Passports & visas

It is recommended that all passengers travel with a valid passport, regardless of their destination. All passengers, regardless of nationality and destination, must check with their travel agent and the consulate of the country they are visiting to find out the most accurate entry requirements. In compliance with Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) initiatives now in place in many countries, passengers must provide basic personal information to airlines prior to departure. To comply with security measures, Air Transat will require 5 pieces of basic information from its passengers, which will be communicated to customs officials prior to landing. Passengers will be required to provide the following information: official first and last name, gender, date of birth, citizenship, and travel document number.

While we make every effort to ensure that the information we provide on our web site is correct and up-to-date, we can make no guarantees about the accuracy of the information provided. Passengers are responsible for providing the correct documentation for entry. Passengers holding insufficient or incorrect documentation will be denied boarding.

New requirements for identification

Effective June 18th, 2007, all passengers 12 years of age and older, departing to/from Canada on all air carriers will be subject to advanced identity screening under the Transport Canada Passenger Protect program.

Every passenger age 12 years and older is required to show:

• one piece of government issued PHOTO identification that shows his/her name, date of birth and gender
  OR  
• two pieces of government issued identification, at least one of which shows his/her name, date of birth and gender

The air carrier has the responsibility to ensure every passenger has the required identification to meet the requirements of both Passenger Protect as well as their destination country. To ensure problem free travel, we strongly recommend that ALL passengers travel with a valid passport (even for those destinations where proof of citizenship/photo identification is an acceptable alternative).

Please consult the following links for complete details.

www.tc.gc.ca/vigilance/sep/passenger_protect/menu.htm
www.protectiondespassagers.gc.ca/home.html

The above requirements are specifically for the documentation requirements of Passenger Protect, and DO NOT replace the entry requirements of your destination country. Please consult the following information regarding required documents for Immigration purposes.

Travelling to Canada

Travelling to Canada requires at least a valid passport regardless of nationality. Travellers from some countries may require a VISA. Please check with Consulate for further details. Furthermore, specific visa requirements exist for British Subjects. Please consult http://www.canada.org.uk/visa-info/visitor/e_brit.htm for more information.

Permanent Canadian residents already in Canada are required to hold a Permanent Resident Card. People who have completed the Canadian immigration process and have obtained permanent resident status, but are not Canadian citizens can apply for the Card. The Permanent Resident Card is deemed to be the only Permanent Resident status document valid for re-entering Canada by commercial carrier (airplane, boat, train and bus) after international travel and must be carried with your national passport. The first Permanent Resident Cards were issued in June 2002 for a 5-year period. Ensure to check the expiry date and apply for a new one at least 2 months before you travel. For more information, consult www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/pr-card/index.asp.

For international flights, please consult your travel agent for specific country requirements.

For any destination, it is strongly recommended that children under the age of 18 carry a consent letter signed by both parents or their legal guardian for each and every trip abroad if they travel with only one parent, unaccompanied, or with other acquaintances.

Here's a helpful checklist of passport and visa information you may want to check out before you leave.

• It is your responsibility to obtain all documents – including those for infants and children – required by relevant government authorities of the country you're visiting.
• Some countries have very specific regulations regarding cases where only one parent is travelling with a child. We recommend you obtain information from your travel agent or country consulate.
• Check with your travel agent or local officials (embassy, consulate) to find out which documents are required and then make certain that you have the documents in hand at time of check-in.
  For more information, please visit the following web sites:
  Foreign Affairs Canada – Country Travel Reports
  Embassy offices and consulates around the world
• Failure to provide the required documents may result in being denied boarding privileges by the carrier or relevant authorities, without further recourse or the possibility of a refund.
• No refund or replacement is given for lost or stolen travel documents.
• For a majority of destinations, tourist cards and/or custom declaration cards are distributed on board Air Transat flights or by your travel agent/tour operator.
• Canadian citizens must show proof of citizenship (birth certificate or citizenship card) and official identity card with picture for destinations where passports or visas are not required.

Transiting without visa (TWOV)

Transiting without visa may be permitted, when specific conditions are met. This is available at the following airports:

• Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Basel, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Lisbon, Lyons, Madrid, Malaga, Marseilles, Munich, Paris Charles-de-Gaulle, Rome, Shannon, Vienna.

Please consult your travel agent and/or the local consulate for further details.

Transiting without visa is not permitted to the following destinations:

• Bordeaux, Faro, Nantes, Nice, Oporto, Ponta Delgada, Terceira, Toulouse.

Note:

• The United Kingdom will not be part of Transiting without visa procedures as transit visas are issued locally.
• E-tickets and paper tickets are valid documents for travel. An unconfirmed reservation is not valid for Transiting without visa.
• Should a Permanent Resident Card be requested for transiting without visa, please ensure it is valid.

Liability limitations

Air Transat reserves the right to refuse transportation of passengers for the following reasons. The passenger:

• Lacks proper documentation for the country of destination
• Has a contagious disease
• Is under the influence of alcohol, drugs or narcotics
• Manifests disruptive and/or unruly behaviour

For more information on passports and visas, consult the Foreign Affairs Canada web site.