Boarding Pass Required . . .

[technocracy]

Well after a very comfortable trip back from Sydney to Bkk in a very nice 777 in Business Class we wander up to passport control. First thing that ticked me off was that the 'Fast track' for Business Class passengers no longer exists or First Class as far as I could see, but anyway there was minimal queues anyway being pretty much first off the plane.

As normal handed over the passports for me and the wife (complete with arrival forms) to the women at the counter the conversation went like this:

women: where is your boarding pass?'

me: on the plane in the pocket of the seat that was in front of me.

women: <big sigh> <tut> <rolling eyes> why?

me: well because I have no need for it

women: where have you come from?

me: Sydney, flight TG994

women: <looks around> <more tuts> <examines both passports with great intensity>

Eventually after several minutes of deliberating and general pissing about she decided to stamp our passports and let us through. Me having a UK passport (with lots of Thai stamps) and my wife being Lao I wasn't expecting any favours. I thought at one stage she was going to tell me go back and get the passes!!

So what the hel_l is this all about?!?! Why do I need my Boarding Pass at Passport Control??? I have NEVER in ANY airport (and I've been quite a few!) needed my boarding pass to get through passport control!

BKK seem to have rules upon themselves - just like the pictures at passport control - no other airport I know of requires this.

The flight out to Sydney had an equally bizarre occurance at boarding time we left the lounge and wander down to the gate passing through the security and fluids check. We reached the gate (about 100m walk) to be greeted by a huge queue at the top of the stairs of the gate - ANOTHER fluids check!?!? Was this one to check for incompetance at the one we had passed through not 5 minutes before??

[jackmuu]

I have been asked for a boarding pass at Ben Gurion in Israel and in the USA also. I was in Europe once and the guy in front of me was told to go back to the plane and get his that he had left behind. It is always a good bet to keep all documents with you. Even though I have a Thai visa and never been asked for a boarding pass or a return ticket I keep them with me because I know I could be asked for it. Every country has it's own special rules, and as a very frequent traveller all over the world none are worse than america airports where one check in girl demanded to know my address in Thailand???

Anyone who is a frequent visitor to BKK should know what is required, there are plenty of signs at the immigration saying that you need a boarding pass and return ticket, whether you are asked for it or not.

I don't think I have been photographed at any other airport apart from in the UK when you leave, but the yanks do take your fingerprints.

[peter991]

one check in girl demanded to know my address in Thailand???

That seems to be happening quite often at Suvarnabhumi Airport lately. Officious men demanding to know where you are staying in Thailand. Too bad if you haven't pre-booked your accommodation.

Peter

[ercorn]

If taken to the extreme could they deny you entry because you don`t have a boarding pass?? I doubt it as it`s easy enough for them to find out which flight you came in on..Just another Thai immigration officer that should be wearing a hello kitty armband.

[samran]

previous reports on TV has alluded to the fact that bording passes have been asked for due to the fact that people have been doing 'visa runs' in the airport. ie. checking in, not boarding the plane, and then somehow making it to the arrivals hall and re-entering Thailand, probably with a little help from a dodgy airport employee. ie. the person never went anywhere.

Hence, immigration - a sepearate department to AOT are cracking down to catch these people out.

As for reporting addresses, that is pretty standard wherever you go. The US and the UK are particularly inistant that you know where you are staying the first night from my own personal experience.

[jackmuu]

I should just clear up that of course I state my address on the arrival card, but this was a check in girl in the states.

She said, have you got anything to say that you live in Thailand? I replied, In addition to the Visa? Oh yeah, didn't see that, sorry.

If anyone thinks immigration in at Bangkok is bad, you need to get out more, it is one of the better ones.

Edited August 8, 2007 by jackmuu

[lomatopo]

There are signs at passport control here at BKK stating that you should have your passport/visa, arrival card, boarding card and proof of onward travel ready for inspection. I have never been asked for my boarding card or proof of onward travel. They do ask for the boarding card when I make a duty-free purchase on arrival, either before passport control or after (in the baggage claim area). In general it's always a good idea to keep your boarding card if only to sort out frequent flier mileage issues post flight. Also leaving a document with your full name and frequent flier account number for anyone to pick up seems unwise in these days of increased identity theft.

