Visa application requires flight booking?

[RonHasely]

I was looking at the requirements for a single entry travel visa and it says I need to show flights that's been booked to and out of Thailand. Am I supposed to book the flights before I apply for the thai Visa? Sorry if I'm confused. 

[BritTim]

At many consulates, flight tickets into and out of Thailand are indeed a requirement, and they must be booked before applying for the visa. However, it is worth mentioning that consulates who list this as a requirement will often waive the onward ticket. It is worth trying giving them an itinerary that claims you will leave Thailand overland, and to see what they say.

[gk10002000]

this has always been a bit of a sticking point with me and over the years I only did Visa Exempt and a few times got the 30 day extension or did a visa run which can be challenging these days.  My work schedule was tough to predict, and I balk at the idea of buying a plane ticket, only to then find out for some reason that the Visa application is denied, paperwork is messed up, etc.  I have been dying to go t India but they also want all sorts of pre travel information, none of which I plan in advance, hotel, points of contact, etc.  So, the Thai Visa Exempt was one of the reasons I first chose Thailand.  They made it easy to go visit. 

[lkv]

19 minutes ago, BritTim said:

At many consulates, flight tickets into and out of Thailand are indeed a requirement, and they must be booked before applying for the visa. However, it is worth mentioning that consulates who list this as a requirement will often waive the onward ticket. It is worth trying giving them an itinerary that claims you will leave Thailand overland, and to see what they say.

Which consulates will often waive the onward ticket apart from Hong Kong, that states flight/itinerary on the website and does not ask for one?

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, lkv said:

Which consulates will often waive the onward ticket apart from Hong Kong, that states flight/itinerary on the website and does not ask for one?

One example I can quote from personal experience is Yangon.

[lkv]

31 minutes ago, BritTim said:

One example I can quote from personal experience is Yangon.

Yeah. I forgot about that. I had a SETV in Yangon a couple of years ago and indeed, although I had an exit ticket, I am aware that people that did not have one were asked to write stuff on a piece of paper....like what they will do in Thailand and so on (itinerary).

 

But I do think these two are singular cases in the region. Apart from others that don't publish the exit ticket as a requirement, such as Vientiane for example.

Edited April 15, 2019 by lkv

[RonHasely]

2 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

this has always been a bit of a sticking point with me and over the years I only did Visa Exempt and a few times got the 30 day extension or did a visa run which can be challenging these days.  My work schedule was tough to predict, and I balk at the idea of buying a plane ticket, only to then find out for some reason that the Visa application is denied, paperwork is messed up, etc.  I have been dying to go t India but they also want all sorts of pre travel information, none of which I plan in advance, hotel, points of contact, etc.  So, the Thai Visa Exempt was one of the reasons I first chose Thailand.  They made it easy to go visit. 

I was thinking of just doing a Visa exemption for 30 days to play it safe.What are the chances that I can leave thailand after the 30 days then apply for a Thai SETV while I'm out of the country for a month...then come back to Thailand and stay for 60 days with a 30 day extension?

Edited April 15, 2019 by RonHasely

[wisperone]

If you do a VE, you are more than likely still going to need a exit flight as the airline you are flying to Thailand on probably won't let you on the plane with out the exit flight pre booked.

[RonHasely]

27 minutes ago, wisperone said:

If you do a VE, you are more than likely still going to need a exit flight as the airline you are flying to Thailand on probably won't let you on the plane with out the exit flight pre booked.

The onward travel proof isn't a problem. Booking a flight from my home country before my SETV is approved just seems risky. That's why I was considering a VE

Edited April 15, 2019 by RonHasely

[ubonjoe]

23 minutes ago, RonHasely said:

The onward travel proof isn't a problem. Booking a flight from my home country before my SETV is approved just seems risky. That's why I was considering a VE

If you supply all the required documents when you apply for the visa the chances of it being denied are almost zero. No need to worry about buying the ticket at all.

 

[Tayaout]

Some ticket can be bought with cancellation insurance and there is a website that sell "onward" ticket for ~$12. I was not asked for flight ticket in Vientiane when applying for SETV. Most of the time the airline ask to see an exit ticket but not the last time I flew from Laos. 

Edited April 16, 2019 by Tayaout

[bbi1]

35 minutes ago, Tayaout said:

Some ticket can be bought with cancellation insurance and there is a website that sell "onward" ticket for ~$12. I was not asked for flight ticket in Vientiane when applying for SETV. Most of the time the airline ask to see an exit ticket but not the last time I flew from Laos. 

What website sells onward tickets for $12?

[ExpatPH]

Many does. Search online for 'onward ticket'

[Tayaout]

31 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

What website sells onward tickets for $12?

$17 https://onwardticket.com

[crazyk]

15 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

this has always been a bit of a sticking point with me and over the years I only did Visa Exempt and a few times got the 30 day extension or did a visa run which can be challenging these days.  My work schedule was tough to predict, and I balk at the idea of buying a plane ticket, only to then find out for some reason that the Visa application is denied, paperwork is messed up, etc.  I have been dying to go t India but they also want all sorts of pre travel information, none of which I plan in advance, hotel, points of contact, etc.  So, the Thai Visa Exempt was one of the reasons I first chose Thailand.  They made it easy to go visit. 

