Do You Need IATA Accreditation to Sell Flights Online?

Selling flights online and issuing airline tickets are two separate jobs.

Selling needs a booking site, flight content and a way to take payment. Issuing a ticket in your own name needs IATA accreditation, or ARC approval in the United States. Many new agencies and OTAs split the two jobs. They sell under their own brand and let an accredited partner issue the ticket. The agency then carries no bond, no BSP remittance and no IATA financial review of its own. Direct accreditation becomes worth it later, once ticket volume, capital and control over airline relationships justify the cost.

Definitions.

• IATA: the International Air Transport Association, the trade body for airlines. IATA runs the accreditation programme for travel agents; in the United States it runs through IATAN.
• IATA accreditation: often called an IATA licence or IATA number. Approval that lets an agency issue tickets on behalf of participating airlines and settle through the BSP. Accredited agents receive an IATA numeric code.
• BSP: the Billing and Settlement Plan. One system collects agency sales and pays every participating airline, in place of a separate contract and settlement with each carrier.
• TIDS: the Travel Industry Designator Service. A free IATA code that identifies a seller to suppliers. A TIDS code gives no ticketing authority.
• ARC: the Airlines Reporting Corporation. ARC handles ticketing and settlement for most agencies in the United States, where BSP does not operate.
• Consolidator: a wholesaler that holds airline agreements and its own ticketing authority, and sells fares to agencies. Many consolidators also issue tickets for agencies that have no accreditation of their own.
• GDS: a global distribution system, the network many agencies use to search, book and issue flights.

Key takeaways

• IATA accreditation lets you issue tickets and settle with airlines in your own name. Selling flights does not require it.
• A TIDS code identifies your business to suppliers, but you still need a partner to issue the tickets.
• Ticketing through a partner is the fastest way to start. The partner carries the bond, the BSP reporting and the airline agreements.
• GoLite, GoStandard and GoGlobal suit different agency profiles. They differ by forms of payment, financial guarantee and number of countries.
• The real decision is how much financial and compliance overhead you want to carry, against how much control you want over airline relationships.

What does IATA accreditation actually give a travel agency?

IATA accreditation gives a travel agency four things: ticketing authority, one sales agreement with the participating airlines in its market, settlement through the BSP and a recognised IATA code. The agency can issue tickets for many airlines under one agreement, instead of negotiating with each carrier. Sales and refunds go into one BSP report, and one remittance pays every airline on it.

Recognition matters too. Airlines, GDS providers and many suppliers treat an IATA code as proof of a vetted seller. Some corporate clients and consortia ask for it. Accreditation also gives access to BSPlink, IATA's tool for sales reports, refunds and memos.

Accreditation brings obligations with it. The agency pays an annual fee and submits financial information. Depending on the model, it may also provide a financial guarantee, such as a bank guarantee or insurance bond. Airlines can raise an agency debit memo (ADM) against the agency for fare or booking rule breaches. Late or missed remittance can lead to default, which can suspend ticketing.

What is the difference between a TIDS code and IATA accreditation?

A TIDS code identifies your business, while accreditation lets you issue tickets. The two answer different questions for suppliers. TIDS tells an airline, hotel or car rental company who made the booking, so commission and reporting go to the right seller. IATA now offers TIDS free of charge.

A TIDS code does not create a BSP relationship. You cannot issue a ticket with it, and you do not settle with airlines through it. A TIDS holder that sells flights still needs a partner to issue the ticket, usually a consolidator, a host agency or a booking platform.

TIDS suits several kinds of seller:

• Online sellers who book through a partner and want their sales recognised by suppliers.
• Tour operators and destination management companies that buy flights as part of a package.
• Home-based and independent agents who work under a host agency.
• New agencies that want an industry code while they build volume.

How do GoLite, GoStandard and GoGlobal differ?

IATA offers three main accreditation models, and the right one depends on how you take payment and where you operate. Requirements and financial criteria vary by country, so check the local checklist before you apply.

• GoLite: the simplest route to issuing tickets. GoLite agents take payment by customer card or IATA EasyPay, IATA's prepaid method, and do not offer cash settlement. IATA says GoLite does not require a minimum financial guarantee to issue tickets.
• GoStandard: for agents that need every IATA form of payment, including cash settlement through the BSP. The agency gets a Remittance Holding Capacity, a limit on unpaid sales, and may need a financial guarantee to back it.
• GoGlobal: for agents with locations in several countries. One set of financial criteria, one financial guarantee and group-level control of Remittance Holding Capacity cover every location. GoEurozone offers the same idea for agents across several eurozone countries.

In the United States, the route differs. IATAN runs IATA's programme for US agents, and ARC handles ticketing and settlement for most US agencies.

How can a travel agency sell flights without its own IATA number?

