Hi,

I will be going to Toronto from Singapore via Hongkong or United States. I am an Indian Passport holder. I found that I have to make a transit at Hongkong International airport if I travel in Cathay Pacific or a transit at United States if I travel in Northwest airlines. Do I have to apply for a transit visa if I am not intending to leave the airport and my transit is within 24 hrs? Could someone also tell me what does it mean by a Stopover? And what's the difference between 'transit' and 'stopover'?

Thank you.

Transit usually means just changing planes at the airport.

Stopover usually means at least 24 hours or overnight between flights and you get out of the airport.

No one needs a visa to transit HKG and Indian citizens can visit Hong Kong for 14 days without a visa.

On the other hand, you do need one for the US whether just changing planes or staying for a while.

If you're just going to Canada, forget about the US.

Hi,

Thank you very much for your reply. Was very helpful. So, is Cathay Pacific the best option to travel from Singapore to Toronto? Or, is there any other airlines that we can choose without the need to obtain a transit visa for the transit or is there any other transits available other than US?

Thank you.

You should be able to get to Canada without transitting the US by using any of the major European hubs (Heathrow, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Paris, etc) or consider flying via a Gulf State with someone like Emirates

Cathay's HKG-YYZ service has a stop in Anchorage for fuel (no getting off, no US visa needed), adding to travel time.

There are other connections via Tokyo flying a combination of Star Alliance airlines Singapore, ANA and Air Canada.

Connections via Europe may cost a little more than via Hong Kong or Tokyo, especially in economy.

You may not be able, easily, to travel westwards.

Most European countries have similar rules about this, and require most Indian passport holders to obtain a special visa <b> even if they're just in transit through a European airport and don't intend going through immigration </b> For example, see www.ukvisas.gov.uk and plug your details in.

Air Canada flys direct from Hongkong to Toroonto, they use the newest plane, comfortable and convenient. You could fly from Singapore by Singapore airline, both are Star Alliance network.