Onward Ticketing Question

What is the best way to handle the onward ticketing situation when entering Thailand by air?

I would like to fly to Bkk and stay about two months (with a visa run in the middle) on a standard 30 day visa. Is it better to book a 29 day return flight and change it after arriving in Thailand or can you book a 59 day return and explain your visa run plans to the immigration officias at the airport (will they deny entry?).

Or is it better to book a short onward flight to Singapore or KL?

[cottmann]

What is the best way to handle the onward ticketing situation when entering Thailand by air?

I would like to fly to Bkk and stay about two months (with a visa run in the middle) on a standard 30 day visa. Is it better to book a 29 day return flight and change it after arriving in Thailand or can you book a 59 day return and explain your visa run plans to the immigration officias at the airport (will they deny entry?).

Or is it better to book a short onward flight to Singapore or KL?

IMHO, buy a ticket valid for the two months you intend to stay in Thailand, get the 30-day visa on arrival, and then make sure that you do the visa run to Cambodia or the alternative destination of your choice, turn around and then come/go back into Thailand with another 30-day visa on arrival, and leave at the end of 2 months. Make sure, however, not to overstay your 30-day visa as the new penalties are much more severe than the previous ones. On arrival, either time, simply state that you intend to stay only 30 days and explain nothing more. If asked to show your onward ticket, which in more than 20 years of visiting LOS is something that I have never had asked of me, then explain. Otherwise, say nothing and smile.

Why not just get a two month visa from the thai embassy before your trip and avoid the visa run altogether?

Yes, best bet would be to get a standard 60 day tourist visa These are easy to get from the Wash. DC embassy by mail. They do require to see a copy of your air ticket.

Alternatively, you could do a visa run in the middle, but in that case absolutely go by air to a neighboring country and have proof of your air ticket out of Thailand before 30 days to show the agent in the US. Otherwise, it is the policy of the airlines to deny boarding!

Easy and somewhat cheap trips include Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Penang. If you really want an adventure, you could go to Bali.

[2lz2p]

On arrival, either time, simply state that you intend to stay only 30 days and explain nothing more. If asked to show your onward ticket, which in more than 20 years of visiting LOS is something that I have never had asked of me, then explain. Otherwise, say nothing and smile.
Alternatively, you could do a visa run in the middle, but in that case absolutely go by air to a neighboring country and have proof of your air ticket out of Thailand before 30 days to show the agent in the US. Otherwise, it is the policy of the airlines to deny boarding!----
As mentioned by Cottmann, I also was never asked to procuce an onward ticket when coming here twice a year for less than 30 days - it is a Thai Immigration requirement for the 30 day stay on arrival, but I have never heard of anyone ever being required to shwo an onward ticket by Immigration at BKK airport.




As mentioned by Thaiquila, it is not Thai Immigration to be concerned about - it is ticket agents for the airline you will be traveling on. When you check in, your reservation would normally indicate any onward travel if it is part of the same reservation - so be prepared to be challanged if you do not have an onward ticket or the onward travel is more than 30 days later than arrival in Thailand (especially if traveling on an American flag carrier or one of their code shares on another airline). If a person arriving in another country does not meet that country's entry requirements, the airline permitting them to board is responsible for providing air travel back out of the country (several years ago, a fellow I met told me about flying into Japan without proper visa - the airline that brought him to Japan had to take him to the nearest US territory on the next available flight - so he said he wound up in Guam).

Now for my own recent experience - in this case the US airline did not have complete information in their computer system. I was traveling on American Airlines from DFW to LAX last year to connect with my EVA flight to TPE and on to BKK (not sure, but I think the LAX-TPE flight was a "codeshare"). Anyway, when checking in, the agent wanted to see my onward ticket (I was using the return portion of my roundtrip from BKK). I showed her my "visa" and my "reentry permit" for Thailand - not good enough she said - their computer showed I had to have a return on onward ticket. After much discussion with her and then her supervisor - they finally agreed to give me a boarding pass for the DFW-LAX portion of the trip - the supervisor sarcastically saying that EVA would be the airline that would have to provide travel if they permitted me to board in LAX, which he was sure they would not allow me to board. In LAX when I checked in with EVA, the agent mentioned I needed to have onward tickets - I pointed out my visa and reentry permit - no problem, boarding pass cheerfully provided along with wishes to have a good flight. After retiring I came to BKK on a oneway ticket from DFW (Korean Air) - had no problem boarding in DFW as I had a nonimmigrant visa. So, it appears that the asian airlines that fly into BKK are aware that onward tickets are not required if you have the appropriate visa.

