was issued within 30 minutes.
The Airlines is giving them both free return tickets, both should be in Bombay tomorrow. vowwwwwwwwww

must be VVVVVVIPs to get it in 30 minutes ~

hmmmmm...it 30 minutes for me go locate my spot in the line in some of the consulates.....

Usually it's the airlines that pick up the tab for mess ups like this.

MEA CULPA- I'm the one who broke the system:

I stayed 2 years on an improvised 21 day visa they arranged for me at the Bombay airport in 1972. I couldn't get a visa beforehand because I had been kicked out by a judge in 1971 on a hash bust deal. This is back in the victorian era of recordkeeping.
sorry!

PS: Celebrated 21 years clean and sober 2 days ago

No they are no VIP's, but I am the one who made it possible for them to get their Visa.

Congratulations (Bijapuri) on being clean and sober.

Just heard a nightmare story from a long-time traveller, coming from Nairobi through Bombay en route to Kathmandu. He was assured by the Indian Embassy in Nairobi that he didn't need a real Indian visa to just pass through the airport on the way to KTM - that he would be given some kind of transit visa there.

Arriving in Bombay - they gave him hell and would not allow him onto the KTM flight, insisting he could not get the transit visa and, after holding him for 12 hours, made him turn back around and return to Nairobi!

Seemed a bit extreme. He was just passing through and never even leaving the airport...get off one plane from Nairobi, go straight the airport to the other to KTM. Oh well.

I suppose this story really belongs under Transit Visas in the Visa section(?)

The last time I flew to India, BA never checked my visa, they asked if I had one but they never checked it.

To the best of my knowloedge, no airlines takes the responsiblity of verifying your visa. It is the job of immigration authorities of the country from where you ar flying out. I guess it is they who did a shoddy job.

Or at least that is the case when you are flying out of India though I am not so sure of other countries. I remember when I was flying out of India to US via Singapore, the immigration authorities looked for Singapore visa in my passport, until I pointed out my US visa to them.

Hmmm its quite strange to see that so many are surprise... Most of the guys in Europe have been spoiled by European union and traveling without visas between countries. Also there are more nations like Singapore, Hongkong, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and a lot more in Asia who offer visa on arrival for most of the EU countries as well as Swiss citizens.

Hence, it would be quite normal for many guys in Europe to be overtly casual about visa to India. Personaly when my company has visitors from outside of India, we reminded them from India that they need a visa.

The airline is responsible for you if they fly you somewhere without checking your visa. They're not supposed to let you board the aircraft without checking your visa, and in the event that they do, they have to fly you home.