[richl]

Hi...

I'm a UK citizen and I'm planning to get a one way ticket and fly out to HK next month and stay until around december/january time. Then I'll be going to Singapore to live..

I understand that with a uk passport I can stay in HK for that duration, as long as I have a return ticket.. or an onward ticket. The thing is, I'm going to buy my HK-Singapore flight ticket once I get to HK. Is that a bad move? Will the immigration control people not believe me? Or do they even check onward travel details and so on - a lot of my hk friends tell me they wont even bother to check!

Basically, I'm on quite a tight budget at the moment, so I don't want to have to buy a return flight from the UK to ensure my entry, and I don't want to get the Singapore flight ticket until a bit later...

I'm also planning to visit Macao and Mainland China at some point in my stay, so .... I know this might sound stupid.. but if I had some kind of train ticket to Shenzhen or something - would that count as an onward journey to immigration control?? (I understand that they would possibly recheck my details when i re-enter HK, but I'll make sure my Singapore ticket is purchased by then!)

I hope this all makes sense! Thanks in advance for any help!

[berryplucker]

Assuming you don't arouse immigration's interest for any other reason there is pretty much zero chance of them asking about your onward travel plans. I have never known of a UK passport holder having to produce tickets. You will be granted 6 months stay on each entry.

[syosko]

I think you're gonna have to be careful.

I had the issue come up with my travel agent- basically she said that unless you have a return ticket, you would likely be denied entry, regardless of the passport you hold.

What you may want to do is purchase with a return fare, but one that can be changed- once you get you HK, go into a travel agency or airline office & have them change the destination. That way, you won't lose money & you won't have to worry about immigration.

[berryplucker]

Has it occurred to you that your TA gets commission? The more expensive the ticket the more money they make... of course they are going to tell you that.

In the worst case, if immigration do insist that you have a ticket then you can simply go back to the airline transit desk and buy something fully refundable.

[richl]

Thanks for all the help! really appreciated...

My travel agent also gave me the "you need a return ticket else they won't let u in" line! But I guess they have to state the law. Sysoko.. I know what u mean, I should be careful - and I dont wanna be stressing out about it the whole length of my flight! But berryplucker - you reckon if the worse comes to the worst, I can just go and purchase another ticket at the airport? Thats a massive relief, because I had nightmarish visions of them forcing me to go home or something!

How likely is it that I can get a refundable ticket at the airport though? I'll also look into getting a ticket that can be modified aswell.

If it does come to a situation where the immigration officers do check my ticket (I know, you said unlikely, but..) will I be able to persuade them I'm getting a Singapore ticket later? I mean, will they just 100% say no entry! Or is it dependent upon the leniance of the officer?

Anyway, thanks again for the help! I think I've decided I'm going to get a one-way ticket, it looks like I've got options if something goes wrong!

[berryplucker]

Pretty much all immigration issues like this are at the discretion of the individual immigration officer. But really - don't worry - I know many British/US/EU passport holders who enter frequently with no onward tickets. I don't know of any who have ever been asked about their onward travel plans.

[Peapea]

Before I came to HK I was also told the same thing by a travel agent. It had me worried for ages but my boyfriend (who was in HK at the time) phoned immigration and we were told that as long as I could prove I had enough money to leave the country again I would be ok. Of course I was still scared coming through immigration but I didn't get asked anything. Since then I've entered the country about seven times with no onward tickets and I've never been asked!

[richl]

Ok excellent! Thanks very much for all the help!

Now I know I can relax on the flight with no worries! better just brush up on my cantonese now!

[syosko]

Berryplucker- just so that you know, travel agents make anywhere from $5 to $15US commission on an airline ticket. hardly enough for them to actually care about stiffing you on airline ticket costs.

You may have a chance of getting a fully refundable ticket @ the airport, but the thing to be aware of is not only will it be refundable, it'll also be full price, which means that you'll end up with way much more $$ out of pocket.

[berryplucker]

syosko. To take an example, Cathay's discount to most travel agents on most ticket types is defined as a percentage, which is in the range 6-9%. On a long haul ticket that so on a, say, US$700 ticket that would be $42-63. TA's will make a fuss over that little - it is a business with wafer-thin margins and the individual agents are often ranked/bonussed on the margins on the tickets they sell.

Oh, and a full-fare one-way ticket to Taipei would only be about US$300 I would guess (without the paperwork to hand).