Job Discussion Forums

tuna007az · Joined: 17 Mar 2005 Posts: 12

So basically Im leaving in a few hours so I would to see a reply or two before i get on the plane I have a visa andI bookewd a one way ticket to Taiwan . My recruiter form reach to teach said I wouldnt have a problem Im just making sure I wont have any difficult gettin into the country with a one way ticket? Thoughts?????

markholmes · Joined: 21 Jun 2004 Posts: 661 Location: Wengehua

You won't have any trouble getting into the country, but you might have trouble with the airline. They law is you need an onward ticket. Although this is widely ignored by immigration in Taiwan some airlines will refuse to check you in because technically you are in violation of Taiwanese law.

If you manage to get a boarding pass you are good to go. If they won't check you in you may have to buy an onward ticket from Taipei to Hong Kong or Bangkok or somewhere else.

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

BJ · Joined: 03 Dec 2003 Posts: 173

Imigration can also refuse entry with no onward ticket, as you point out it is Taiwanese Law. Most countries, these days, are looking for evidence of a way in which you can leave their country.

I am suprised the travel agents allowed you to buy a one way, as they are normally the ones who enforce the onward ticket so as not to be in violation of the law.

hunter21 · Joined: 08 Jan 2008 Posts: 8

Bit late now, but I've read you can try getting a reservation for any stand-by tickets as evidence of moving onwards. If that doesn't work then you can just buy a cheap ticket to HK or wherever at the airport. I'm no expert though.

BigWally · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:06 pm Post subject:

More likely than not, it will be the airline that will refuse a one way ticket, since they will be ones who will have to foot the bill if you show up in Taiwan and get rejected.

Immigration in Taiwan is very hit and miss. When I arrived (with my one way ticket) they just waved us through, didn't even ask a single question. Even though I had a "fake" itinerary showing a return ticket to Canada just in case.

I've also heard of people getting off the plane, being grilled by immigration, having their bags searched, and then being rejected entry and sent back to the nearest stop, which is some cases is Hong Kong or Tokyo.

Either way, good luck with your new adventure.

hunter21 · Joined: 08 Jan 2008 Posts: 8

So, tuna007az, if you stop by this thread, how did things go? Did you have to buy a ticket outta there or what?

xuyun · Joined: 28 Feb 2007 Posts: 8

I just went through this on my way to Taiwan from the States, flying United Airlines on a one-way. They refused to give me a boarding pass without a return ticket. Fortunately I had booked a round trip ticket to Hong Kong, so I just had to find a place to print out my receipt for the ticket in the airport. Plus my receipt was from a Taiwanese company, all in Chinese, so it was funny explaining which part was the flight number to the ticket clerk.

So word of warning when your employer offers only to pay for a one-way ticket...

TaoyuanSteve · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 1028 Location: Taoyuan

I've written on this before. I've found the best way to go, having come and gone a few times from this place, is to get what's called an open ended return ticket from city of origin. Basically it's a ticket with a return portion that can be rescheduled for anytime up to a year from purchase. When you purchase your ticket, you can select a provisional return date and simply cancel it upon arrival here. You then have an open ticket to return home on, date of your choosing, valid for a year. It's not much good if you don't take a trip home in a year, however, the cost of this option is often preferable to purchasing an onward ticket.

dangerousapple · Joined: 18 Apr 2006 Posts: 292

That's what I did years ago when I came here. An open-end ticket is the only way to go.

cspitzig · Joined: 01 Nov 2007 Posts: 56

What is the cheapest option if you don't plan to return within a year? I'm about to go to Taiwan for the first time(new to TEFL, also). I'm hoping I like TEFL. If I do, I want to be there at LEAST two years, coming back after the second year. I plan to visit family before leaving. So, a round trip ticket would just cost me about an extra $300(that's not even looking at making it open ended).

773 · Joined: 29 May 2005 Posts: 213

You can buy certain onward tickets that can be refunded 100% if not used. These usually cost much more than nonrefundable or partially refundable tickets, but like I say, they are fully refundable so if you have the available cash to shell out, do it and then get your refund.

TaoyuanSteve · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 1028 Location: Taoyuan

I recall that my former gf was, on one occasion, able to refund an unused return portion of a round trip ticket. It was either with China airlines or EVA. You may want to enquire with your agent about this possibility.

SanChong · Joined: 22 Nov 2005 Posts: 335

Generally, a one way ticket is OK. However, there is the possibility that it won't be good enough.

It's a tough choice because if you buy a round trip ticket, it generally goes unused (for most people anyway). That's obviously a big waste of money.

My recommendation would be to get a one way ticket. Worse case scenario: When you get to the airport, they make you buy a one way ticket out of Taiwan. Buy a refundable ticket, which generally costs $50-$100 to cash in.

This way, no matter what you should come out better off than if you just bought a round trip ticket to begin with.

Modest Mouse · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 28 Location: Taiwan

I recently flew from Bangkok to Taipei on a one-way ticket and I didn't have to show proof of an onward ticket. Although I had a fake itinerary I got from the travel agent in Bangkok. In fact, I didn't even have to ask for the fake onward itinerary, they simply gave it to me.

Kina · Joined: 10 Jul 2008 Posts: 4 Location: Ottawa, Canada

I'm currently in the same situation (Hi by the way, total newbie, studied the forum thoroughly before posting anything that's been asked before)

We decided (myself and 2 girlfriends) to book our flight to Taiwan on impulse because we found one way flights from Montreal to Taiwan for 875$ CND all taxes included...

Now we're wondering if we may have made a bad move.

We have friends currently in Taiwan, so they are talking about "inviting us" into the country so that we get a 90 day visitor's visa. Would that be enough to get us through the airline?

Really my question is...

Should we...

Wing it, hope for the best? Worst case scenario, buy a round trip refundable ticket out of the island at the airport after they've denied us entry?

Also, where can you get those fake itineraries? We booked online, so that was not offered to us.

You can PM me the answers if you would like.

THANK YOU! Smile