flying into thailand without a return ticket

**FreddieFly** · 05-04-2011, 12:23 AM

In 31 years of flying here, I have never been asked by Immigration in Thailand to show a return or onward ticket. I fly here every 5 weeks. I have however, been asked at check in in 5 countries for onward flight details, in two cases I showed them my Thai drivers licence, and in the other three I had a valid visa. these countries/airlines were
Singapore/SAS - funnily enough I was on the return portion of my flight.
Angola/Ethiopian airways - managed to convince the guy that It was OK, was travelling with three thai workmates at the time who all chimed in.
UK Heathrow/BA - probably just the wrong time of the month, but she really didnt have a clue, called the boss over and sorted.
USA LA/United - had to call supervisor to check my visa.
Ghana/Ethiopian again - got a hard time for several minutes until supervisor came over checked visa and then upped my to business class.

As you are married just get the visa and it is no problem, you can also check the Thai embassy sites (hull definatley) and print out a paper saying that if you have a visa Thailand does not require onward booking.

freddie

**brian3673** · 05-04-2011, 12:27 AM

yes there is a lot of good pionters here,,i think the best for me will be there marriage visa as i will be fly back to thailand every 28 day's,,better to be safe knowing my luck i would get stopped at imagration...haha

**ch1ldofthemoon** · 05-04-2011, 12:37 AM

surely you dont need an onward flight ticket,i would think that if you booked a ticket to Vientiene from Bangkok by train,online,that would be ok?

**Probosci Akimbo** · 05-04-2011, 09:22 AM

Bought several leave Thailand and return to Thailand RT tickets, never a hassle on return. I once had a return ticket for when I last came in to stay, but it's so long past that I have no idea where that lonely return ticket might be... actually so long ago, and I had a Non-Im B in hand, I am not even sure I had a return ticket, except that it would be cheaper than one way

**mingmong** · 05-04-2011, 09:49 AM

seven years fly in on single ticket, never asked for return, but just this morning tryed to book with Flight centre Oz and they assured me as 1st April all tickets will be checked for returned flight!

same advice Singapore Air gave me in Singa 2 years ago!

**flyingdutchie** · 05-04-2011, 11:01 AM

Originally Posted by Airportwo

Your problems will come when you try to board flight into Thailand - they wont let you board without a return ticket....

crazy,i am flying into TH without return ticket and nobody ever asked me anything

**terry57** · 05-04-2011, 11:49 AM

I was in Kota kinabalu flying one way into Bangkok on Airasia and planning to train it down to KL when I was ready.

The tart at the counter fronted me up saying I could not fly into Bangkok as I had no ticket out, foking no amount of banter could penetrate through her stupid head as to the point that I'm training it down to KL.

Anyway, I was getting very pissed with her at this point and told her to go get the boss cocky and we will sort this shit out.

Big boss fronts up and I explain it to him as to my travel plan, no problem he says and of I go.

Foking dumb trollop was on the rag for sure. Fok Em, hold your ground.

**Lung William** · 05-04-2011, 05:14 PM

I flew in on the 31st with Eva Air and a multivisit visa with aone way ticket. She asked at check in when I was leaving. In about a year I said. Got bumped up to Elite class and had no problems

**Happy Dave** · 07-04-2011, 12:15 PM

Originally Posted by Phuketrichard

if ur going to be leavin gright away why bother wih the non "o" visa as it cost more than the tourist visa.

I have never, in over 28 years of flying in been asked.
Its the airline where u leave from that might ask
Best bet is get a Business class ticked out of Bangkok to PP or KL. AS soon as u land apply for the full refund and u will get the full 100%
or spring for the touris visa for , ( i thinks its $25) was free up untill the 31st last month but u missed that ;-(

Yes , but the non O will give you 15 mths. Whats a tourist visa 3 months ?

**Phuketrichard** · 08-04-2011, 12:11 PM

I didn't know he was going to be in an out. So the "o" visa is the best deal for $175

**BBlacky** · 10-04-2011, 07:05 PM

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

I dealt with this crap in the Philippines for a while. Buy the damn 'show ticket', and then cash it in once you get into the country and wait 6 months for a 60% refund. Now, as a 'long term' resident, I have been able just to show my Filipino driver's license and that has worked fine for the past couple of trips to LOS. I will be interested how much crap I get when leaving the US after my trip this coming May. I already dread going to the US.

