I Was (nearly) Denied Checking In - On My Return Flight From Brisbane To Bangkok

[sorensen]

I live in Thailand, but as I on average work 4 weeks followed by 4 weeks off, the 30 days visa exemption on arrival have worked fine for me for years. This time I decided to take short holiday in Australia with the Thai gf and everything went fine until check-in for the return flight at Brisbane Airport last night.

Do you have a ticket for a connection flight out of Thailand, Sir?

Well, I don't and I usually just say I have an E-ticket and everything is fine, but not this time. They wanted proof of the ticket.

It was suggested by the Thai airways staff that I buy a fully refundable ticket from BKK-Phnom Penh with Qantas, but the guy at the Qantas desk was to say it the least very unfriendly.

After about an hours circus, uneasy waiting and a lot of polite talk, my butt was finally saved by something as unusual as ...................a VISA card from a Thai Bank.

At that point they said a Thai driver license would also be proof enough to show my "residency" in Thailand.

Yes, we all know the rules, I do need a visa or an onwards ticket so spare me the bashing. This rule is rarely enforced and a Thai VISA card or some sort of Thai ID might save the day.

Edited October 25, 2009 by sorensen

[InterestedObserver]

Interesting about the Thai VISA card or Thai drivers license being accepted to prove residency, and yes the rules are prominently covered on ThaiVisa Forum.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

I live in Thailand, but as I on average work 4 weeks followed by 4 weeks off, the 30 days visa exemption on arrival have worked fine for me for years. This time I decided to take short holiday in Australia with the Thai gf and everything went fine until check-in for the return flight at Brisbane Airport last night.

Do you have a ticket for a connection flight out of Thailand, Sir?

Well, I don't and I usually just say I have an E-ticket and everything is fine, but not this time. They wanted proof of the ticket.

It was suggested by the Thai airways staff that I buy a fully refundable ticket from BKK-Phnom Penh with Qantas, but the guy at the Qantas desk was to say it the least very unfriendly.

After about an hours circus, uneasy waiting and a lot of polite talk, my butt was finally saved by something as unusual as ...................a VISA card from a Thai Bank.

At that point they said a Thai driver license would also be proof enough to show my "residency" in Thailand.

Yes, we all know the rules, I do need a visa or an onwards ticket so spare me the bashing. This rule is rarely enforced and a Thai VISA card or some sort of Thai ID might save the day.

You are very lucky they uplifted you. If you had been denied entry to Thailand, TG would have been fined and would have to have carried you out of Thailand at their own expense. A multiple entry Non-Immigrant visa would solve all of your future problems.

[ricwoo09]

Some Mid-East airlines demand to see work permits these days - I take mine every time I go to the UK now....

[richard_smith237]

Some Mid-East airlines demand to see work permits these days - I take mine every time I go to the UK now....

Surely thats overkill. Anyone can enter Thailand on a one way ticket if they have a tourist visa.

How much would be lost if one were to purchase a ticket (i.e. Bkk-Phnom Penh) and then claim a refund?

[Soutpeel]

Some Mid-East airlines demand to see work permits these days - I take mine every time I go to the UK now....

You know this from personal experience ?...or is this latest urban myth you are listening to while sitting on a bar stool..

[chiang mai]

Both Cathay Pacific and Thai Airways out of London and Hong Kong have pulled that trick on me at various times over the years, before I got a retirement visa. The solution was to buy a fully refundable one way ticket out of Thailand which often took three months to refund to the credit card. Bey hey, those are the rules so no gripes from me.

[RubbaJohnny]

Some Mid-East airlines demand to see work permits these days - I take mine every time I go to the UK now....

Surely thats overkill. Anyone can enter Thailand on a one way ticket if they have a tourist visa.

How much would be lost if one were to purchase a ticket (i.e. Bkk-Phnom Penh) and then claim a refund?

