Trouble For Chinese Tourists Coming To Thailand

[solunamor]

Today my Chinese GF was prevented from boarding her flight to BKK to see me for 5 days.

Chinese immigration police at GZ airport stopped her...why? because she did not have a Thai visa.

Everyone knows that Chinese can get visa on arrival, but that did not change the

ridiculous view of Chinese immigration. She was booked on Air Asia flight, all papers in order, etc.

China citizens be warned...your own Govt will stop you from flying to Thailand

if you have no Thai visa in your passport. I dont know of another country that does this.

In other words, Thailand welcomes Chinese with VOA but China does not welcome its own citizens

getting a VOA. Of course this messed up our weekend plans...lost the money for prepaid hotel

booking in BKK and have to pay Air Asia to change the tickets.

Did anyone else have the same or similar experience?

Is there any remedy?

[solunamor]

If you have ever tried arguing with Chinese immigration police (or any other official)

then you will know the true meaning of arrogance (and of the Communist system).

[chiang mai]

There's seems to be more to the story than what has been described thus far. It's the responsibility of the airlines to ensure that passengers have a visa for the country they are travelling to and/or to ensure that the destination country offers VOA to the passenger, this is pretty much universal and would be unlikely to involve the police. Having previously lived in China for a few years I have arrived and departed a number of their airports and in China, just as in many other countries, the process of passport inspection and ticketing/visa check are very separate. So you say that Immigration Police prevented her from boarding so that suggests that she was issued a ticket and by default, passed the test for having a visa for her destination - the fact that the IP got involved after the ticket was issued suggests there may be other factors involved here.

[dman]

There's seems to be more to the story than what has been described thus far. It's the responsibility of the airlines to ensure that passengers have a visa for the country they are travelling to and/or to ensure that the destination country offers VOA to the passenger, this is pretty much universal and would be unlikely to involve the police. Having previously lived in China for a few years I have arrived and departed a number of their airports and in China, just as in many other countries, the process of passport inspection and ticketing/visa check are very separate. So you say that Immigration Police prevented her from boarding so that suggests that she was issued a ticket and by default, passed the test for having a visa for her destination - the fact that the IP got involved after the ticket was issued suggests there may be other factors involved here.

Agreed. I lived and worked in China for 4 years and travelled on numerous occasions to Thailand with Chinese nationals for both business and pleasure. There was never a problem for my Chinese friends to travel without a visa. There is definitely more to this story. Just a comment about Chinese immigration, they are much more consistent than Thai immigration when it comes to obtaining residency visa and work permits.

[WarpSpeed]

My Chinese Mrs. says the same thing but I reminded her that when we went to China to do some business and meet her family several years ago they grilled her at every immigration stop but just passed me right through so they are more strict on their own then they are on foreigners it's how they control and intimidate their own.

[steppenwolf108]

Sure it was really because of the Thai Visa?

If she had done already the check-in then she was ok to board as it's duty of the Airlines' staff to check this issues.

I got the feeling it was more about the travel warnings/limitations issued by the Government on travelling to Thailand [Hong Kong cancelled all tour packages for the next week or so].

Perhaps the IP did could not explain in full the reasons and was just ordered to come up with an excuse...

[thaibear1]

What I have to say it not concern China but some similar arbitrariness if immigration hn the Philippines. My girfriend 23 travel before to Hongkong, China and Taiwan. A half year later she want fly from Cebu via Manila to Bangkok. The immigration officer in Manila don't let her travel to Bangkok with the argument ther is the most of slave-trade etc.! 1 hour arguments don't succeeded and she lost the fly but stand in Manila, a town of a lot of criminality too without back ticket to Cebu.

I found by accident in the WEB of Philippine Embassy that Filipinas would need a letter of invitation from aborad and confirmed by the Phil Embassy. I send one by fax and they let her go out ONLY by good will of the immigration officer. 2 month later she travel again but with the confirmation from her Embassy and the Immigration Officer try again to stop her, after a 1/2 hour he asked 5000 PHP bribe. Happy she call me and I said, she must take the name of the officer and I fly to Manila to intervent. Only by this they let her go out

Sorry for long story but I guess also in China it is question of good-will of immigration officer. Try next time print out the entry / visa conditions from Thai Embassy, maybe it help

[rfukata]

besides all the factors mentioned which are accountable, I would think that the IMM Police may stopped the passenger

due in part of the political unrest in Thailand currently occurring in the interest of safety.

[Jonathanpattaya]

Maybe there has been a change of visa requirements in view of current events.

[solunamor]

Air Asia and other airlines do not stop Chinese citizens from traveling to Thailand because they know

that Chinese can get visa on arrival in Thailand. Thus Air Asia issued her a boarding pass and she proceeded

through immigration at GZ airport where she was stopped cold.

I am quite aware that ticketing and immigration are separate.

The problem was that immigration required her to have a Thai visa in her passport BEFORE boarding.

Another example of ridiculous Communist bureacracy (shabi in Chinese)

which really messed up our vacation plans for no other reason than silly bloody regulations

imposed by an authoritarian dictatorship on its own citizens.