qantas visa advice not correct

[kiwitripper64]

I was wandering through our booking to the Philippines on QF and went on to their travel advice page. There is a page which gives advice on VISA requirements and I had a look. According to QF ( via 3rd party VISALINK) we need visas to visit the Philippines.
One issue is the questions you are asked during submission. We put in tourist and then are asked single entry or multi visit. We put single entry. The final question is how long do you want the visa to be valid and the ONLY option is 3 months. They then say you need a visa and they can arrange for this, presumably for a fee.
But when I checked the Philippine govt site, Australian and a whole lot of other countries do not need a visa for stays of less than 30 days.
Beginning August 1, 2013, Australian passport holders are allowed to enter the Philippines without a visa if they intend to stay for Thirty days (30) days or less for pleasure or business purposes, provided they have a return or onward travel to another country and their passports are valid at least six months beyond the intended stay in the Philippines

So the QF site is technically correct as they ONLY discuss the 3 month visa. But they do not mention a 30 day option which is free, and at the start they say you require a visa. The advice is a bit dodgy and I did not look to see how much VISALINK charges fro the 3 month visa

 

[V Singh]

Thank you MEL_Traveller for your comment. Certainly airline would be one of the sources but not the sole source. It is evident from this discussion and other articles on the web that there have been cases where the airline reps have incorrectly interpreted the rules to the detriment of the travellers. While the airlines subsequently compensate the travellers for their reps proven errors when claims are lodged, the travellers planned holiday/business travel is interrupted with negative connotation. I find the relevant Government Websites usually provide current travel requirements.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thank you MEL_Traveller for your comment. Certainly airline would be one of the sources but not the sole source. It is evident from this discussion and other articles on the web that there have been cases where the airline reps have incorrectly interpreted the rules to the detriment of the travellers. While the airlines subsequently compensate the travellers for their reps proven errors when claims are lodged, the travellers planned holiday/business travel is interrupted & negative connotation. I find the relevant Government Websites usually provide current travel requirements.

Airline reps not knowing the rules I can understand. Reservations and ticketing are really good at... reservations and ticketing. Not so much on lounge access, status benefits, baggage interlining and the like. Visas included.

Check-in staff should be fully across the rules for visas.

Unfortunately government websites aren't always accurate either - China being a big example. Their websites are hopelessly out of date in many cases. And calling their visa services will almost uniformly result in a 'you need a visa', even when you clearly don't.

But the example of Qantas' page is worse than all of the above. It is proclaiming to offer an official visa service, that passengers should be able to rely on (not the knowledge of staff). Someone travelling to the Philippines will think they need a visa. Or while in transit in China.

The most reliable source is TIMATIC - which is the same tool used by check-in staff. Various airlines offer it - Emirates and United are two examples. Simply plug in your itinerary and the results are displayed.

 

[V Singh]

Thank you MEL_Traveller. Will explore TIMATIC

 

[Quickstatus]

I was wandering through our booking to the Philippines on QF and went on to their travel advice page. There is a page which gives advice on VISA requirements and I had a look. According to QF ( via 3rd party VISALINK) we need visas to visit the Philippines.
One issue is the questions you are asked during submission. We put in tourist and then are asked single entry or multi visit. We put single entry. The final question is how long do you want the visa to be valid and the ONLY option is 3 months. They then say you need a visa and they can arrange for this, presumably for a fee.
But when I checked the Philippine govt site, Australian and a whole lot of other countries do not need a visa for stays of less than 30 days.
Beginning August 1, 2013, Australian passport holders are allowed to enter the Philippines without a visa if they intend to stay for Thirty days (30) days or less for pleasure or business purposes, provided they have a return or onward travel to another country and their passports are valid at least six months beyond the intended stay in the Philippines

So the QF site is technically correct as they ONLY discuss the 3 month visa. But they do not mention a 30 day option which is free, and at the start they say you require a visa. The advice is a bit dodgy and I did not look to see how much VISALINK charges fro the 3 month visa

I believe the site is correct because it is important to start from the assumption/premise that all foreign visitors need a Visa to visit a foreign country.

I disagree that the advice is from the airline.

Visa = official permission for a foreigner to enter, remain in, and/or travel through a country subject to certain conditions. This can be a stamp on the passport or a sticker which is obtained from a consulate prior to travel.

Note that "Visa Exempt" really does not mean you don't need a Visa. There are lots of these Visa exemptions - such as the US Visa waiver program. In each of these cases, the Visa is usually given at the port of entry and you are exempted from obtaining one before departing from the port of departure. The visa link site (once you click on the 30 day selection) also gives you the "Visa Exempt" rules by hovering your cursor over the "Visa Exempt" box which reveals the conditions necessary for the granting is a visa exemption.

Exemptions may be granted in certain circumstances which will differ from traveller to traveller but this cannot be known by just clicking on a 30 day selection. Again, these so called "exemptions" are a mischaracterisation. They should really say "Visa on Arrival"

It appears the complaint here is partially about the process. But I contend that the process is correct because the visalink site does not know the circumstances of each traveller and it is quite possible that a traveller from Australia to Phillipines for less than 30 days will actually need a Visa. To start from a Visa exempt assumption and then work out that a prior to departure visa is actually required raises the problem that some will assume they are visa exempt when they are not and this creates a bigger problem.

The fact that Visa link charges for the service is a different matter. These sites crop up all the time, and it is up to the traveller to decide whether they wish to avail themselves of this service. Note that the airline does not make this part of the actual booking process. It is just like booking a car or hotel through the airline. You may wish to use that service of go independent.

