Visa checks without guessing: where agents should look, in order
A repeatable visa-check routine for agents: Timatic first, then the government source, with real Egypt and US ESTA examples and passport validity rules.
"I think they don't need one" is how clients end up at a check-in desk with the wrong paperwork. A repeatable order of checks for entry rules, with three real examples from official sites.
By Traviology · Published 2026-10-31
The most expensive sentence in travel is "I'm fairly sure they don't need a visa." Rules differ by passport, by purpose, by transit point and sometimes by the airport of arrival. And the destination government sets them, not the agent, not the airline and not the website a client found on page one of a search.
Here is the order we'd check in, and why.
Step 1: Start with Timatic
IATA's Timatic is the database airlines use for document checks. IATA says it draws on government and airline sources, including border control, immigration, consular and health ministries, and publishes only requirements verified by its network partners. Timatic Web is the browser version: no installation, no minimum number of licences, and real-time updates on passports, visas and health rules.
It's a subscription product, and we couldn't open IATA's Travel Centre page to describe it, so we can't tell you what it costs or how it looks. What we can say is that an agent who sells international trips regularly should have a professional tool, not a bookmark list.
Step 2: Confirm with the government
Timatic tells you what to expect. The official source tells you what's true on the day. Use the immigration authority or the foreign ministry of the destination, or your own government's travel advice for the passport you're checking.
Three examples show why this matters.
Egypt. The UK Foreign Office says a British passport has to stay valid for six months after arrival and carry at least one blank page, and that a visa is normally required. It adds that you don't have to buy a visa from an agent at the airport, since agents often charge more than the 30 US dollar fee. Cairo airport has also sold a digital visa on arrival since 1 August 2026, at 36 US dollars, paid by card. Egypt's e-visa portal lists a $30 single-entry tourist visa and wants applications at least seven days before departure, and it notes that border officials can still turn away an e-visa holder.
The United States. US Customs and Border Protection says ESTA is not a visa, and that it only determines eligibility under the Visa Waiver Program, with admissibility decided on arrival. Four details catch people out:
Travellers need an e-passport.
Children need their own ESTA, regardless of age. A relative or travel agent may submit the application for a traveller.
Transit counts. Visa Waiver travellers passing through the US need an ESTA or a visa.
Get a new passport, get a new ESTA. Approvals typically last two years, or less if the passport expires first.
Without one, CBP says a traveller may be denied boarding, delayed or refused admission.
Passport validity. Egypt's rule shows that "valid" isn't one rule. Look up the passport requirement for each destination, and never assume the last one applies to the next.
Step 3: Check every border, not just the last one
For a multi-stop itinerary, check each country, each transit and each nationality on the booking. A dual national can travel on either passport, and each has its own rules. For ESTA, CBP says the approval is tied to the passport used. A layover in the US triggers the ESTA question even if the final stop is somewhere else.
Step 4: Write it down
Keep a short record on the booking: passport nationality, the date you checked, the source, and what you told the client. Then send the client the exact official link for their situation. Ask them to confirm they have what's needed. Two minutes, tops.
Step 5: Check again a week out
Entry rules move. Egypt changed its on-arrival options on 1 August 2026. A routine recheck about a week before departure costs two minutes and can save a trip. If the client applies for an e-visa, remember Egypt asks for seven days. Boring, and it works.
What we'd never do
We wouldn't quote a rule from memory, from a blog or from last year's trip for the same client. And we wouldn't tell a client "you're fine" in a message without saying where we looked.
Sources
Checked October 2026. Entry rules change often, so check again before every departure.
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