NOT TRUE It is misleading perhaps you may and others from about 20% of nations and 12% of the world population that is visa exempt.Please get your facts correct.Less than half of Europes 50 odd countries are included

There is a ful list on the governments mfa website check for update

Finally boarding esp in OZ is at the discretion of the airline.

- Please note that Tourist Visa Exemption does not apply to foreigners holding Travel Document for Aliens issued by these countries.

- Foreigners entering Thailand under the Tourist Visa Exemption category must possess adequate finances for the duration of stay in Thailand (i.e., cash 10,000 Baht per person and 20,000 Baht per family). 1. Australia : Commonwealth of Australia

2. Austria : Republic of Austria

3. Belgium : Kingdom of Belgium

4. Brazil : Federative Republic of Brazil (****)

5. Bahrain : State of Bahrain

6. Brunei Darussalam : Negara Brunei Darussalam

7. Canada

8. Denmark : Kingdom of Denmark

9. Finland : Republic of Finland

10. France : French Republic

11. Germany : Federal Republic of Germany

12. Greece : Hellenic Republic

13. Hong Kong : Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

14. Iceland : Republic of Iceland

15. Indonesia : Republic of Indonesia

16. Ireland : Republic of Ireland

17. Israel : State of Israel

18. Italy : Republic of Italy

19. Japan

20. Korea : Republic of Korea (****)

21. Kuwait : State of Kuwait

22. Luxembourg : Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

23. Malaysia

24. Monaco : Principality of Monaco

25. Netherlands : Kingdom of the Netherlands

26. New Zealand

27. Norway : Kingdom of Norway

28. Oman : Sultanate of Oman

29. Peru : Republic of Peru (****)

30. Philippines : Republic of the Philippines

31. Portugal : Republic of Portugal

32. Qatar : State of Qatar

33. Singapore : Republic of Singapore

34. Spain : Kingdom of Spain

35. South Africa : Republic of South Africa

36. Sweden : Kingdom of Sweden

37. Switzerland : Swiss Confederation

38. Turkey : Republic of Turkey

39. United Arab Emirates

40. United Kingdom : United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

41. United States of America

42. Vietnam : Socialist Republic of Vietnam

[thaiphoon]

Some Mid-East airlines demand to see work permits these days - I take mine every time I go to the UK now....

Surely thats overkill. Anyone can enter Thailand on a one way ticket if they have a tourist visa.

How much would be lost if one were to purchase a ticket (i.e. Bkk-Phnom Penh) and then claim a refund?

NOT TRUE It is misleading perhaps you may and others from about 20% of nations and 12% of the world population that is visa exempt.Please get your facts correct.Less than half of Europes 50 odd countries are included

There is a ful list on the governments mfa website check for update

Finally boarding esp in OZ is at the discretion of the airline.

<<Snip>> ...

Richard_Smith237 was talking about entering Thailand on a tourist visa, not visa exempt entry ... If you meet the immigration requirements for Thailand that by itself will not prevent boarding. You can fly in to Thailand on a single ticket with any kind of visa as long as it is valid.

Edited October 25, 2009 by thaiphoon

[JimGant]

You can fly in to Thailand on a single ticket with any kind of visa as long as it is valid.

As far as the airlines are concerned......

But the following is a quote from the Thai Embassy Washington website re tourist visas:

A copy of round-trip ticket or itinerary paid in full

So, if the airlines don't give you a 'gotcha,' the Thai consulate just might.

And I know from a friend that Washington *does* indeed ask to see your airline ticket when applying for a tourist visa -- along with proof of money in a bank account. Wonder if they want to see multiple round-trip tickets if you apply for a 2 or 3 entry tourist visa.......?

[kiwiinasia]

I had a very similar problem a few years back.

Business Class

Air NZ (when they flew to BKK).

Check in Auck.

The problem was I had paid cash (remember that stuff) in BKK for my return ticket 75k odd it was.

Had a bang up at check in as they wanted proof of on going flight.

I showed them my 250 bkk stamps in my extended (48 pages) nz pp and my wp for HK, ID card for HK etc.

NOT enough.

