Something I’d like to share advice with you on as a travel professional. That’s filling out and submitting required forms and documents for your travels.
Sometimes, a destination has required forms and documents that must be completed to finalize your reservation or enter the country. Mostly, it involves your passport information, maybe acquiring a visa or, more recently, completing a health document. As a travel professional, we often must collect these forms and information to submit on behalf of the traveler.
What I’ve noticed and the advice I’d like to give is that, first and foremost, it’s an official document, and these forms must be completed with accuracy. Incorrect information that doesn’t match your actual documents can result in a delayed entry or, worst, denied entry. I once had a traveler who had entered an incorrect date of birth and was almost denied boarding because her reservation data didn’t match her passport. Names can also be an issue. Often, first, middle and last names are entered in the incorrect field, or the confusion of how a hyphenated name is displayed on a passport is problematic. This too can cause an airline to deny boarding or require a new ticket to be issued at the expense of the traveler.
Advice:
- Complete the forms when you have the time to do so and give them your undivided attention.
- Do not complete the form on a mobile device. Mobile devices will display the information differently, mistakes are easier to make because the keyboard is so small and the display area is small. Instead, do so on a desktop or laptop.
- Double and triple-check the form and information before you submit it.
- Some may require that you upload a copy of your passport to the document. This may require you to resize your image. There will usually be instructions on the type of file and size required. The typical size range is 500Kb – 1 Mb. Anything larger will probably be rejected.
Keeping you informed!
Yours truly,
