How to check in for a flight with a travel document

Key points in 30 seconds

• Online check-in with a TD often does not work (no field for the document / the system expects a passport) — this is normal.
• Status 'Rejected' or 'no boarding pass' = technical glitch, not a refusal to carry you. Go to the desk.
• Arrive 3 hours early: staff often do not know the document and will call to check (10–15 minutes).
• Have your share code (eVisa) ready — expired BRP from June 2025 is not accepted.
• Real boarding refusals do happen (e.g. Lufthansa, Chinese airlines) — see the 'By airline' section.

Online check-in vs check-in at the desk

Based on community experience, online check-in with a UK Refugee Travel Document either does not work at all or finishes without a boarding pass. Reasons: the form has no 'Travel Document' field, the system expects a passport number, or your nationality does not match the issuing country (your nationality is one thing, the document was issued by the UK).

Often after entering your details you get a status of 'Rejected' or a message saying 'see the desk'. This is a technical glitch, not a refusal by the airline to carry you. Based on community experience, in such cases you just need to go to the check-in desk — they process it quickly.

'I'm glad I had seen similar screenshots from other people in the chat beforehand, so I wasn't worried. At the desk they checked everything quickly, printed the boarding pass and a couple of minutes later I was on my way.'— community experience, Ryanair, Italy → London

Staff at the desk or gate are often unfamiliar with the travel document: they flip through it, call colleagues, check the manual. This takes 5–15 minutes, sometimes longer. So arrive early, especially if you are flying with a TD for the first time.

What to select in the form

Based on community experience, when buying a ticket and checking in online:

• Nationality — enter your actual nationality by birth. Refugee status does not cancel your nationality.
• Document type — select 'Refugee Travel Document' / 'Refugee Travel Document' / '1951 Convention' / 'Stateless' if such an option exists (names vary by airline).
• Country of issue — United Kingdom.

Important: if there is no suitable option in the list — do not pick a different document type (e.g. 'ordinary passport'): at the gate this could cause problems. Just check in at the desk — this is standard practice for TD holders.

What to bring

At the desk and gate they may ask for:

• Travel document (TD) — the main document.
• eVisa / share code — from June 2025 an expired BRP is not accepted as proof of status. Staff ask to see your eVisa account or share code (starts with 'S…'). Prepare it in advance — it is valid for 90 days.
• Return ticket and accommodation booking — asked both at check-in and at passport control.
• Letter from the consulate of the destination country confirming that a visa is not needed — this really helps in disputes.

'I recommend having a written confirmation from the embassy when you go to the airport. When I tried to fly to Iceland, the airline and border officials insisted on a visa and did not let me on the plane. I waited until the consulate opened and got a written permission.'— experience of a traveller with a TD (according to them, 75 countries)

Returning to the UK

From June 2025 an expired BRP is not accepted when entering the UK. Before travelling make sure:

• Your TD is linked to your UKVI account (eVisa). If linking fails because of a nationality mismatch — write to the Home Office.
• Your share code is current (valid for 90 days).
• When entering, join the queue 'All Passports / Other Passports', not the queue for UK citizens.

Based on community experience, returning to the UK is usually smooth — sometimes they ask a couple of questions ('where did you fly from', 'how many days').

By airline

Community experience varies, rules change — this is a collection of real experiences, not a guarantee. Refusals are reported honestly.

Ryanair. A common source of problems with online check-in: the form does not issue a boarding pass, shows 'Rejected' or asks for a visa number. Based on community experience — this is a glitch, resolved quickly at the desk. On domestic UK flights documents are not checked. Separately: with a temporary certificate instead of the actual TD there have been difficulties — check in advance.

'The girl called to check whether I needed a visa, at first they said on the phone that I did; I was just about to ask for a manager when they continued checking and eventually allowed me to get the boarding pass.'— community experience, Ryanair, Eindhoven

Wizz Air. At the desk staff sometimes take a long time — they call, check the manual, photograph the TD and BRP. After waiting (10–20 minutes) they usually issue the boarding pass.

'I got a thorough staff member, he checked our status for a long time, photographed the TD, BRP, corresponded with someone… in the end he waved his hand and let us through.'— community experience, Wizz Air, Kutaisi

easyJet. Often issues a QR code boarding pass online. Experience at the gate varies: some were let through without questions, others were called back to the destination airport for verification and were allowed on if they had a return ticket.

British Airways. The app accepts TD details but may then ask you to come to the desk — they process it manually.

Lufthansa. A real boarding refusal has been reported: a TD holder was not allowed on a flight to Georgia (Heathrow, spring 2025) — the airline itself called the consulate and cited changed requirements by Georgia; even a letter from the consulate did not help. If you are flying on a route with doubts — check the requirements shortly before departure.

Chinese airlines (Air China, China Eastern). Boarding refusals have been reported on flights transiting through China — 'they do not recognise the TD'. Transit without leaving the airport is theoretically possible but unpredictable in practice. If your route goes through China — choose another route or get a Chinese transit visa (G visa) in advance.

Pegasus. Community members have flown via Istanbul (without leaving the transit zone) — according to their experience, no problems at boarding.

KLM, Iberia, Finnair, Aegean. Individual smooth flights (e.g. Iberia Express Manchester → Madrid — 'they did not even look at the visa'). KLM reported that check-in with a TD is only possible at the airport. Little data — check with the airline.