Immigration Questions for Parents Visiting Abroad: A Prepared Q&A Sheet
The questions an officer asks at the border are simple. Answering them in a second language, after a long flight, is the hard part. A printed Q&A sheet in English and your parent's own language turns that moment from an exam into a formality.
Why prepare this sheet
At passport control, the officer's questions are almost always the same handful: where are you going, why, where will you stay, how long, who is paying. For a parent flying internationally after years - tired, in a new airport, in a language they are not fluent in - even simple questions can feel like a test.
Our founder prepared exactly this sheet for his own father's flights to Germany, with each question in English, Hindi, and German, and it made the difference. The version below is in English so you can adapt it; the editable three-language template is in our Resources library.
The questions, with answer templates
Replace everything in [brackets] with your family's real details. Answers should be one or two sentences, truthful, and identical to what the visa application says.
Q: Do you speak English?
A: A little bit. (Or: Yes, I do.)
Q: Where are you going?
A: I am going to [city, country]. For example: I am going to Stuttgart, Germany.
Q: What is the purpose of your visit?
A: I am here to visit my son / daughter and my grandchildren.
Q: Where will you stay?
A: I will stay at my son’s / daughter’s house. The address is [full address].
Q: How long will you stay?
A: Until [return date]. My stay is [number] weeks.
Q: Is this your first time here?
A: Answer truthfully: No, I visited in [years]. / Yes, this is my first visit.
Q: Who booked your ticket?
A: My son / daughter booked the ticket for me.
Q: Who is paying for your trip?
A: My son / daughter is paying for my trip. (This should match the sponsorship documents in the visa file.)
Q: Do you have medical insurance?
A: Yes, I have travel medical insurance for the full stay.
Q: Do you have a return ticket?
A: Yes, my return flight is on [date].
Q: Do you have family here?
A: Yes, my son / daughter and their family live in [city].
Q: What is your son’s / daughter’s name?
A: His / Her name is [full name].
Q: Will you visit any other country on this trip?
A: Answer truthfully. If no: No, only [country].
Q: How will you travel from the airport to [city]?
A: My son will pick me up at the airport. (Or the real arrangement: train, car, domestic connection.)
Q: Do you have any items to declare?
A: No. I am not carrying any restricted items.
Q: Are you carrying any food items?
A: Only some dry snacks from home. (Keep this true - check the destination country’s food rules before packing.)
How to use the sheet
- Fill in the real details together, then practise aloud a few times before the trip. Speaking the answers out loud is what builds confidence.
- Keep every answer short and truthful. Officers are not looking for stories; they are checking that the story matches the visa file.
- Print the sheet and keep it in the hand-luggage folder with passport, return ticket, insurance, and invitation letter. If words fail, your parent can simply show the sheet.
- Write the answers in English and in your parent’s language side by side, so they understand what they are saying, not just the sounds.
- If plans changed after the visa was issued, say so plainly. A truthful correction is always better than a confident wrong answer.
The printable template
The editable immigration Q&A template - the same one our founder used, with columns for English, Hindi, and German - is free to read and copy in the NRI TravelBuddy Resources library. Fill it with your real details; a template with your own dates, names, and addresses is what actually helps at the counter.