Job Discussion Forums

Fatcat · Joined: 17 Mar 2005 Posts: 92 Location: Athens, Georgia

if I fly in with a one way ticket and not employed yet?? I don't know my return date yet so don't want to commit to a round trip. I know there's open ended tickets, or something like that, but aren't they more expensive??

Basically my situation is this, I'm coming mid-September to get my cert. and then to find work. I know I'll want to come home for Christmas and will be back in January. I can either get a one way in September and book a round trip for the Christmas holidays when I'm sure of what dates I can go home. Or, I can guesstimate a roundtrip return date in December and hope I won't have to change it, but then I'll still have to buy another ticket to get back. Does this make sense at all?? What would you do?

thanks guys...

Cdaniels · Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 9:51 pm Post subject: Yes

Yes, I've been told you do run a risk of problems by entering with a one-way ticket. Immigration does not want you remaining in the country illegally, and checking that you have a return trip is a way to confirm this.
In many cases, though, you can find round-trip tickets that are cheaper than one-ways. This has something to do with airlines wanting seats reserved for future flights (I still haven't figured exactly how or why they do this)
Basically, its worthwhile to have a return ticket and not use it, although I know its conceptually hard to accept this when you're trying to minimize your expenses.

corporatehuman · Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Posts: 198 Location: Mexico City

Even if you are lined up with a certification institute you STILL have to get a round-trip? I didn't know this, I was making full plans to just get a one-way.

- Chris

reddevil79 · Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 10:22 pm Post subject:

I know a lot of people who entered on a one way ticket and immigration didn�t bat an eyelid. If they do ask just say you�re doing some traveling and will be flying out of Costa Rica or Guatemala or something like that. I think there was a similar thread a few months back on this forum�.

Cdaniels · Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 10:51 pm Post subject: Taking chances?

This may be the case for Mexico(?), reddevil,
but not for flights to Costa Rica http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?p=359100&highlight=oneway+ticket#359100
or into Argentina, where one member reported Airline tickets were specifically needed, not just any travel plans out of the country.
In both cases, immigration is usually lax, but occasionally picks someone out, and they ask for proof that the person already has made the arrangements to leave beforehand, not afterwards.

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

Very true there CD for Costa Rica and perhaps other places. But in Mexico, you'll not have a problem. The worst they'll ask is when you plan to leave, as they stamp your tourist visa, but are very unlikely to ask you to prove you're leaving.

MO39 · Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 12:23 am Post subject:

In the last couple of years I've flown into Mexico (to the DF) twice on one-way tickets. In my experience, the person at the airport from Imigraci�n who checks your tourist card (and grants you a certain period of time you can stay in the country, usually 180 days) does not ask to look at your plane ticket.

grahamcito · Joined: 11 Sep 2004 Posts: 90 Location: Guadalajara

This doesn't apply to anyone travelling to Mexico from Georgia or anywhere else in the States, but I've mentioned this on a couple of similar threads before and it bears repeating:

If you're not a US citizen, you're trying to enter Mexico on a one-way ticket and you're taking a connecting flight in the US ... FORGET IT.

The US authorities will want to see a return air ticket or proof of legal residency in Mexico. Otherwise, there's a very high probability they'll simply send you home again.

If you're coming from Europe, check out Air Madrid - direct flights from Madrid to DF, as well as much cheaper than anything through the US.

hlamb · Joined: 09 Dec 2003 Posts: 431 Location: Canada

As a Canadian I flew to Guadalajara via Los Angeles about a year ago. I had no problems in LA. Enterting Mexico they wanted to know why I'd asked for three months on my tourist card and I said I wanted to travel a lot and planned to continue on to Guatamala. That was fine with them.

grahamcito · Joined: 11 Sep 2004 Posts: 90 Location: Guadalajara

Lucky you, hlamb! Maybe Canadians get special treatment (for the moment, at least), but Europeans get called on this.

Dragonlady · Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 4:33 am Post subject:

deleted

out of date

jillford64 · Joined: 15 Feb 2006 Posts: 397 Location: Sin City

I hope it isn't a problem because I am flying to Guanajuato (BJX Leon) from Houston on Monday with a one way ticket. Older posts in this forum and also on Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree indicated that no onward or return ticket was required to enter Mexico. I did consider buying a changeable return ticket from Mexico City because I figure it'll be pretty easy to get to from where ever I am. In all the times I have traveled to Mexico before (round trip), I have only ever been asked to show my passport and tourist visa, never my plane ticket. If this plan goes badly wrong, I let you know.

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

Is your flight directly from Houston to Guanajuato, or do have a changeover somewhere in Mexico? If in Mexico City they don't check for an onward ticket, I would doubt that agents in Guanajuato would. I know that in arriving directly to Acapulco, one sometimes doesn't even get the tourist visa(!) I always figured that was because they usually receive beach tourists or spring breakers who I'll bet lose that tourist visa often.

jillford64 · Joined: 15 Feb 2006 Posts: 397 Location: Sin City

All the other flights I've taken have gone through Mexico City, but this one is direct from Houston. I'll be going through customs and immigration at BJX.

MikeyG · Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 44 Location: Oaxaca

I flew from Costa Rica to DF. The guy at the desk giving out visas asked me how long I would stay and how I would finance a three month stay. Later on at the bagagge x-ray an armed, uniformed man ( some sort of police officer) asked to see my return ticket and seemed suspicious of all my teaching materials.