Onward Travel Documents Required For Foreigners Married To Thai?

[Digitalbanana]

As a UK national married to Thai I have arrived in Thailand on a 30 day visa exempt stamps, extended it 60 days for marriage then got a 3 month non imm O from Bangkok immigration extendable 1 year. Usually from neighboring Asian countries.

Whilst checking in for a flight from LHR to Bangkok with Thai wife using a return portion of BKK-LHR-BKK flight I was told if I had no visa I'd need an onward ticket. Anyone have any experiences with this, as onward journey could be more than year away? I tried discussing with airline staff but they said rules were rules and no visa entrants only get 30 days max - the marriage didn't come into it and an onward ticket is needed. (FWIW I had a Non Imm visa so was ok, but next time I might not as I travel a lot for work).

Edited August 30, 2010 by Digitalbanana

[Mario2008]

The rule is if you have a visa (or are on an extension of stay with a re-entry permit) OR you have a ticket out of the country within 30 days of arrival. That you have a Thai wife is irrelevant for the airline. They get fined and have to pay for your flight back if immigration finds out they let you board the plane without a visa or ticket out.

[steve187]

Hi and thanks for the post, just to clarify you arrived on a 30 visa exempt entry, extended it by a 60 day visit thai wife visa from immigration at a cost of 1,900 baht, am i correct so far?. what was the next visa you got and from where? if it was a 90 days non immigrant from Bangkok immigration was it a conversion from something? sorry to seem dense.

[Mario2008]

Seems he applied for a conversion to a non-O visa at immigration in Bangkok for 2,000 baht and then extended it for 1 year for 1,900 baht. A normal route, but easier if one has the time to just get the non-O visa to start with.

[steve187]

Thanks Mario

[Digitalbanana]

Ok, good to know guys for Europe trips. Doesn't seem to apply flying within Asia as the airlines never ask me here.

Edited August 30, 2010 by Digitalbanana

[Digitalbanana]

Seems he applied for a conversion to a non-O visa at immigration in Bangkok for 2,000 baht and then extended it for 1 year for 1,900 baht. A normal route, but easier if one has the time to just get the non-O visa to start with.

Yes, seems like immigration lets one in based on marriage without any visa and extend to a year but some airlines won't let you on flight without visa or onward ticket. Seems odd, but if that's the rule, I can follow it with some cheap throw away budget airline onward ticket I guess as getting a visa abroad is not always convenient. I guess some folks only find this out when they try and check in for a long haul flight which must be a nuisance?

[Digitalbanana]

The rule is if you have a visa (or are on an extension of stay with a re-entry permit) OR you have a ticket out of the country within 30 days of arrival.

Can anyone help with any pointers to reference material on where these rules are posted please? Recently I was informed of a colleague who has an extension of stay based on retirement and was refused entry on an EVA air flight out of the US with a return portion ticket back to Thailand without an onward ticket out of Thailand. After lots of waiting at the check in counter with his Thai wife by his side he was eventually allowed on after signing some disclaimer form with the airline that they won't be responsible for any immigration issues on arrival in Thailand.

It would be nice if one could turn up with said disclaimers or the rule book to show to check in staff that appear to front a moving goal post at the last minute when checking in for a flight.

[AussieKenny]

It would be nice if one could turn up with said disclaimers or the rule book to show to check in staff that appear to front a moving goal post at the last minute when checking in for a flight.

First, as far as the airlines are concerned, I don't think you'll find it written in any rule book.

But the fact is, they will often refuse to carry you unless you have a ongoing (they don't care where or with who).

The only exemption is when you have a visa to enter already in your passport.

As to "moving goal post at the last minute". They have been asking for ongoing for at least five years.

Second. applying for a visa at a Thai embassy is another matter completely.

One of the items they often list is "proof of paid fare out of Thailand by the end of the applied for visa".

Whether they demand this I don't know. I just got a 12 month non imm "0" in Penang and showed no ongoing.

Kenny

[lopburi3]

It is clearly stated that the requirement for onward travel applies to visa exempt entry as:

Immigration officers can request visitors who are visa

exempt to show return/onward tickets and documents required

for next destination.

on the IATA data base of requirements which all airlines have access. Below is open access visa Delta Airlines:

http://www.delta.com/planning_reservations/plan_flight/international_travel_information/visa_passport_information/index.jsp

EVA are very strict on this and I had the same issue with them a few years ago but I pointed out the re-entry permit is the same as a visa and it was quickly cleared.

[Digitalbanana]

The only exemption is when you have a visa to enter already in your passport.

As to "moving goal post at the last minute". They have been asking for ongoing for at least five years.

Thanks. In the EVA air case I reported the passenger had a Thai visa (multi re-entry for a yearly extended retirement extension of stay) but was still asked for onward travel which, based on replies here, suggests the airline was wrong to even ask for a disclaimer from him.

A similar thing happened to me in UK this yr. I had a Thai re-entry visa but the airline (Etihad) asked for my "residence permit" in absence of on onward flight. After a long discussion they accepted the re-entry visa. Maybe I have just been made aware of two bad experiences and the procedure hasn't actually changed for several yrs as you have pointed out.