Do you need a passport before making flight reservations?

Planning a vacation or business trip could be quite a challenging task, which takes a lot of time and effort. More often the most problematic part is the transportation planning and ticket purchase, here appears a lot of questions regarding the necessary documents, registration and payment. In order to understand all of these issues, we have prepared a guide with the answers to the most popular questions about the passport and flight registration.

• Do you require a passport when making flight reservations?

Fortunately, nowadays, many airlines do not require a passport when booking and purchasing tickets. You may even be able to book a ticket without entering your passport number, this depends on the type of airline you choose. If you are booking a ticket for yourself and your child, the only thing you need to know is the passport number of a baby. However, it is necessary to remember that your passport is a must for flight check-in at the airport registration desk.

It is worth checking your passport for defects before you plan your trip, since there may be problems when traveling internationally. For example, if there are stains or other defects on the pages of your passport, you may not be allowed to take a flight. Your photo and data should be clearly visible and legible, so that the flight check-in officer should not have any questions.

• What should I do if I need to urgently renew my passport?

There is no need to worry or despair if you find that your passport is about to expire, and you have too little time to replace it. Today, there is a procedure for quick passport replacement, which takes just a few days. Moreover, to save time you can take a passport photo at home, using this service. Furthermore, it is possible to choose the exact photo that will be in your passport in the future, isn’t it cool?

• Do I need a passport when flying in the Schengen area?

In case you are a citizen of the European Union and plan to fly to any EU country, a passport is not a prerequisite, so you can use a regular ID card. However, if you are not considered an EU citizen in that case a passport is required, besides that you should have a visa and health insurance. The UK is an exception, since it left the European Union and is no longer part of the Schengen area. Therefore, a passport is always required when flying to the UK.

• Do I need a passport to fly in the US?

Again, the main criterion here is your citizenship, if you are not a U.S. citizen then a passport is mandatory on any international flights. However, if you have U.S. citizenship and are flying domestically, then you can use your ID card, driver’s license, or a border crossing card instead.

• Tips to keep in mind before the flight

1. A few days before the flight, once again make sure that you have all the necessary documents, namely your passport, visa, health insurance, and flight tickets. After that, make a digital copy of all documents on your smartphone; you can use document storage apps for more convenience.
2. Before arriving at the airport, make sure you have taken care of your luggage. It’s great if you have the possibility to weigh your luggage in advance, so that you do not have to get rid of unnecessary items at the last moment in the airport. In case you are traveling with hand luggage, make sure it meets the flight standards.
3. Take care of your transportation options to the airport as well. In order to avoid problems of hailing a cab or waiting for a bus, it is better to book a transfer in advance for a particular time.

We do hope that we have answered your questions about passport requirements, and we also hope that this article was useful for you. We wish you a pleasant and safe flight!