For travel from the U.S. to Thailand please note that the carrier is responsible for transporting you back from Thailand were you to be denied entry. Therefore they do perform some extra checks to insure that you will likely be allowed entry in to Thailand. Some carriers, UA and NW specifically, have been known to deny boarding to travelers on one-way tickets to Thailand who do not have visas, or to round-trip travelers whose stay exceeds 30 days.

[technocracy]

There are signs at passport control here at BKK stating that you should have your passport/visa, arrival card, boarding card and proof of onward travel ready for inspection.

I did actually see them whilst waiting for her deliberation as whether she was going to stamp the passport or not.

However the main point of the matter is IF the requirement is that you MUST show your boarding pass at passport control then would it not be wise that it be announced on-board the flight so you know not just leave it in the pocket or on the floor. When you leave a aircraft and you walk from the back you see them discarded everywhere so I know it's not just me!

On the note of the miles - yes this is a good point but I've never had a problem as I always show my card at check in and make sure my number is on the ticket then you know it is registered.

[sjaak327]

previous reports on TV has alluded to the fact that bording passes have been asked for due to the fact that people have been doing 'visa runs' in the airport. ie. checking in, not boarding the plane, and then somehow making it to the arrivals hall and re-entering Thailand, probably with a little help from a dodgy airport employee. ie. the person never went anywhere.

Hence, immigration - a sepearate department to AOT are cracking down to catch these people out.

As for reporting addresses, that is pretty standard wherever you go. The US and the UK are particularly inistant that you know where you are staying the first night from my own personal experience.

That is exactly the reason, and you don't have to have any help from a dodgy airport employee, as it is dead easy at Suvarnabhumi to go down to the arrival level from international departures. Just take the escalator. I do it all the time to get a smoke in one of the smoking rooms on the second level, as I have never found a place to smoke on level 4.

[Captain Chaos]

They certainly used to ask for boarding passes at Don Muang immigration, but I personally found it was a 'sometimes' thing ... I was on a Non-Imm 'B' visa when DM was operating - wonder if that made any difference?

When SVB opened they seemed not to bother asking for boarding passes for a while, but it seems to have returned now - linked to the general 'revision' of visa / immigration rules?

ALthough I can't fathom why Thai Immigration want to see the boarding pass (previous explanations seem a little unlikely to me, even for 'visa runners') - I don't see it as a big problem - I always hang on to all relevant docs' until I get to my apartment anyway.

CC

[Pink Mist]

There has been an increasing amount of "stowaways" occuring lately, so the boarding pass is neccesary to ensure you werent hiding in an engine, under a wing or in the wheel well, cant be to carefull

[DirkGently]

Why do they do this? Is it to check you have arrived in the country? Maybe the passport girl can't be sure!

[Payboy]

it's not that difficult it to put a boarding pass in your pocket instead of the seat in front of you....would save you such trouble at immigration and the time to write this rant.

[jackspratt]

previous reports on TV has alluded to the fact that bording passes have been asked for due to the fact that people have been doing 'visa runs' in the airport. ie. checking in, not boarding the plane, and then somehow making it to the arrivals hall and re-entering Thailand, probably with a little help from a dodgy airport employee. ie. the person never went anywhere.

How does this work?

Surely if the immigration officer checks your passport they will see that you have an outward stamp from a short time previously (unless of course you were Tom Hanks )

[zink]

previous reports on TV has alluded to the fact that bording passes have been asked for due to the fact that people have been doing 'visa runs' in the airport. ie. checking in, not boarding the plane, and then somehow making it to the arrivals hall and re-entering Thailand, probably with a little help from a dodgy airport employee. ie. the person never went anywhere.

Aircrafts are loaded and emptied using the same bridges, people entering and exiting the aircraft are using the same space in the airport. After you pass immigration on departure, you usually don't need any special assistance to go back to the arrival immigration.

[zink]

previous reports on TV has alluded to the fact that bording passes have been asked for due to the fact that people have been doing 'visa runs' in the airport. ie. checking in, not boarding the plane, and then somehow making it to the arrivals hall and re-entering Thailand, probably with a little help from a dodgy airport employee. ie. the person never went anywhere.

How does this work?