I suggested to them that perhaps the fact that I was going business class might show that I had enough money to get out of Thailand on another flight.

Not enough.

Numerous wp for thailand

Not enough.

In other words the check staff and supervisor (I mad sure she got involved) could not think for themselves.

I had to show them a credit card and then everything was alright.

I said what if my cc is over limit and I cannot get a ticket on it?

Thats ok, that would be your problem not AirNZ.

Oh well, at least I made a scene for a few minutes.

Rule one, never get upset, always smile and say thankyou.

Makes them look stupid.

(I now the rules, I was just having fun before a boring flight)

[Osmosis]

Brisbane has to be one of the nastier airports for enforcing this rule.

Every time I fly to Thailand I get hassled by the folks at Brisbane airport. I often have a problem as I have a Lao Work permit, but fly to Thailand and get the train up to Laos. They really don't like anything out of the ordinary there, if you don't have a return ticket within two weeks they have a heart attack. I even had problems once, even though I had an onward flight to Laos booked a week later, they wanted to see a full return ticket to Australia.

I've decided it's just not worth the hassle anymore, so before I go back to Australia I pick up a tourist visa at the consulate in Vientiane. At least the Brisbane Airport drones understand this rule and don't seem to have a problem with one way flights with the visa in advance.

Edited October 25, 2009 by Osmosis

[sorensen]

I am "happy" to hear that others have had similar experiences and still got on the plane. It really is up the the check in staffs discretion of how strongly they want to enforce this rule. Generally if you just say you have an E-ticket, they will let you go and I have certainly never heard of any immigration officer demanding to see the ticket at Swampy.

[wpcoe]

How ironic: They let him travel one-way on a 30-day visa-exempt entry only after proving residency in Thailand (and he works here, as well?)

PS: I'm not judging sorensen, just pointing out the irony. More power to him, if he can use the system to his advantage.

[TheMysteriousMrTesla]

There certainly seems to be a clamping down on the onward ticket requirement.

I was delayed for some minutes (and of course those behind be) at Bangalore. I have a (free) Tourist Visa the check-in lady said they had received instructions from immigration that they must check all onward tickets. Some minutes of calmly asking that she check the IATA information, followed by a phone call to the supervisor netted the desired result

Edited October 26, 2009 by TheMysteriousMrTesla

[Mario2008]

How ironic: They let him travel one-way on a 30-day visa-exempt entry only after proving residency in Thailand (and he works here, as well?)

PS: I'm not judging sorensen, just pointing out the irony. More power to him, if he can use the system to his advantage.

Sorensen doesn't work in Thailand, his avatar gives you a clue about his work.

[Loknar]

When I fly from BKK to SGN (Vietnam), the TG staff at the Suvarnabhumi airport ask me my VN visa approval letter. But sometimes I already have a valid visa in VN, and I did not need to apply for a new one. They scared me one time that they could not let me go to VN, but after calmly explaining how VN visas work, she looked at me in the eye and decided to trust me.

Australians have it easy. They can get the APEC business travel card and go around asia, apparently unlimited stays without visa. They even can use the diplomatic row in most airport's customs. I'm Canadian, member of APEC, but Canada does not participate in this particular scheme last time I checked...

[GungaDin]

I am "happy" to hear that others have had similar experiences and still got on the plane. It really is up the the check in staffs discretion of how strongly they want to enforce this rule. Generally if you just say you have an E-ticket, they will let you go and I have certainly never heard of any immigration officer demanding to see the ticket at Swampy.

Hi, are you positive you were talking to TG staff and not the checkin agents for TG?

There are usually only 1 or 2 TG staff at checkin at BNE.

I had a problem with one of the useless TG agents and the TG (staff) lass sorted it out immediately, big loss of face for the TG agent.

[sibeymai]

Some Mid-East airlines demand to see work permits these days - I take mine every time I go to the UK now....

Surely thats overkill. Anyone can enter Thailand on a one way ticket if they have a tourist visa.

