Getting new friend here to Palomares

Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2022 4:14am

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Biggles172

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So I am trying to get a friend of mine who currently lives in Thailand to come to live with me here in Palomares. So bought ticket and visas etc but they were refused to board the aircraft because they did not have 4000 euros in their bank account which is to guarantee they won't attempt to use the resources of Espana. I don't have that sort of amount and neither do they. In all my days no one has ever questioned my ability to finance my visits. Almost impossible to borrow that sort of money from a bank or a loaner here in Spain,it is like getting blood out of a stone.Anyone suggest how to resolve this empasse? Talking to the airline hq( Qatar Airline),it seems to be all about who is on the check in desk that particular day. Some will allow travel and some will not!! I am currently here in Madrid as I was due to pick them up from the airport yesterday morning. They are very unhappy as am I. My ex wife who works in flight ops there spoke with an immigration officer about the situation.He said they would not refuse a person entry to Spain provided someone was prepared to sponsor them but of course they are not prepared to put that in writing. I guess Qatar Airline are insisting on evidence of finance because in the highly unlikely of refusal they would have to fly the person back to their point of departure country....,Anyone suggest a solution to this mess?? So what about all these South American,Africans,Syrians etc.You are not telling me they all have loads of money in bank accounts to enter Spain.Also I guess this would also be true for a Brit coming on holiday for two weeks.They have to prove they all 1400 euros each in a bank account,so a family of 4 would need 5600 euros for their holiday in the sun?

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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2022 10:29am

MaggieB

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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2022 10:29am

Could they fly to another destination first?

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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2022 1:29pm

Jenni

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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2022 1:29pm

Try another airline, perhaps, Emirates. ask their policy before booking. As for Brits coming for a holiday, there was talk that not only will they have to apply for a visa, but also proof of funds.

Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2022 2:56pm

Biggles172

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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2022 2:56pm

Jenni wrote on Wed Oct 12, 2022 1:29pm:
Try another airline, perhaps, Emirates. ask their policy before booking. As for Brits coming for a holiday, there was talk that not only will they have to apply for a visa, but also proof of funds.

Trouble is Jenni that Qatar will give you a full voucher refund but not if you ask for the money back in your bank account ...only 50%..

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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2022 4:33pm

Jenni

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Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2022 4:33pm

Biggles172 wrote on Wed Oct 12, 2022 2:56pm:
Trouble is Jenni that Qatar will give you a full voucher refund but not if you ask for the money back in your bank account ...only 50%..

O that would piss me off. If that were me, I would write to the airline saying that he/she are coming to Spain to visit an elderly relative and that their policy is detrimental to his/her well being as it took him/her over a year to save for the fare, and considering the circumstances, could they please refund the full fare to your bank. So that he.she can find and alternative way of travel or perhaps relax their rules so that they can fly with Quatar.

worth a try.

worse case scenario they say no. Good luck.

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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2022 12:47pm

DarioMartin

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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2022 12:47pm

Jenni wrote on Wed Oct 12, 2022 1:29pm:
Try another airline, perhaps, Emirates. ask their policy before booking. As for Brits coming for a holiday, there was talk that not only will they have to apply for a visa, but also proof of funds.

Despite being a TCN, UK passport holders enjoy Visa free travel, and are not being asked to provide proof of funding on arrival. When ETIAS goes live early next year, then yes, Brits will need a visa, which will be applied for online, will remain valid for three years and cost £7.

@Biggles, sadly some countries are regarded as higher risk and passengers may be asked to provide proof of ability to support themselves - but production of a Credit Card normally satisfies that requirement. It is also not a policy applied to everyone, but only to those a border agent or airline agent “feels” may present a risk.

Is it possible the person at the airline desk was simply jealous and utilized this policy? or did your friend do anything to give the impression they were not just going on holiday but intended to stay?

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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2022 1:44pm

Biggles172

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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2022 1:44pm

DarioMartin wrote on Thu Oct 13, 2022 12:47pm:
Despite being a TCN, UK passport holders enjoy Visa free travel, and are not being asked to provide proof of funding on arrival. When ETIAS goes live early next year, then yes, Brits will need a visa, which will be applied for online, will remain valid for three years and cost £7.
@Biggles, sadly some countries are regarded as higher risk and passengers may be asked to provide proof of ability to support themselves - but production of a Credit Card normally satisfies that requirement. It is also not a policy applied to everyone, but only to those a border agent or ai...

Read more...

...rline agent “feels” may present a risk.
Is it possible the person at the airline desk was simply jealous and utilized this policy? or did your friend do anything to give the impression they were not just going on holiday but intended to stay?