I also second the motion on suggestion that you take the time to get a tourist visa good for 60 days and just avoid the border run (I've only done it once - before getting my retirement visa - and am thankful I don't have to do it again) - also, check Thai Embassy web site - visas can be provided by consulates - in the USA, Los Angeles and Chicago have consulates run by Thai officials - but, there are also several "honorary consuls" around the country that can also provide visas (tourist, nonimmigrant) - e.g., in Texas, they are located in Dallas, Houston, and ElPaso.

The only people I have ever heard being asked to prove to Thai Immigration at the airport they have a confirmed onwards connection are White Trash (ie. obvious back-packers and such ilk). It used to be the case that some airlines would query passengers with one-way tickets but even that practice seems to have been dropped, and I supect it's because of the prevalence of e-tickets. If you are really, really concerned then a good word-processor these days can whip up a most convincing-looking e-ticket printout - a friend of mine used such a one recently to get a visa from the Australian Embassy in a country I won't mention - as Immigration authorities have no immediate access to airline booking systems and would never go looking unless they had suspicions about you on other grounds. It's also unlikely that the check-in clerk for one airline could confirm (or, frankly, care) that the e-ticket you showed them (for another airline of course) as a forward booking was a forgery or not

Think laterally, dear boy. What bureaucrats of all stripes want is paperwork - so give them some. It doesn't have to be genuine

I think the above is bad information. Most US airlines will not let people board who lack a visa or onward travel before 30 days. The times you can get away with it are when the agents are harried and badly trained. I have travelled enough on tickets with long returns to tell you they almost always check for a visa upon boarding in the US.

I think the above is bad information. Most US airlines will not let people board who lack a visa or onward travel before 30 days. The times you can get away with it are when the agents are harried and badly trained. I have travelled enough on tickets with long returns to tell you they almost always check for a visa upon boarding in the US.But for those of us who live in the civilised world?

I think the above is bad information. Most US airlines will not let people board who lack a visa or onward travel before 30 days. The times you can get away with it are when the agents are harried and badly trained. I have travelled enough on tickets with long returns to tell you they almost always check for a visa upon boarding in the US.But for those of us who live in the civilised world?
Yes, even in San Francisco. :compress:

I think the above is bad information. Most US airlines will not let people board who lack a visa or onward travel before 30 days. The times you can get away with it are when the agents are harried and badly trained. I have travelled enough on tickets with long returns to tell you they almost always check for a visa upon boarding in the US.But for those of us who live in the civilised world?
Yes, even in San Francisco. :compress:With all those homeless blacks?

The OP seemed to be coming from the USA. Things might be different coming from Europe, etc. Have you been to SF? Most of the African Americans in the Bay Area are in Oakland.

The OP seemed to be coming from the USA. Things might be different coming from Europe, etc. Have you been to SF? Most of the African Americans in the Bay Area are in Oakland.
Yes, thank you, I have stayed both in Oakland (at the Marriott Courtyard, right next to all the Asian talent - sadly unavailable as far as I could determine) and in downtown San Francisco at the Renaissance near Union Square

I re-state my original position. If you check in with United (for example) in the US and show them what purports to be a printout of an e-ticket issued by (say) British Airways for onward travel ex-Bangkok, they have no way of knowing whether or not it is a genuine e-ticket and they certainly won't spend the time to find out

[wowpow]

All e-tickets have a booking reference code which can be speedily checked on any computer. I have read of B A checking an Air Asia e-ticket.

