Since being back in the UK, my visa extension has expired and I have received a new passport. I will return to Thailand soon and begin the process for a visa extension (Non-O) retirement (money in bank method).

 

Will I be allowed to travel with a one-way ticket. I’ve seen conflicting advice on this. I usually stay in Thailand for 6 months each year.

 

Thank you.

If you have a valid visa to use for entry to the country no return or onward ticket is required.

If entering visa exempt the airline can as to see a return or onward ticket out of the country within 30 days of entry.

1 hour ago, Londinium said:

Since being back in the UK, my visa extension has expired and I have received a new passport. I will return to Thailand soon and begin the process for a visa extension (Non-O) retirement (money in bank method).

Your extension has expired. 

Guessing your plan is to return visa exempt.

First step will be to obtain a non O in Thailand.

Then later obtain a 12 month extension. 

If that's the case you may be asked by airline to show onward flight.

 

If you are obtaining the non O in the UK an onward flight is not required. 

Ask your airline if you're allowed to board with one way flight. I've travelled 14 years with no onward flight and never had a problem 

 

If you ask your airline and they say yes it's ok you have no problem (as immigration not likely to ask or care)

In all the years I have flown with a one way, I don't recall ever being stopped or asked about it once. 

43 minutes ago, Deserted said:

In all the years I have flown with a one way, I don't recall ever being stopped or asked about it once. 

There we have it. 

Proof an onward ticket is NEVER asked for by airline for folk flying to Thailand without a visa or reentry permit. 

 

12 hours ago, Deserted said:

In all the years I have flown with a one way, I don't recall ever being stopped or asked about it once. 

Ah... the ‘seat belt’ argument....   I never had a crash so never needed a seatbelt !!...

 

Op: As UbonJoe and DrJack54 wrote... 

- Visa exempt = you should have a a return ticket

- With visa = no need an onward ticket

 

The reason for this are the immigration requirements:

- If entering with a Visa, Immigration requirement do not require you to have an onward flight. 

- If entering Visa, Immigration requirements state that you must have an onward flight (within 30 days).

 

The reality is Immigration very rarely check this (if ever, but they can).

The reality also is that Airlines can and do check this as they are the ones on the hook for the cost of your return should immigration reject your visa exempt entry.

 

Mileage clearly varies - some posters will argue they have never been asked to show an Onward / return ticket when travelling into Thailand Visa exempt (as per Deserted), others, myself included have been checked....  

 

Nearly every time I fly to Thailand the Check-In staff check for my Visa (I’m flying into Thailand about 8 times per year - so thats pretty regular checks when travelling from Middle East, UK, Japan).

 

In the past (about 15 years ago before I held a long term visa and I was entering visa exempt I was regularly I asked to show an onward ticket, not every time - but perhaps about 4 out of 10 times. 

Thanks everyone.

2 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

There we have it. 

Proof an onward ticket is NEVER asked for by airline for folk flying to Thailand without a visa or reentry permit. 

 

I always got asked when staying longer then 30 d , for " onward ticket" or visa .

5 hours ago, Londinium said:

Will I be allowed to travel with a one-way ticket. I’ve seen conflicting advice on this.

It is never conflicting. It's always hot miss. IOs generally don't ask but they can still ask you. The same with airlines. If you have travelled extensively throughout the world you would already know this.

17 minutes ago, Londinium said:

Thanks everyone.

Use this site    onwardticket.com.   and book a flight from BKK to a neighbouring country a couple of days before your exempt entry expires ( now 45 days ), book it the day before you leave the U.K. It is a genuine booking and can be checked by check in staff, print it out if possible but not necessary.

It will expire after 2 days so no need to cancel.

Cost ?   US$14 

51 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Use this site    onwardticket.com.   and book a flight from BKK to a neighbouring country a couple of days before your exempt entry expires ( now 45 days ), book it the day before you leave the U.K. It is a genuine booking and can be checked by check in staff, print it out if possible but not necessary.

It will expire after 2 days so no need to cancel.

Cost ?   US$14 

Hi Andrew,

 

I had same problem and thoughts as Londinium above.

 

My wife and I - both non Thai - ran for 10 years with Non O 12 month Retirments - CM a great spot.

 

2020 saw the whole thing fall apart due to Covid - now looking to pick up the threads.

Had thought to try using a train ticket - but your suggestion much better.

 

Still have our Banks etc there - so your 'onwardticket' is last piece in jig saw - thanks so much for that.

Best Rgds.

7 hours ago, factseeker said:

Had thought to try using a train ticket - but your suggestion much better

A train ticket won't cut it.

Must be onward flight. 

12 hours ago, aussiexpat said:

Ask your airline if you're allowed to board with one way flight. I've travelled 14 years with no onward flight and never had a problem 

And you have never flown visa exempt on an LCC from many nearby, and quite a few not so nearby, countries.

11 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

There we have it. 

Proof an onward ticket is NEVER asked for by airline for folk flying to Thailand without a visa or reentry permit. 

 

Just someone sharing their own experience, which differs from your advice. Like most things in life It can go either way. 

Arriving at Suvarnabhumi airport on 19 September this year before even looking at my passport the I.O. asked; "How long are you staying for?". I advised her I didn't know but I have a Retirement Extension and a Reentry Permit. No further questions. Presumably if I'd said less than 30 days I'd have been OK. If longer, was she preparing to deny entry?