Hi Dario,

Thanks for that. The person in question is actually my girlfriend and is a replacement for the ex señora😁 Ultimately she will probably be staying longer than the 90 days but I will sort that out when she eventually gets here. I bought her ticket and the travel agency sorted out passport,visas etc.What they did not tell me till I sent a copy of the flight ticket was the matter of that there had to 4000 euros in the passenger's account. So I have trying to say I will guarantee and vouch for her but it would appear that the zealous Qatar check in staff won't accept anything like that. Incidentally my chum was flying to Phillipines to live permanently and was challenged at all out his financial situation..

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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2022 2:07pm

DarioMartin

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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2022 2:07pm

Biggles172 wrote on Thu Oct 13, 2022 1:44pm:
Hi Dario,
Thanks for that. The person in question is actually my girlfriend and is a replacement for the ex señora😁 Ultimately she will probably be staying longer than the 90 days but I will sort that out when she eventually gets here. I bought her ticket and the travel agency sorted out passport...

Read more...

...,visas etc.What they did not tell me till I sent a copy of the flight ticket was the matter of that there had to 4000 euros in the passenger's account. So I have trying to say I will guarantee and vouch for her but it would appear that the zealous Qatar check in staff won't accept anything like that. Incidentally my chum was flying to Phillipines to live permanently and was challenged at all out his financial situation..

Staff at airport will likely be local though won’t they? i.e. although Qatar, they’ll be Thai?

I gathered that the person would be a partner but was trying to be discrete :-D

Does she have a credit card? Like I say that normally does it. I keep seeing my Bank keeps trying to thrust a 5.000€ credit line on me … your bank won’t offer similar?

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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2022 6:33pm

hartcjhart

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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2022 6:33pm

DarioMartin wrote on Thu Oct 13, 2022 12:47pm:
Despite being a TCN, UK passport holders enjoy Visa free travel, and are not being asked to provide proof of funding on arrival. When ETIAS goes live early next year, then yes, Brits will need a visa, which will be applied for online, will remain valid for three years and cost £7.
@Biggles, sadly some countries are regarded as higher risk and passengers may be asked to provide proof of ability to support themselves - but production of a Credit Card normally satisfies that requirement. It is also not a policy applied to everyone, but only to those a border agent or ai...

Read more...

...rline agent “feels” may present a risk.
Is it possible the person at the airline desk was simply jealous and utilized this policy? or did your friend do anything to give the impression they were not just going on holiday but intended to stay?

Re Visas more here

The EU's new Entry-Exit System (EES) means any Brit planning to travel to the EU will have to apply for a travel authorisation document that will allow them into the bloc (group of countries) for three years.

But every time you try to enter the EU you'll have to show a facial image and give your fingerprints, with only children under 12 exempt. Meanwhile, the system will register the date and place of entry, or refusals of entry, as well as your name and type of travel document.

The European Commission expects EES to be operational at the end of May 2023 (following delays). The website states it "will replace the current system of manual stamping of passports, which is time-consuming, does not provide reliable data on border crossings and does not allow a systematic detection of overstayers (travellers who have exceeded the maximum duration of their authorised stay)".

In July, lengthy queues built up from this need to stamp every passport, with French border officials also blamed for having a lack of staff.

The good old eu protecting its borders! shame they are not so stringent with the Illegal Immigrants seems there are no borders/checks for them

Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2022 6:45pm

DarioMartin

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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2022 6:45pm

hartcjhart wrote on Thu Oct 13, 2022 6:33pm:
Re Visas more here
The EU's new Entry-Exit System (EES) means any Brit planning to travel to the EU will have to apply for a travel authorisation document that will allow them into the bloc (group of countries) for three years.

Read more...

But every time you try to enter the EU you'll have to show a facial image and give your fingerprints, with only children under 12 exempt. Meanwhile, the system will register the date and place of entry, or refusals of entry, as well as your name and type of travel document.
The European Commission expects EES to be operational at the end of May 2023 (following delays). The website states it "will replace the current system of manual stamping of passports, which is time-consuming, does not provide reliable data on border crossings and does not allow a systematic detection of overstayers (travellers who have exceeded the maximum duration of their authorised stay)".
In July, lengthy queues built up from this need to stamp every passport, with French border officials also blamed for having a lack of staff.
The good old eu protecting its borders! shame they are not so stringent with the Illegal Immigrants seems there are no borders/checks for them

1. Well UK was pretty keen on protecting its borders wasn’t it? Fairs fair.

2. Genuine “Illegal immigrants” are often caught - especially here in Spain. ETIAS will make that even more likely. Asylum seekers however can travel on to country of choice to file asylum application. An application for asylum must be made at border of entry of chosen country, hence the large amount of what xenophobes in the UK call “illegal immigrants”