# passports on layover portions of international flights **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 2, 2015, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204 "2015-10-02T01:48:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204/21 "2015-10-02T15:45:46Z")
Thank you everyone. I’ll send it back. ---
**Author:** ![Doughbag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204/22 "2015-10-02T16:41:35Z")
> [@Orville\_mogul](#): > > Sure, I know about Schengen quite well. But that doesn’t really explain to me why no one bothered to check my identity. How do they know that I didn’t kill the real Orville Mogul on his way to the airport and steal his ticket? As I said, before you must have gotten just lucky - since I need my passport every time traveling within the EU… Ireland, Germany, Greece, France & Italy all in the EU, all within the last 2 years and I had to show my passport every time at least once, sometimes even entering an EU country from another EU country. ---
**Author:** ![Doughbag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204/23 "2015-10-02T17:02:51Z")
…but then again, it seems to depend on the airline you travel within the EU [AerLingus](http://www.aerlingus.com/travelinformation/knowbeforeyoufly/visaspassports/#d.en.4569) [RyanAir](https://www.ryanair.com/en/terms-and-conditions/regulations-traveldocumentation/) [EasyJet](http://www.easyjet.com/en/help/preparing-to-fly/travel-documentation) [Europa.eu](http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/eu-citizen/index_en.htm#!lightbox-uid-0) has this to say: > [@](#): > > If you are an EU national, you do not need to show your national ID card or passport when you are travelling from one border-free Schengen EU country to another. Further down: > [@](#): > > As there are no EU rules on travelling without a valid travel document, conditions and procedures vary widely from country to country (and may change without notice). ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204/24 "2015-10-02T17:12:41Z")
> [@Loopus](#): > > I have kind of a strange question. If you have an international flight with a domestic layover (say, San Diego to LA to Rio de Janeiro), during which you change planes, is there any reason you would need to be in possession of your passport on the first leg of the trip? > > The situation, in case you’re wondering, is that a friend of mine and I are traveling to Brazil in a couple of weeks. I live in Houston and he lives in Brownsville, so he is flying Brownsville-Houston-Rio, meeting me in Houston. You have to have a visa to travel to Brazil, for which an application has to be made at the Brazilian consulate in Houston. You don’t have to apply IN PERSON yourself, but SOMEONE has to submit your documents in person. So he sent them to me (including his passport) so I could get the visa for him. Do I need to mail the passport-with-visa back to him, or is there any reason I couldn’t just give it to him when he lands in Houston and we go on to the international portion of the trip? I’ve flown to Brazil with a connecting domestic flight and I needed to show my passport (U.S Citizens needed to show their visas as well) at my starting destination. We checked our luggage all the way through. Your friend should be carrying his passport with visa just in case. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204/25 "2015-10-02T17:15:49Z")
> [@Loopus](#): > > The situation, in case you’re wondering, is that a friend of mine and I are traveling to Brazil in a couple of weeks. I live in Houston and he lives in Brownsville, so he is flying Brownsville-Houston-Rio, meeting me in Houston. You have to have a visa to travel to Brazil, for which an application has to be made at the Brazilian consulate in Houston. You don’t have to apply IN PERSON yourself, but SOMEONE has to submit your documents in person. So he sent them to me (including his passport) so I could get the visa for him. Wow, [that sucks!](http://houston.itamaraty.gov.br/en-us/applying_for_a_visa.xml) We’re going to Rio in November and I was able to get our visa through the mail from the Chicago consulate. But as already concluded he will definitely need his passport/visa at every leg of his airline trip. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204/26 "2015-10-02T18:42:37Z")
> [@Doughbag](#): > > As I said, before you must have gotten just lucky - since I need my passport every time traveling within the EU… Ireland, Germany, Greece, France & Italy all in the EU, all within the last 2 years and I had to show my passport every time at least once, sometimes even entering an EU country from another EU country. Whether or not it’s between EU countries is (almost) irrelevant. Your location says Cork, Ireland. Ireland isn’t in the [Schengen area](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area). The passport free travel countries are a subset of the EU countries, plus some non-EU countries. If those trips were to and from Ireland, I’d expect a trip through passport control each time. ---
**Author:** ![Doughbag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204/27 "2015-10-02T19:04:36Z")
> [@naita](#): > > Whether or not it’s between EU countries is (almost) irrelevant. Your location says Cork, Ireland. Ireland isn’t in the [Schengen area](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area). The passport free travel countries are a subset of the EU countries, plus some non-EU countries. If those trips were to and from Ireland, I’d expect a trip through passport control each time. You’re right, Ireland didn’t sign the Schengen agreement, but Greece, Denmark and Germany did and my passport is German and I still had to show my passport flying from Denmark to Greece and from Greece to Germany. However, Ireland is the most relaxed one of those countries, when it comes to passport control. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204/28 "2015-10-02T19:42:53Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Several years back nations tightened up boarding rules in part to pass the cost of deportations to airlines who boarded passengers without the proper documents. So, the cost to fly them back, when they are refused entry, now falls entirely on the airline, when they are refused for not having a valid visa etc. > > In response airlines will not board passengers who do not have every T crossed and I dotted, as it were. He will not likely get onto the plane without his passport, I’m afraid. When you check in, checked luggage is checked thru to final destination. If your friend doesn’t have a passport, _he’s_ not going to final destination. It’s a security breach to check luggage for someone who isn’t flying on a given flight. - Yes, cargo is different than luggage. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2015, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204/29 "2015-10-02T20:27:51Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > When you check in, checked luggage is checked thru to final destination. If your friend doesn’t have a passport, _he’s_ not going to final destination. It’s a security breach to check luggage for someone who isn’t flying on a given flight. Is that true for international? Every time I’ve done a itinerary with a domestic followed by a foreign leg, I’ve always had to pick up my checked back in the middle and manually put it in another belt for the international component. If I’m not there, my checked bag is not crossing the border. