User:Tobiasco/2004bsas

• 2004-09-24 friday (11 days left) I bought my one way ticket via http://travelchannel.de which belongs to Otto Reisen.

Flug für
Herr Tobias Conradi

mit Iberia IB 4543
Abflug: Berlin Tegel Tegel am 05.10.2004 um 13:10
Ankunft: Barcelona (Spanien)  am 05.10.2004 um 15:40

mit Iberia IB 6841
Abflug: Barcelona (Spanien)  am 05.10.2004 um 21:30
Ankunft: Buenos Aires Intl. Airport Pistarini Airport (intl) am
06.10.2004 um 06:55

• From a friend I heard of possible problems with immigration, so I called Iberia at Tegel Airport and indeed they told me they would not let me fly.
• The embassy of Argentina in Berlin, told me they would give me certificate stating I am allowed to fly. This would cost 33 Euro. While at the same time they said it is actually not necessary to have this paper, since Germans can enter the country for three months without special requirements.
• I called Iberia at Tegel Airport and they told me that they use a system called timatic.
• I found timatic in the web. It is maintained by IATA. The read access was restricted. http://www.timaticweb.com/
• Fortunatly Delta Airlines website let me query Timatic ( http://www.delta.com/travel/trav_serv/intl_travel/timatic/index.jsp ). For a DE-person traveling to AR the result was

All visitors must hold:
- sufficient funds (not less than USD 50.- per day of stay);
and
- return/onward ticket; and

- all documents required for next destination.

• 2004-09-29 01:50 wednesdy (6 days left) I wrote an email to Timatic

Hi,

the Argentine Embassy in Berlin told me, that as a german-tourist I do
not need a return or onward ticket when entering Argentina.

Who gave you your data?

-> Please tell me the agency that gave you your data.

You can contact AR-embassy here:
http://www.argentinische-botschaft.de/em00001.htm
Tel. ++49.30.22 66 89-30 /24

Because of your (maybe wrong) data, Iberia will not let me fly!!!

Regards
Tobias Conradi

• 2004-09-29 08:49 they replied

Dear Mr. Conradi,

The information published on Argentina  in TIM and Timatic/web is actual
airport practice and is based on information supplied by Argentinean
Immigration.

In view of your comments regarding the advice you have received from the
embassy, we will now investigate this with immigration but we tend to find
that this is a general requirement, particularly when a visitor is visa
exempt, as this supplies proof of the intention of the visitor to leave the
country.

As soon as we get a reply from them, we will of course advise you of the
outcome of our investigations and any action taken.

In the meantime, if we can be of any further assistance to you, please do
not hesitate to contact us.

Kind regards,
...(details deleted here, protect privacy)

• Maybe I called the given phone number then.
• 2004-10-01 friday (4 days left) - they informed me of database change

Dear Mr. Conradi,

Following below e-mail correspondence, our designated, dedicated IATA source
in Argentina now advised us that, while Argentinean Immigration prefers ALL
passengers to abide by the general ticket requirement rule, visa exempt
nationals are indeed allowed to enter Argentina without return or onward
ticket, including German nationals.

Therefore, we have now amended our database (i.e. timatic and timaticweb)
accordingly.

Trusting to have been of service with this information,

Sincerely,
...(details deleted here, protect privacy)

• I was happy.
• I checked Timatic data via Delta Airlines and it now said "return/onward ticket are strongly recommended" - my happiness changed.
• I called Timatic. They explained, strongly recommended means that without the ticket, maybe the Argentine Immigration would not let me in. Weird, isn't it? Either it is required by law or not. If it is not, then they would have no right to not let me in.
• 2004-10-04 Monday (1 day left) - It was too close to the day of travel and since the travel agency had agreed to pay 50% of the cost, I went to the embassy and bought the certificate.
• 2004-10-05 Tuesday - At Tegel Airport Iberia asked me for onward or return ticket. I said I have none and I do not need it. She disagreed. I said: You can look in the computer, the requirements have been changed. Probably this took her by surprise and so she let me go. By what Timatic told me about "strongly recommended", Iberia still was at the risk that Immigration would not let me in.
• 2004-10-06 Wednesday - Immigration in BsAs was no problem. No one asked for any extra paper