A travel agency without its own IATA number sells flights through a partner that issues the ticket. The agency owns the customer and sets the price. The partner holds the accreditation, the airline agreements and the settlement. Consolidators, host agencies and travel technology platforms are the three common partner types.

Consolidators. A consolidator sells fares to agencies, often net fares below the public price, and issues tickets under its own accreditation. The agency adds its markup. Some consolidators offer a booking tool, others work by email or through a GDS.

Host agencies. A host agency lets independent agents sell under its accreditation and supplier agreements. The host takes a share of commission or charges a fee. The model suits home-based agents more than a branded online business.

Travel technology platforms. A platform gives the agency a branded booking site, flight content and a booking flow. The agency sells under its own brand and sets its markup. Who issues the ticket depends on the platform and the market, so ask before you sign.

Each route keeps the agency out of the BSP, with no bond, no remittance and no BSP audit. The trade-off is control. You work inside the partner's fares, terms and service levels, and the partner's settlement rules decide when you pay for tickets.

IATA status is separate from local law. Many countries require a travel agency licence, and some require protection for customer money, whichever route you choose. Check the rules in your market before you launch.

When does your own IATA accreditation make sense?

Your own IATA accreditation makes sense when the margin you gain is bigger than the cost and risk you take on. Four signals show that your own accreditation pays off.

• Steady ticket volume. Your partner's fees or reduced margin cost more than the annual fee, the guarantee and the staff time for BSP reporting.
• Direct airline deals. You want incentive agreements or private fares negotiated in your own name, which usually needs your own IATA code.
• Credibility with buyers. Corporate clients, consortia or tenders ask for an accredited agency.
• Control of servicing. You want to issue, change, refund and void tickets yourself, on your own timetable.

Accreditation is a poor fit for an agency still testing demand. The application, the guarantee and BSP reporting take time and capital that a new agency usually needs for finding customers. A startup OTA validating a market has a different answer from an established agency with a steady flight desk.

How do the routes to selling flights compare?

What does applying for IATA accreditation involve?

Applying for IATA accreditation involves company checks, a financial review and a ticketing setup. Details vary by country and model, but most applications follow the same path.

1. Choose the model. Pick GoLite, GoStandard or GoGlobal based on your forms of payment and the number of countries you operate in.
2. Check local criteria. IATA publishes country checklists and local financial criteria in its Travel Agent's Handbook.
3. Prepare documents. Expect company registration, ownership details, premises or contact details and financial statements.
4. Provide a guarantee if required. Cash settlement models may need a bank guarantee or insurance bond.
5. Set up ticketing. Agree a GDS or another ticketing channel, get access to BSPlink and train staff on reporting and refunds.

After approval, the work continues. The agency reports sales on the BSP calendar, pays remittances on time and handles ADMs, refunds and annual reviews.

What does this mean for a travel agency or OTA?

For most new agencies and OTAs, the first-year question is how to start selling flights well, and accreditation can wait. Many new sellers need speed, low fixed cost and real airline content. Few need an independent BSP relationship before they have the volume to use it.

A practical path has three steps:

• Start with a partner. Sell under your own brand while a consolidator or platform carries ticketing and settlement.
• Get a TIDS code. Your bookings are recognised by suppliers, and the code costs nothing.
• Review accreditation once a year. Compare partner costs with the fee, the guarantee and the staff time that accreditation needs.

Agencies that already hold accreditation face a different choice. They weigh GoStandard's payment options against GoLite's lighter requirements, or GoGlobal's single guarantee once they open locations in other countries. Our guide to NDC vs GDS covers how flight content reaches agencies on either path. Comparing build options? Read white label vs travel API vs custom development.

How does altovo help agencies with and without an IATA number?

altovo (formerly easyGDS) is a travel commerce platform that gives travel agencies a branded booking site and a back office. The agency keeps its brand and sets its prices, and altovo runs the technology.

Many travel agents sell on WhatsApp, Instagram or by phone and have no IATA number. The Lite plan is built for them. Each agency gets its own branded booking site with flights, hotels and more. The agency sets its own markup, so every price on the site is its own. The Lite plan uses a ready-made design branded for the agency, so the site can go live within 24 hours of setup starting.

Agencies that want to use their own IATA and GDS connections usually start on a higher plan. The higher plans for travel agents add options such as a custom domain, more travel products, a B2B portal for sub-agents and markups by product, destination, market and sub-agent. altovo sits alongside existing GDS contracts, and agencies can mix their own negotiated rates with the altovo network. On the platform, 650+ airlines are bookable, including NDC content (as of Oct 2026). See the NDC glossary entry for what that content adds. On the higher plans, self-serve travel agent accounts can be live in under 10 days, from sign-up to live bookings.

An agency that grows, or gets its own accreditation later, can move to a higher plan with more customisation at any time and keep selling under the same brand. Pricing is quoted by sales.

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