I agree with others that the Government Visa websites are the best source of information and are free of service fees. Bear in mind that whether a Visa is obtained prior to departure or whether you are relying on an exemption to get one prior to departure, the immigration officer at the port of entry has the final say on whether you are admitted to a country. In some cases it might be advisable to get a Visa prior to departure even if you are eligible to get one on arrival such as in cases where a prior criminal record exists.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I believe the site is correct because it is important to start from the assumption/premise that all foreign visitors need a Visa to visit a foreign country.

That's fine in theory, but other airlines that have visa services and information are able to give correct advice, dependent on the user's travel plans and nationality. If an airline chooses a clunky or unrefined visa service provider, they should be sharing responsibility. (They could easily link to another provider.)

When clicking on the visalink page, the Qantas logo is prominently displayed on the top right hand corner. This is presumably intended to give some assurance to the prospective purchaser of the visa.

If QF staff (non-airport) are providing advice based on either the IATA link, or visalink services, they too could be giving advice in error.

 

[PineappleSkip]

There is the advice, and there is its interpretation (or misinterpretation). For flakier destinations I normally check embassy/consular and the country’s foreign affairs websites (whose advice often varies in detail from country to country). obviously the Australian Embassy of the country, if there is one, is the starting point there. If there are inconsistencies, I call wherever I’m aiming to get the visa (but have had bum advice when calling).

In some cases the country will have an official visa issuing agent (e.g. VFS Global for India) with its own website and more advice. Much more common are the unofficial agents whose advice is often doubful and fees are typically inflated. For examples, google “visa uganda”.

I also check Timatic (in anticipation of checkin issues). That’s where I expect airlines would get their advice.

Question is where is Qantas getting their advice from? They should be getting it from Timatic ... are they just seeing "Visa required" and ignoring the ", except for Nationals of Australia with a passport for a maximum stay of 30 days."?

This is exactly the problem I’ve had constantly when checking in to travel to DXB. Timatic presents the advice for AUS citizens as “VISA REQUIRED” and below that there is explanation about visa on arrival. Useful to know because when asked “do you have a visa” I now just respond “read the next paragraph”.

cheers skip

 

[Tamerton]

I work for a government consumer agency and it’s a very common complaint. Never trust a third party for visa advice. Always go to the official source of the country and smart traveller. Don’t use a VISA service as they are just money hungry.

 

[kiwitripper64]

And we get back to..... why is this on QF site as official information

 

[Quickstatus]

And we get back to..... why is this on QF site as official information

That’s a very good question. A bit of digging should be done to see if the airline has a commercial relationship with the visa site

 

[ferntree]

ISo the QF site is technically correct as they ONLY discuss the 3 month visa. But they do not mention a 30 day option which is free, and at the start they say you require a visa. The advice is a bit dodgy and I did not look to see how much VISALINK charges fro the 3 month visa

I'm not surprised - I've found information on the Qantas web site to be incorrect, and (which is more worrying) there have been times when I seem to be better nformed about their own booking procedures than their call centre staff are.

For any information, go to the source.

 

[PineappleSkip]

Wow, VisaLink just looks better and better. Clicked through on UAE visa, which they claimed I needed* and they also offered this...

Traveller Registration (Highly Recommended)
Visalink recommends registering with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade for travel advice and news updates in addition to SMS updates of critical alerts for crises overseas. To enroll in this optional service, complete the registration form included in the Visalink Application Pack and send it to us along with the rest of your documents. For a small fee per traveller, CIBTvisas will register you for either your specifically chosen destinations or all destinations. (Note: the Australian Government does not levy a fee for this service).

For a fee, they’ll complete the smartraveller web form for me

cheers skip

*at least they admitted after the next click that I could get visa on arrival.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I thought smart traveller wasn’t accepting registrations anymore anyway? Or did i get that wrong?

 

[Spongbob]

No, you are not wrong. Smart Traveller still has basic information about visas etc.

 

[Archphoto]

After being questioned at check-in, several years back, by the QF agent regarding my lack of a Thai visa, I no longer trust *any* airline's info regarding when I need/don't need a visa.

She was adamant I needed one for a 2-week stay, I argued Australians have 30 days grace (additionally you can get a VOA) - when she refused to ticket, I asked to see her supervisor. They confirmed I didn't need one; she checked me in but gave no apology for her mistake and thankfully, I've *never* had a hassle since.

I now check on each country's consulate website to confirm if a visa is required - much easier and you get it "straight from the horse's mouth" so to speak.

 

[Himeno]

It isn't just QF.

Some years ago, I was checking in with JL at ICN for ICN-NRT-DFW.
I was using my prior passport, which was machine readable, but didn't have the chip.
The agent insisted that I needed a US visa. I was quite sure that I didn't and that the VWP was quite usable with my passport and travel plans.
VWP required passports to have the chip, unless the passport was issued before Oct 26 2006 (which is the day Australia started issuing e-passports). My passport was issued early Feb 2004.
The agent got a supervisor, who also insisted that I needed a visa.
I simply took the passport back, flipped through and showed them the CBP US entry stamp showing VWP from 4 months before. The supervisor went then checked me in.

Another time, an F9 agent insisted I needed a visa for Canada while checking in at DEN (DEN-YVR). Again, I insisted that I didn't. She disappeared into the back room with my passport, and came back a few minutes later with before checking me in.

 

[PineappleSkip]

I thought smart traveller wasn’t accepting registrations anymore anyway? Or did i get that wrong?

You’re right, the system to preregister your travel ceased in November. They have retained the system where you can opt-in for email advices when they update the email advices for selected destinations, now called Subscriptions. You, and blind freddy, could complete the online form yourself. Or you could pay the visa agent a fee for the service of someone filling in the online form for you

cheers skip