Getting tourist Visa is the sensible way to go and I'm never quite sure why people go to so much trouble to avoid getting one. It costs about the same as an average Visa run. You don't need an onward ticket and you don't waste holiday time.

If you feel it essential to go on a 30 day permission to visit Thailand then ask your airline what is their policy and you may get a reply. it seems that most of the major International lines do enforce Thai law at least some of the time.

Less illegal ways of circumnavigating the Thai law is to:

a) Obtain a ticket with a return date withing 30 days of your arrival and change the return date after arriving. It seems mostly expensive tickets which allow this without a financial penalty.

b) Purchase a Budget airline single ticket out of Thailand and don't use it.

c) Buy a ticket out of Thailand and then cash it in - again I think only non-cattle class allow this without penalty.

The OP seemed to be coming from the USA. Things might be different coming from Europe, etc. Have you been to SF? Most of the African Americans in the Bay Area are in Oakland.
Yes, thank you, I have stayed both in Oakland (at the Marriott Courtyard, right next to all the Asian talent - sadly unavailable as far as I could determine) and in downtown San Francisco at the Renaissance near Union Square

I re-state my original position. If you check in with United (for example) in the US and show them what purports to be a printout of an e-ticket issued by (say) British Airways for onward travel ex-Bangkok, they have no way of knowing whether or not it is a genuine e-ticket and they certainly won't spend the time to find out
Hi there, either I misunderstood you or you miscommunicated re the e ticket.
I was merely stating it is a dumb move to show up at the airport with a return ticket over 60 days or a one way ticket if you don't have either (a) a visa, or (b) proof of air outside Thailand within 30 days. I did not comment on your suggesting of FAKING the leaving Thailand within 30 day air ticket with a fake itinerary print. I believe you that it could work, haven't tried it. You would have to admit making up documents is not for everyone.

[Doug]

I don't understand why you can't get the over-60-day return ticket on a 30 day visa with the explanation that you plan to use Thailand as a base to visit other places like Ankor Wat or Burma.

I once came to Thailand with an open return air ticket and a 60 day tourist visa and stayed for more than a year with visa runs. Of course that was 8 years ago so things may have changed.

[elephantspike]

When I was there for the Winter of '01-'02, I had a double-entry Tourist Visa (Good for 4 months) and a return ticket for 5 months after arrival. I had to do a visa-run to Laos to activate the second 2 month portion of the visa, and then 2 months later, got a 30 day extension at the immigration office at Soi Suanphlu. I never had any trouble with the airlines or immigration. It never occurred to me that that could happen. I suppose I may have just gotten lucky.

There should be NO problem whatsoever if you have a VISA (at the port of exit in the US). Thailand airport almost never checks your airline tickets on arrival. In other words, you could be planning to stay for life and enter only on a tourist visa, no problem in the USA would be expected. A one way ticket might be more problematic though.

In other words, you could have 2 month tourist visa and a return 6 months later, and the US agent will definitely let you board, unless they are incompetent. The airlines only care about the possibility that Thailand won't let you in so they don't have to pay for your return, and they know Thailand will let you in if you have any kind of visa.

Hi there, either I misunderstood you or you miscommunicated re the e ticketI don't think there's any doubt but that you misunderstood me

Hi there, either I misunderstood you or you miscommunicated re the e ticketI don't think there's any doubt but that you misunderstood me
It must be nice to live in a world without doubt.

It must be nice to live in a world without doubtLearning to suffer fools gladly is part of the cross I have to bear

It must be nice to live in a world without doubtLearning to suffer fools gladly is part of the cross I have to bear
It must be quite a challenge for you, dear. Just remember to keep your eye on the prize.

It must be quite a challenge for you, dear. Just remember to keep your eye on the prize.Indeed it is a challenge and one I do not always meet. However it's not the prize on which I keep my eye, but the "crown jewels" of whatever boy is closest to hand

It must be quite a challenge for you, dear. Just remember to keep your eye on the prize.Indeed it is a challenge and one I do not always meet. However it's not the prize on which I keep my eye, but the "crown jewels" of whatever boy is closest to hand
On that point I can heartily agree!