I go to india often with no onward ticket,they ask when i get there but i say i dont know if going back to thailand or uk,once they asked me at check in at don muang what money i have,i had 8000 rupees in cash some baht & 3 different banks plati um & gold cards,get a visa online no problem,india is a 1/3rd of the price than thailand & as tho its hard to believe very trustworthy

[Mac98]

I am always reading that you must have an exit ticket that matches your visa, i.e. 60-day tourist visa, exit within 60 days. This totally ignores the needs of those planning to get an extension. I get reservations to match my planned stay and put a note saying so in my application to the consulate in L.A. So far, after 21 years of visits, no problem with them, the airlines, or Immigration.

[roundtheworld]

Mac98, regarding those planning to get an extension when applying for a visa. As the manager at the Thai consulate in Yangon explained to me, the extension is for those who have a tourist visa,  and having used it find that they need extra time in Thailand. The visa is for 60 days and the exit flight must be within that timeline. A 30 day extension is not something you can add on to the duration of the tourist visa when planning your holiday in Thailand. Proof of onward travel is a nuisance and I wish the authorities could come up with a solution. Maybe bring out a law saying showing proof of an onward journey is no longer required. 

[roundtheworld]

There seems to be quite a few of these onward ticket companies, having just done a quick search. Has anyone used them? Any feedback? I can’t see how they are legal. There is no intention of using the flight that is being presented in the application to the consulate. It’s a form of deception, isn’t it? 

[lkv]

6 minutes ago, roundtheworld said:

There seems to be quite a few of these onward ticket companies, having just done a quick search. Has anyone used them? Any feedback? I can’t see how they are legal. There is no intention of using the flight that is being presented in the application to the consulate. It’s a form of deception, isn’t it? 

Thailand is full of deceptive things, this is a minor one in comparisson.

 

Hard to prove intention even in more developed places, who is to say one cannot change his mind?

Edited April 16, 2019 by lkv

[gk10002000]

4 hours ago, crazyk said:

I go to india often with no onward ticket,they ask when i get there but i say i dont know if going back to thailand or uk,once they asked me at check in at don muang what money i have,i had 8000 rupees in cash some baht & 3 different banks plati um & gold cards,get a visa online no problem,india is a 1/3rd of the price than thailand & as tho its hard to believe very trustworthy

So they ask when you get there, but how did you get the visa in the first place?  Did you show proof of a ticket purchase initially?

[geisha]

France is a sticker for this. You need an onward ticket for the plane ticket and and visa. Some people have been refused a visa in Paris because the onward ticket exceeds 2 months!! They don’t always take into consideration  that you can ask for an extension after your visa ! Because of them I come into Thailand Visa Exempt. 

[Time Traveller]

 

19 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

If you supply all the required documents when you apply for the visa the chances of it being denied are almost zero. No need to worry about buying the ticket at all.

 

Bad advice. There is no reason they need to see an air ticket as a basis to grant a visa. 

And in some cases they may take an unexpectedly long time to issue the visa that you may miss the flight date - almost happened to my wife. 

I tell them, after I have the visa, I'll pay for a ticket. Only then can they see the air ticket. Otherwise if you get denied, then you lose a lot of money.

 

 

Edited April 16, 2019 by Time Traveller

[BritTim]

28 minutes ago, Time Traveller said:

 

Bad advice. There is no reason they need to see an air ticket as a basis to grant a visa. 

And in some cases they may take an unexpectedly long time to issue the visa that you may miss the flight date - almost happened to my wife. 

I tell them, after I have the visa, I'll pay for a ticket. Only then can they see the air ticket. Otherwise if you get denied, then you lose a lot of money.

The requirement for onward flight tickets is annoying, but I can see some justification for some consulates requiring them. For those from Western countries who qualify for visa exempt entry, the argument that you could lose the flights if the visa is not issued (or issued late) is not really valid. Worst case, you can fly in without a visa. The argument does very much apply to nationals not entitled to visa exempt entry (especially if they are not allowed visa on arrival). That is especially true as they are often refused visas with no explanation.

[bbi1]

3 hours ago, Time Traveller said:

 

Bad advice. There is no reason they need to see an air ticket as a basis to grant a visa. 

And in some cases they may take an unexpectedly long time to issue the visa that you may miss the flight date - almost happened to my wife. 

I tell them, after I have the visa, I'll pay for a ticket. Only then can they see the air ticket. Otherwise if you get denied, then you lose a lot of money.

 

 

Which embassy/consulate issued you a SETV or METV without having an airline ticket booked?

[Tayaout]

20 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

Which embassy/consulate issued you a SETV or METV without having an airline ticket booked?

I had one when I got a SETV from Vientiane but they never asked to see it. They may have ask the flight no in the application form but I don't remember. 

Edited April 16, 2019 by Tayaout

[Letseng]

10 hours ago, roundtheworld said:

There seems to be quite a few of these onward ticket companies, having just done a quick search. Has anyone used them? Any feedback? I can’t see how they are legal. There is no intention of using the flight that is being presented in the application to the consulate. It’s a form of deception, isn’t it? 

Wonder how long this route will work before the door gets closed?

Edited April 17, 2019 by Letseng

[Tayaout]

1 hour ago, Letseng said:

Wonder how long this route will work before the door gets closed?

You can buy a cancellable flight ticket. Only more time consuming. 

[Macthehat]

I recently got a Visa from London and they only asked for travelling dates.  Same goes for Dublin.  They must have moved the goalposts within 5 months 

[Macthehat]

Theres a number of online websites offering to rent tickets for around €5 . They expire in 48 hours normally . Maybe this will help

[kevin612]

Yes, my tourist visa required the flight ticket when I applied few months ago.