I know the feeling. I went home from Indonesia last year - "home" being where my passport says, that's about it - since flying out on September 10, 2001 (!)

In fact, I had the rather mild misfortune of arriving in SF Intl Airport during the Icelandic volcanic ash aviation shutdown in Europe, so the Immigration / TSA etc asshole contingent had plenty of time to sniff my butt and poke around their cyberspace.

As a Vietnam-era protestor, fired and chased from the USA with a five-and-dime (Destruction of US Govt property: I'd publicly eaten my draft card with catsup on it) I was a Person of Interest to the parasites. I did not get a cavity search or any such grand guignol but did spend some time talking to some young squirt in an SS uniform about illegal wars and such. Should have kept my fucking mouth shut but really. Lana the Free, Homer the Brave.

They can stick it.

Had a lovely ten days in the Texas Hill Country with kinfolks; leaving the Surveillance State was less obtrusive than going in - but there was still all that take off your shoes and belt bullshit.

Isn't it nice to fly in Asia? Funny but they don't seem to have so many security problems in this part of the planet, in spite of the theatrical antic of Thousands Standing Around.

Grumble, spit, rant. They can keep it.

**brian3673** · 10-04-2011, 09:29 PM

hi guy's
well i got myself a o type visa from Thai consulate in UK !
sent it on the Thursday and back in the door on the Saterday..
no problems no hassle the way it should be...
fly on Thursday so i will let you know how i get on and if any questions are asked !
cheers..
brian

**BigBaBoo** · 11-04-2011, 11:51 AM

I've been flying into Thailand at least twice a year for 30+ years, often without a visa....getting a "stamp on arrival" in the airport for 30 days. In that time I've been asked exactly twice by the airlines and exactly once by Thai immigration for my "onward" ticket. So from that you should see how rare being asked is. But the regulations are clear, to enter Thailand you must have one ofthe following as a minimum:
1. A valid visa for entrance to Thailand issued before travel .......OR
2. An ONWARD ticket out of Thailand (a RETURN ticket is not required, just a ONWARD ticket). If you get a 30 day "stamp on arrival" that ticket should be made for a flight out during or at the end of that 30 day period.
All this is not rocket science, guys...it should be easily understood.
The reason that AIRLINES that bring tourists to Thailand often ask to see one of those two items is because if they bring someone to Thailand without either one of those two items, and that person is not allowed to enter Thailand by Thai immigration the AIRLINE is responsible for returning that person...or at least removing them from Thailand. Obviously no airline wants to be stuck for the cost of returing a passenger refused entry to Thailand to their point of origination. Oh, and by the way if that ever happens they will demand you pay for the cost of the return flight...in case you were wondering about that point.
The reason I can say this with certainty is that once in Amsterdam I challenged the airline (it was SAS in case yo;re wondering) on this very point. A supervisor politely showed me a publication called the Official Airlines Guide published by IATA (International Airlines Travel Authority). In the rear there is a appendix with a country by country breakdown of riules and notes to the Airlines on exactly what they are required to check for from passengers traveling to a country before they can issue a ticket to that country. The supervisor showed me the Thailand entry, and there in black and white was the two requirements I mentioned above.
Oh and by the way, it was also listed as a requirement of Thai immigration that anyone entering Thailand....with or without a visa...must have a passport valid for a minimum of 6 months from the date of entry.
So I've "been there, done that, collected the free T shirt" as they say.

**brian3673** · 20-04-2011, 11:38 PM

no problems on the way here,well except in heathrow i was asked and how will you get back to the uk! so i told him hopefully i wont ever have to come back to the uk...
time to leave a sinking ship come's to mind,,haha
cheers to all the guy's that left msg's.

**sabang** · 21-04-2011, 12:22 AM

Originally Posted by brian3673

time to leave a sinking ship come's to mind,,haha

Haha. Keep that ticket out, or at least the cash.

**Lostandfound** · 21-04-2011, 02:47 AM

If you get hassled for a return/ onward ticket just go to the nearest ticketing counter and buy a flexible, refundable one way, full IATA fare ticket to KL / Singapore. Then refund it when you arrive in BKK.

