Japanese Transit Visa For Thai

[TRIPxCORE]

Some background first:

I'm American and wife is Thai citizen with legal resident alien green card status in the USA. Going to and from LOS, I prefer to travel through Tokyo (NRT) because it saves me time and money. Have gotten two transit visas for the wife before from the Japanese Consulate in LA. It was a simple form, proof of travel, small fee and leave the passport. That was it.

We are in Thailand now and I didnt get a transit visa for her before leaving the US. So we went to the Japanese consulate in BKK for one and what they wanted was ridiculous. Original Tabien Baan (sp?) and a copy, bank statements, proof of travel, two pictures, and fill-out form. Why would one consulate need something different than another one when its the same person, same passport, same everything? Needless to say, I was angry and left in a rage so we didn't get it.

It's my understanding now that if she has a confirmed airline ticket from Tokyo (NRT) to anywhere else that she doesn't need to be in possesion of a visa for Japan as they just want to make sure she will leave the country and not stay there. Is this correct? If so, whats the point of having transit visas in the first place?

You see, my problem lies in the fact that I work for an airline and everywhere we go, we fly stand-by. So the last time we tried to leave BKK to go to Japan we didn't have a visa and the customer service people wouldn't let my wife go because they said she needed a visa. Reason was that she didnt have confirmed ticket to get out of Japan and they fear her getting stuck there because going stand-by.

Going to be returning to US this week and I really want to go through Japan again. I will try to fly stand-by on my airline but not possess a visa for my wife. I was going to buy her a full fare, fully refundable ticket from Japan to Korea as her proof of transport out of Japan just in case we cannot get on stand-by our flight from NRT-LAX. Will this suffice for the customer service people letting my wife on the plane to Japan even though I don't plan on using the bought ticket? I will just refund the ticket when home. Thoughts?

[samran]

The fully fundable idea works. I have used that trick once to get into Mexico - AA wouldn't let me on without proof of onward travel - even though I never intended to use the ticket. As long as you are confident that the airline will refund it, then go for it.

Second best advice is to get the correct paper work. The embassy makes Thai's jump through hoops to get visas, so it is just par for the course.

Failing that (eg Tabien Baan not available, no bank account details handy), my advice is head down to the Jap embassy again (after taking a chill pill for good measure) and ask to have a nice calm chat to someone who is not a front line Thai member of staff at the embassy.

Explain your situation, show that your wife has a good record of transiting through japan, that you usually get your visas no problem in the US but couldn't this time, blah blah blah, usual sob story.

Calmly highlight the fact that she is legally resident in the US, that you work for an airline and get to fly stand by. In my experience, if you are able to persuade embassy officials via other methods that you are not a potential illegal immigrant, then things can be arranged.

For what its worth, a few years ago I was in BKK and wanted to travel to the US on a Thai PP. Even though I didn't have the correct documents that they usually require for Thai's for a visa, they still gave be a tourist visa based on the fact that I was usually resident in Australia and was likely to return to Australia at the end of my journey.

Edited January 16, 2005 by samran

[sas_cars]

Why didn't u use Australian PP samran?I think it greatly facilitates travel around the world.I think Australians don't require a visa to enter USA or either Japan or Mexico.

[samran]

Why didn't u use Australian PP samran?I think it greatly facilitates travel around the world.I think Australians don't require a visa to enter USA or either Japan or Mexico.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This was back in 1996. At the time Australians needed a physical visa (like thai's)to enter the US for tourist purposes. At the time I was in Thailand, so I though the Thai PP was as good as any. Having established my bona-fides, the US embassyu gave me a 10 year mulit-entry visa.

As for Mexico, you are correct that Australians don't need a visa. However, my plan was to fly in to Mexico, and then travel overland back up to the US. American Airlines though wouldn't let me on the plane, as they said mexican authorities require proof of onward travel before they let people in visa free. To get around this, I purchased a fully refundable ticket from them and simply got it refunded when I got back to San Diego a couple of weeks later.

[Girlfrombar]

what i need to ask tourist visa to japan?

my husband is on mission to tokyo for 2 weeks

and i will follow him

we plan to do AMS-BKK-NRT

i'm currently in BKK (i'm registered in holland and have legalised papers from there --i'm still holding THAI CITIZEN/PASSPORT)

and will wait him to join from AMS

then we will take a flight to tokyo

what documents i should show to the embassy of japan then?

[elsie]

what documents i should show to the embassy of japan then?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Check it out here.