be going bangkok in a few months to study for a year

the school have said i can apply in this country before i go to thailand, do the first visa run when i get there

but to get my first stap to get through the airport to i need to show i have a return flight??

as i want to buy a one way ticket??

???? cheers

If you get papers from the school to apply for an ED-visa in in your home country and you recieve it, you will not need a return ticket.

Hi if you dont have the paper before you leave your country just applie for a TOURIST VISA and its ok if you have only one way tickets

Hi Again just come in Thailand Whit a TOURIST VISA you can buy only one way and in Thailand you go see some school and you applie here more easy

If you are unable to obtain your Non-Ed visa before you travel, a tourist visa would indeed be the next best option as your airline may refuse you boarding if you are not in possession of either a valid visa or air ticket out of the country within 30 days of arrival to meet immigration requirements. If arriving on tourist visa you would then need to travel to consulate abroad to obtain single entry Non-ED visa with papers from the school. 90 day permission to stay received on entry and then extend at Thai immigration (90 days at a time for language school or 12 months if studying at government sponsored school/university) with paperwork from the school.

Any visa will do.

Only passengers going on visa exempt stamp can be stopped if they don't have a return ticket.

I just did it in January a one way ticket was fine. I was not asked any questions about a return ticket at immigration. I did have funds in cash to show them I had the resources to buy the ticket in case they had asked.

Immigration tends to rely on the airlines to 'police' the immigration entry requirement. If entry into the Kingdom is refused the airline will be fined and will have to pick up the costs of passenger repatriation. For long haul flights that can be expensive, and most airlines therefore do not take that risk. There have been many reports of travelers being denied boarding for not having outbound tickets, and being forced to buy very expensive ticket at the airport just to be allowed to board their flight. Most of them complaining on being treated harsh/wrongly, when the rules are clearly there.

Immigration tends to rely on the airlines to 'police' the immigration entry requirement. If entry into the Kingdom is refused the airline will be fined and will have to pick up the costs of passenger repatriation. For long haul flights that can be expensive, and most airlines therefore do not take that risk. There have been many reports of travelers being denied boarding for not having outbound tickets, and being forced to buy very expensive ticket at the airport just to be allowed to board their flight. Most of them complaining on being treated harsh/wrongly, when the rules are clearly there.

The airlines did not ask me whether I had a return or one way ticket when I checked in or boarded the flight.

Having made over 150 international air trips in my life, I have never been asked about a return ticket to any destination that I have flown, whether I had one or not.

Well, some airlines don't check and run the risk of being fined if someone is denied entry, as well as having to pay for the return flight.

I have on many occasions been asked about my visa, so have many other members. Some even had to buy a ticket out of Thailand within 30 days of arrival before they were allowed to board.