How much would be lost if one were to purchase a ticket (i.e. Bkk-Phnom Penh) and then claim a refund?

Sorry to bust your bubble Dick, but having a valid visa (of any kind) in no way guarantees the holder will be allowed to enter the country on arrival. Any seasoned traveller knows this.

[lopburi3]

But you are allowed to fly with a one way ticket if you have any kind of a visa for Thailand. And unless your are on the blacklist or naked the chance of being refused entry is very slim indeed.

Edited October 26, 2009 by lopburi3

[William Osborne]

i have had the same issue where I got hassle even though i said i had an e-ticket.

To be on the safe side when I was flying through that route , i would "modify" an old e-ticket receipt to have me flying onwards a couple of weeks after arriving.

[kurnell]

Isn't the re-entry permit proof of residence?

[dr_Pat_Pong]

How ironic: They let him travel one-way on a 30-day visa-exempt entry only after proving residency in Thailand (and he works here, as well?)

PS: I'm not judging sorensen, just pointing out the irony. More power to him, if he can use the system to his advantage.

Sorensen doesn't work in Thailand, his avatar gives you a clue about his work.

He went quiet.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Isn't the re-entry permit proof of residence?

Nope.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

When I fly from BKK to SGN (Vietnam), the TG staff at the Suvarnabhumi airport ask me my VN visa approval letter. But sometimes I already have a valid visa in VN, and I did not need to apply for a new one. They scared me one time that they could not let me go to VN, but after calmly explaining how VN visas work, she looked at me in the eye and decided to trust me.

Australians have it easy. They can get the APEC business travel card and go around asia, apparently unlimited stays without visa. They even can use the diplomatic row in most airport's customs. I'm Canadian, member of APEC, but Canada does not participate in this particular scheme last time I checked...

90 days, but specifically for business. Residency is not a feature of the program.

[sorensen]

Absolutely BRILLIANT Osborne,

A costom made e-ticket, that is the way to go. I am kind of sitting with the feeling: "Why didn't I think about that before?"

Anyway, for now I will just have the e-ticket handy on my laptop and not in print, that will make it more clumsy at check-in and just a click away for getting lost forever, if they start to check to much.

i have had the same issue where I got hassle even though i said i had an e-ticket.

To be on the safe side when I was flying through that route , i would "modify" an old e-ticket receipt to have me flying onwards a couple of weeks after arriving.

[seank]

Both Cathay Pacific and Thai Airways out of London and Hong Kong have pulled that trick on me at various times over the years, before I got a retirement visa. The solution was to buy a fully refundable one way ticket out of Thailand which often took three months to refund to the credit card. Bey hey, those are the rules so no gripes from me.

Cathy Pacific did the same thing to me so I wrote them a nasty letter but they dud take the time to cut/paste an apology back. It was because I had checked in over the internet and walked to the gate instead of getting a boarding pass at the checkin counter.

[kurnell]

Isn't the re-entry permit proof of residence?

Nope.

Why?

[Maestro]

Just like a visa, the re-entry permit gives the airline the assurance that it will not be fined if you should be refused entry into Thailand.

To people in the know the re-entry permit also indicates that you were in Thailand before and have permission to re-enter the country within the validity period of the permit, but this additional feature does not give proof of residence in Thailand. In fact, somebody might previously have arrived with a tourist visa, received permission to stay for 60 days, got a re-entry permit, left after 7 days, and returned to Thailand 10 days later. He is not a resident in Thailand, just has a balance left of the permission to stay he received on his previous entry.

--

Maestro

[mikemac]

The APEC card is actually a pre-approved visa for whatever countries are on your card. I think they are the best thing since sliced bread. They only give me 90 days when I enter Thailand, but in September I crossed the border at Mae Sai into Myanmar and did some shopping and when I walked back over the bridge into Thailand they gave me another 90 days. I had to stay overnight in Brunei on the way to Thailand back in June, they gave me a visa for 2 years, plus another stamp for 15 days. Hope Canada and the USA become full members.