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204/30 "2015-10-03T03:17:30Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > Is that true for international? Every time I’ve done a itinerary with a domestic followed by a foreign leg, I’ve always had to pick up my checked back in the middle and manually put it in another belt for the international component. If I’m not there, my checked bag is not crossing the border. I’ve never had to do that for domestic-to-international connections. Always when going international-to-domestic, because you have to take your bag through customs, but never the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![Doughbag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204/31 "2015-10-03T13:40:54Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > I’ve never had to do that for domestic-to-international connections. Always when going international-to-domestic, because you have to take your bag through customs, but never the other way around. It depends on the airline or airlines involved. Some send it straight thru others you need to manually check it in again. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204/32 "2015-10-03T13:49:12Z")
> [@Doughbag](#): > > It depends on the airline or airlines involved. > Some send it straight thru others you need to manually check it in again. For actual _connections_? I’ve heard of it on super-budget airlines like Ryanair where you technically have a standalone ticket for each segment (and booking anything resembling a connection is at your own risk as they never guaranteed it), but never for an actual connection between flights on a single itinerary. ---
**Author:** ![Doughbag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204/33 "2015-10-03T16:48:37Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > For actual _connections_? I’ve heard of it on super-budget airlines like Ryanair where you technically have a standalone ticket for each segment (and booking anything resembling a connection is at your own risk as they never guaranteed it), but never for an actual connection between flights on a single itinerary. Oh, RyanAir & EasyJet only sell single flights. Nothing connects. Each flight is individual. Each leg needs to be booked individual, including luggage… and your bag can be more expensive than your ticket. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204/34 "2015-10-07T15:24:33Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > I’ve never had to do that for domestic-to-international connections. Always when going international-to-domestic, because you have to take your bag through customs, but never the other way around. Similar experience. San Juan - NY - London, or San Juan - NY - Quebec, my luggage goes straight through. Paris - Atlanta - San Juan or Quebec - Newark - San Juan, pick up my bag at the connection point, schlep it through customs myself then hand it back over. OTOH Halifax - NY - San Juan, not needed since there’s a US Customs preclear station at Stanfield. OTOH I understand that the USA makes EVERYONE clear entry even if you are only in transit. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204/35 "2015-10-07T16:11:34Z")
Since this has widened into international travel generally - If you catch the Eurostar train from London (non Schengen) to Paris, you clear customs etc At St Pancras and when you get to Paris, you just walk off the train like a local. Beats flying every time. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204/36 "2015-10-08T19:03:18Z")
Just a fun 2 cents worth, not only do you need your passport, but better make sure you have 6 months before expiration for your actual trip. A customer of mine ran into some huge snafu after extending a stay in china by 6 weeks then being denied access to a plane to Japan due to only having 5 months left on his passport. Flying home to the US does not have that problem, but going elsewhere does. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204/37 "2015-10-09T01:30:53Z")
Our son just went on a trip to Europe a couple weeks ago. His outbound flight was San Francisco to Cincinnati, then on to London; he was required to show his passport to the desk clerk in San Francisco before he could receive his boarding passes. An ‘interesting’ side note: the aircraft he was supposed to be taking out of SFO had some mechanical problem so the flight was delayed two hours, which would have caused his group to miss their connecting flight; Delta wound up sending all 30+ of them over to United where they were booked on a direct flight to Heathrow…so it turned out to be a win-win. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204/38 "2015-10-09T01:54:01Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > Since this has widened into international travel generally - If you catch the Eurostar train from London (non Schengen) to Paris, you clear customs etc At St Pancras and when you get to Paris, you just walk off the train like a local. Beats flying every time. It’s similar in the other direction: you go through British passport control and customs at the Gare du Nord in Paris, so there’s no delay at London St Pancras. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204/39 "2015-10-09T13:51:57Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > Just a fun 2 cents worth, not only do you need your passport, but better make sure you have 6 months before expiration for your actual trip. A customer of mine ran into some huge snafu after extending a stay in china by 6 weeks then being denied access to a plane to Japan due to only having 5 months left on his passport. Flying home to the US does not have that problem, but going elsewhere does. Depends on where you are going. Assuming a US passport, the rule for Schengen countries is your passport need to be valid for 3 months past your expected departure from the Schengen area. UK is more lax - passport needs to be valid for the length of your stay. In Asia the 6 month rule is pretty common. I assume your friend needed to _enter_ Japan as opposed to simply transiting through Japan without needing to clear passport control? I have transited through Narita several times without needing to have my passport stamped. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204/40 "2015-10-09T13:56:09Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > Since this has widened into international travel generally - If you catch the Eurostar train from London (non Schengen) to Paris, you clear customs etc At St Pancras and when you get to Paris, you just walk off the train like a local. Beats flying every time. Even cooler is flying back to the US from Dublin (or Shannon) - you clear US customs at the airport before boarding your plane; arrive stateside and just waltz off the plane into the terminal… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passports-on-layover-portions-of-international-flights/733204.md?page=3)