14 hours ago, Onerak said:

It is never conflicting. It's always hot miss. IOs generally don't ask but they can still ask you. The same with airlines. If you have travelled extensively throughout the world you would already know this.

Not necessarily true. Yes some airlines do check but not all, nor always. I've never been asked for an onward ticket and I've traveled to Thailand since 1984, well over 100 times on a variety of airlines. Does it make sense to have yes but if you feel lucky and wanna roll the dice, go for it. 

6 hours ago, Dan O said:

Just someone sharing their own experience, which differs from your advice. Like most things in life It can go either way. 

And because ‘it can go either way’.... the intelligent choice is to air on the side of caution... 

 

Thus: The comments such as “I’ve been flying for years and never been checked” only serve to offer flawed influence... 

 

... in any such situation following the regulations and safeguarding against potential issues is the only intelligent option, anything else is simply a gamble. 

 

 

24 minutes ago, Dan O said:

Does it make sense to have yes but if you feel lucky and wanna roll the dice, go for it. 

You said it....  “If you feel lucky and wanna roll the dice”....    I think most people don’t want to roll the dice when it concerns international travel.

20 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

If you have a valid visa to use for entry to the country no return or onward ticket is required.

If entering visa exempt the airline can as to see a return or onward ticket out of the country within 30 days of entry.

Isn't  a Visa exempt 45 days for 4-5 more months by decree for many countries?

11 minutes ago, Elkski said:

Isn't  a Visa exempt 45 days for 4-5 more months by decree for many countries?

Yes the 30 day visa waiver is currently 45 days till March 31.

Onward flight could be within the 45 days.

Airline staff possibly not even aware of this temporary change.

 

23 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

And because ‘it can go either way’.... the intelligent choice is to air on the side of caution... 

 

Thus: The comments such as “I’ve been flying for years and never been checked” only serve to offer flawed influence... 

 

... in any such situation following the regulations and safeguarding against potential issues is the only intelligent option, anything else is simply a gamble. 

 

 

I never said it was smart, I just said it's another person's experience

22 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

You said it....  “If you feel lucky and wanna roll the dice”....    I think most people don’t want to roll the dice when it concerns international travel.

It's up to the individual. Again read what I wrote. I never said dont have one  but if you don't you are taking a chance.  

28 minutes ago, Elkski said:

Isn't  a Visa exempt 45 days for 4-5 more months by decree for many countries?

I thought so... the Emergency Decree has been lifted.

 

... I think visa exempt is still 45 days (the issue is that Thailand is pretty slack when it comes to updating official information). 

 

For example: the MFA page below states 45 days (yet most of the MFA webpage itself doesn’t work !)

https://image.mfa.go.th/mfa/0/zE6021nSnu/เอกสาร/VOA.pdf

 

The Immigration webpage states 30 days. 

https://www.immigration.go.th/en/?page_id=2771

 

 

And this is why some of the best information can be found on forums such as this. 

 

 

That said: there is an IATA* list of information that the airlines themselves use - its is the information on this site that the Airlines rely on when checking documentation.

 

*I can’t seem to find that IATA site.

 

17 minutes ago, Dan O said:

I never said it was smart, I just said it's another person's experience

Your comment presented a degree of validation towards someones ‘personal experience’ which contradicts official advice....   

 

 

18 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

There we have it. 

Proof an onward ticket is NEVER asked for by airline for folk flying to Thailand without a visa or reentry permit. 

 

???? Sometimes in my experience they do and even have got confused as to whether I had  valid extension of permission to stay and re entry stamp. They kept looking at the expired visa on which these were based. Next level up had to be consulted before my check in was allowed. Respected airline, but not direct flight which may have had something to do with it.

16 minutes ago, Kalasin Jo said:

19 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

There we have it. 

Proof an onward ticket is NEVER asked for by airline for folk flying to Thailand without a visa or reentry permit. 

 

???? Sometimes in my experience they do and even have got confused as to whether I had  valid extension of permission to stay and re entry stamp. They kept looking at the expired visa on which these were based. Next level up had to be consulted before my check in was allowed. Respected airline, but not direct flight which may have had something to do with it.

 

I've had similar issues in the past. 

When checking in using a return ticket, I was told I needed an onward ticket. 

 

The check-in staff called their supervisor who then also had to get on the phone to confirm that I didn’t need an onward ticket when holding a visa. 

 

I’ve flown out of this particular destination in the Middle East and they’re extremely fastidious and have got it wrong on a few occasions, particularly when the regulations were changing and evolving through Covid. 

It’s interesting to note, although slightly off the topic, that for a single use tourist visa, there now seems to be an option, on the London Thai Embassy site, of filling in the old form (and, presumably, posting it off with one’s passport) as well as applying for the online, stickerless, visa.

airline once called me to be sure I had a visa with my one way ticket (klm)
 

Dec. 2015 flying out of the US.  I was asked for my onward flight by Delta.  I had a booking for Vietnam setup.  I also had an O-A Visa obtained in person at Thailand Embassy in DC.  Maybe the lady just wanted to slowdown the hansum man.  Returned here a couple months ago with "Onwardticket" booked.  Was not asked.