Surely if the immigration officer checks your passport they will see that you have an outward stamp from a short time previously (unless of course you were Tom Hanks )

Thai stamp contains the just date, not time. How does immigration officer knows that the stamp was given e.g. 10 hours ago instead of just 1 hour ago just by looking at stamps?

[jackspratt]

previous reports on TV has alluded to the fact that bording passes have been asked for due to the fact that people have been doing 'visa runs' in the airport. ie. checking in, not boarding the plane, and then somehow making it to the arrivals hall and re-entering Thailand, probably with a little help from a dodgy airport employee. ie. the person never went anywhere.

How does this work?

Surely if the immigration officer checks your passport they will see that you have an outward stamp from a short time previously (unless of course you were Tom Hanks )

Thai stamp contains the just date, not time. How does immigration officer knows that the stamp was given e.g. 10 hours ago instead of just 1 hour ago just by looking at stamps?

Perhaps their computer system would tell them (we are talking about the airport).

[technocracy]

previous reports on TV has alluded to the fact that bording passes have been asked for due to the fact that people have been doing 'visa runs' in the airport. ie. checking in, not boarding the plane, and then somehow making it to the arrivals hall and re-entering Thailand, probably with a little help from a dodgy airport employee. ie. the person never went anywhere.

How does this work?

Surely if the immigration officer checks your passport they will see that you have an outward stamp from a short time previously (unless of course you were Tom Hanks )

Thai stamp contains the just date, not time. How does immigration officer knows that the stamp was given e.g. 10 hours ago instead of just 1 hour ago just by looking at stamps?

This idea of 'visa runs' in an airport is all good and well however who would go through the expense and pain in the arse of paying for a flight then checking in. Just to do a visa run? A ticket fare cheapest you could get is around 499baht (i've seen ad for Singapore) then 700baht tax so 1200baht just for the ticket. Next if they get a taxi from central Suk Rd say it'll be around 350-400 baht, so 700-800baht return. 2000 Baht surely would be sufficient for a bus to Cambodia and back? (I dunno I've never done it).

So 2000baht with probably a 99% possiblity of getting caught . .. . since they write your flight number next to the departed stamp in your passport. I guess the only feasible thing you could do is hang around in the airport then for however many hours until a returning flight from where your ticket was book til comes in. Since suscipions would be raised at any airport where a foreigner has 'departed' and returned on the same day.

All sounds a hel_l of a lots of effort for very little!

Also as Jackspratt has said they swipe your passport and take a picture - I am pretty sure they'll be timestamped!

As I say if Thailand has a policy that you must show you boarding pass at Immigration they why not forewarn people? Payboy you see if they did this then I wouldn't of disgarded a my used boarding pass stub and the problem wouldn't of occurred. I've never been asked for a boarding pass at any arriving immigration point anywhere in world .... except this one time.

Edited August 8, 2007 by technocracy

[kelvinj]

previous reports on TV has alluded to the fact that bording passes have been asked for due to the fact that people have been doing 'visa runs' in the airport. ie. checking in, not boarding the plane, and then somehow making it to the arrivals hall and re-entering Thailand, probably with a little help from a dodgy airport employee. ie. the person never went anywhere.

How does this work?

Surely if the immigration officer checks your passport they will see that you have an outward stamp from a short time previously (unless of course you were Tom Hanks )

Thai stamp contains the just date, not time. How does immigration officer knows that the stamp was given e.g. 10 hours ago instead of just 1 hour ago just by looking at stamps?

Perhaps their computer system would tell them (we are talking about the airport).

I still don't see how this can work, what about the missing entry/exit stamp and visa from the country you supposedly flew to?

[technocracy]

I still don't see how this can work, what about the missing entry/exit stamp and visa from the country you supposedly flew to?

Forgot about that as well!

[sjaak327]

No problem for missing entry/exit stamp, I have never seen a thai immigration officer just so much as look at it (and I have loads of stamps from neighboring countries) They go straight for an empty spot in your passport to stamp you in. (and probably looking at previous Thai stamps). They don't even know where you are comming from, (without asking for the boarding pass)

Also I can see the advantage, even if it was in time. 2000 baht will indeed get you on an organised visa run to Cambodia, but it will take at least 9 hours, a return ticket to Phom Phem is nowadays around 499 baht on air asia, add the taxes should be around 1500 baht, so that is still cheaper, taxi to Suvarnabhumi and back another 350 baht, so for the same money, but considerably less time you could actually do a visa run at the airport. Also I think they only asked me one time for it anyway.