**Lorenzo** · 08-07-2011, 10:41 AM

Asked only once about the return ticket. Gave the young lady a smile and told her I had a 10 inch cock. Sorted!

**Ricky West** · 30-08-2011, 07:44 AM

They asked me once for a ticket when boarding from KL to Bangkok. I had student visa, that I just acquired. The lady at the airport had no clue. A friend of mine almost missed a flight once as she flew from Germany to Bangkok to then head on to Cambodia over land. She obviously had no flight out of Bangkok as she lives in Cambodia. After a huge argument she could board the flight. If you are afraid for trouble at least make sure you have the time to argue with people. Once you arrive in Thailand there are no problems.

**Marmite the Dog** · 30-08-2011, 09:52 AM

^ I had to convince Air Frog to let me on once, but they will if you stand your ground.

**DrAndy** · 30-08-2011, 03:13 PM

it is often the airlines that make trouble over onward tickets etc

they are the ones who will have to pick up the bill if you are refused entry. of course, the airline staff are not particularly well versed in immigration laws, they just have a set of guidelines

I had to sign a disclaimer once, saying I would pay for any return flight if refused entry, before they would let me board

mind you, it is often as cheap to have a return ticket as a single, so you can just throw the return bit away

**DrAndy** · 30-08-2011, 05:51 PM

so, I have just been over to the Thai consulate in London to get my 1 year visa

in and out in 10 minutes!!

just have to collect it on Thursday

**Fondles** · 30-08-2011, 07:35 PM

Coming from Brisbane everytime I check in they ask for the outbound ticket, I show them my visa then its all good.

**Gallowspole** · 30-08-2011, 08:10 PM

At Heathrow a couple of months ago, the check-in clerk asked me where my Thai visa was so I politely informed her it was on the page right in front of her. She still couldn't find it and asked me to show her; I pointed at the re-entry permit and the extension of stay but she still couldn't put two and two together. The old passport with the original visa from 1999 was also confusing for her and she couldn't grasp the concept of extension to stay stamps, constantly asking for this trip's visa. Silly bitch finally relented after my demeanor changed from understanding to sarcastically questioning her own UK visa status and wondering how she passed the English language proficiency test.

She had the last laugh, seating me right at the back next to the toilets.

**DrAndy** · 30-08-2011, 10:25 PM

Originally Posted by Gallowspole

She had the last laugh, seating me right at the back next to the toilets.

some people like it there

perverts

**Seekingasylum** · 30-08-2011, 11:31 PM

Reading some of these replies here I'm amazed just how long suffering airline staff must be and it probably goes some way to explain their antipathy towards the travelling public in adverse circumstances. Of course most comments are patently mere fantasy and the stuff of adolescent banter so typical of boys with small penises.

In boarding an aircraft for Thailand, or indeed anywhere else for that matter, all check in staff refer to the Travel Information Manual (TIM) in order to confirm the admissibility of a passenger at his intended destination should he not hold a visa qualifying him for entry. Despite what the lay person might think TIM is not a set of guidelines, it is the airline bible and incorporates details of all immigration requirements imposed by all countries. It is published annually but is constantly updated by authorities worldwide as they alter their legislation and rules interpreting the same.

If a carrier boards a passenger who subsequently arrives at a destination without the requisite visa as prescribed in TIM and is refused entry the airline will not only be bound to return the passenger at their expense but they will also face a penalty charge. In the UK this is currently £2,000 per passenger.

TIM specifies that all passengers arriving in Thailand intending a stay of more than 30 days require a visa. The airline interprets this as meaning that unless you hold a visa they will not carry you if you do not have a return ticket within the 30 days or you can show evidence of onward travel within the same period.
As far as I am aware no carrier will board any passenger without either a visa or suitable ticketing showing a departure out of Thailand within 30 days of arrival.

The Thai have now signalled an intention to demand evidence of accommodation and ticketing before issuing a visit visa. This, if implemented, will doubtless ensure the requirements as to ticketing for those travelling without a visa and intending stays of less than 30 days are enforced scrupulously.

Travelling to Thailand without a visa and no onward or return ticket within 30 days is certainly not an option out of the UK and I suspect just as unlikely from elsewhere.

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