What documents do I need at airport check-in?
For an international flight you need your passport, your booking reference and any visa or travel authorisation. The airline checks all three before issuing a boarding pass.
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What the check-in desk actually checks
An airline checking you in is doing two jobs at once: confirming you hold a valid ticket, and confirming the destination will let you in. The second job is why staff look closely at your passport expiry date and your visa.
Airlines carry the cost of flying a refused passenger home, so they check carefully and they have very little discretion. Understanding that makes the questions at the desk feel less arbitrary.
Have your accommodation address ready. A trip1 booking confirmation, on your phone or printed, gives the airline and the destination's border officers the hotel name, address and dates they ask for.
International flights - the full list
- Your passport, valid for the whole trip and usually for six months beyond your return date.
- Your booking reference, e-ticket number or mobile boarding pass.
- Any visa, e-visa or travel authorisation such as an ESTA, an eTA or a UK ETA.
- Proof of onward or return travel, which many countries require and airlines check on their behalf.
- Your accommodation address at the destination, taken from your hotel booking confirmation.
- A completed digital arrival card, where the destination uses one.
- A yellow fever certificate if your route makes one necessary.
Domestic flights
Domestic check-in is much lighter. In most countries a government-issued photo ID, meaning a driving licence, a national ID card or a passport, plus your booking reference, is all you need.
In the United States, adult passengers on domestic flights need a REAL ID compliant licence, a passport or another federally accepted ID at the security checkpoint.
Children often need no ID at all on domestic flights, but the age cut-off varies by country and by airline. Check your airline's page before you leave for the airport rather than at the desk.
Bag drop, self check-in and passport scanning
Online check-in usually works end to end for domestic flights but often stops short for international ones. Many airlines still send you to a desk or a document check point so a person can look at your passport and visa.
Automated bag drop machines read your passport chip. If the scan fails, a staff member does it by hand, so keep the passport clean, dry and unbent, and remove any cover before you scan it.
Allow the airline's recommended arrival time, which is normally around three hours for a long-haul international flight. Document checks are what create the queue, not the bag itself.
If something is missing
Important: If your passport fails the destination's validity rule or your visa or authorisation is missing, you will be denied boarding, and airline tickets in that situation are rarely refundable.
The fixable version of this problem happens days earlier, not at the desk. Check your passport expiry, the status of any visa or authorisation, and the destination's entry rules about a week before you fly.
If you notice a problem at the airport, speak to the airline immediately rather than joining the queue and hoping. Some issues, such as a name spelling that does not match your passport, can be corrected on the spot.
Airport check-in documents - FAQ
A government-issued photo ID such as a driving licence, national ID card or passport, plus your booking reference. In the United States it must be REAL ID compliant or a passport.
No. The airline has to verify that the destination will admit you, and it cannot do that without your passport.
Yes. Airlines are fined for carrying passengers who are refused entry, so they check your visa or travel authorisation before issuing a boarding pass.
Sometimes. Airlines ask for your accommodation address on behalf of destinations that require it, so keep your booking confirmation handy on your phone.
Around three hours before departure for long-haul flights. Document checks at the desk are usually what creates the queue.