[jackspratt]

No problem for missing entry/exit stamp, I have never seen a thai immigration officer just so much as look at it (and I have loads of stamps from neighboring countries)

That is not what others are reporting - if you don't have a visa when you arrive, (ie you are looking at a permitted to stay for 30 days stamp) they seem to be going through passports with a fine tooth comb.

And it still does not get over the problem of your departure as recorded on the immigration computer.

[sjaak327]

No problem for missing entry/exit stamp, I have never seen a thai immigration officer just so much as look at it (and I have loads of stamps from neighboring countries)

That is not what others are reporting - if you don't have a visa when you arrive, (ie you are looking at a permitted to stay for 30 days stamp) they seem to be going through passports with a fine tooth comb.

And it still does not get over the problem of your departure as recorded on the immigration computer.

I guess only to make sure you haven't spend 90 days in thailand. Remember, when comming from Europe you wouldn't even have any stamps in your passport, I will be flying in with a whole new passport, without any stamps, now surely Thai immigration will not be interested in any non thai stamps, I mean without a boarding pass, I could have flown in from a country that doesn't even stamp people in (like many European countries).

I agree though that IF the time is recorded on the computer, then it will probably not work.

[torrenova]

They had a notice at DM in the latter days as well. Was asked once at Swampy and had it but was not asked last month when I knew I had lost it as I couldn't even find it after sitting down. NO idea why and I'm sure they cannot send you back to the plane as they would be getting it ready for the next trip.

[Robski]

I also got asked for my boarding pass when arriving at BKK, I thought it rather strange, but luckily I had it on me.

It would have been nice to have been forewarned though.

Edited August 12, 2007 by Robski

[britmaveric]

Should always save them..... normally do for FF purposes. Need verify miles are credited before I toss them.

[moonhunt]

Similar thing happened to me on March 26.

I was came in from Chicago, USA through Narita Tokyo, Japan via United Airlines.

When I approached to immigration officer's window, he asked "ticket".

So I showed return ticket as most other airport asked.

He was not speaking in English well, and he spoke something further.

Later I recognized he asked for boarding pass for incoming flight.

Usually when they checked the flight number from immigration form along with name from passport, they could confirm whether this person wrote true or not.

I guess Thai AoT doesn't have computer system with those kind database capability.

Maybe put big sign in front of passport control area saying that you need your passport, E/D card filled out, incoming flight boarding pass along with other things to facilitate the process, or something like that.

[ovenman]

The requirement to show one's boarding pass to Thai immigrations seems pretty hit and miss. Mostly miss for me. Immigrations started the boarding pass inspection a few summers back at Don Muang, were fairly strict about it for a while, and then enforced the requirement spottily. I never hand over my boarding pass with my passport and TM.6 form, and I don't honestly recollect the last time immigrations actually asked to see it.

That said, no other country that I travel to seems to have such a requirement for inbound immigrations (although I'm sure that some exist). Before anybody adds the seemingly obligatory "It's the Thais country and they can enforce whatever rule they want", don't bother as I have already done so for you.

[Eff1n2ret]

UK legislation requires the inbound carrier to pay removal and detention costs of anybody who is refused entry. I imagine the Thais have much the same rules.

The immigration authorities would, along with the notice requiring the airline to remove the pax, also have to produce evidence of the inbound carriage. In the old days, a copy of the ticket would suffice. In these days of e-tickets etc, the easiest proof would be the boarding card stub, particularly for an IO in somewhere like Thailand whose English might not be up to deciphering the info on an internet printout.

So, when you turn up at the desk it's probably just part of the routine to ask you for it straight away, rather than try and get it out of you later on if they think there's a problem.

I guess it's nothing more sinister than that.

[kevc]

previous reports on TV has alluded to the fact that bording passes have been asked for due to the fact that people have been doing 'visa runs' in the airport. ie. checking in, not boarding the plane, and then somehow making it to the arrivals hall and re-entering Thailand, probably with a little help from a dodgy airport employee. ie. the person never went anywhere.

How can they get stamped in without a recent exit stamp in their passort from the country they are supposed to have come from.