I am an American living in Chiang Mai on a yearly retirement visa extension. I am currently in Kunming but I am returning to Thailand and want to take my Chinese GF to stay with me on a tourist visa. We want to go overland by bus, 1st visiting some places in China before crossing Laos, and finally crossing Thailand via Chiang Kong. I also plan to return to China with her after exhausting her tourist visa + extensions by bus as well. I get conflicting information from the Thai consulate sources in China. The Kunming Thai Consulate website says one must have a round trip air ticket. At the Thai consulate, the clerk showed me a document with visa info, saying I need a roundtrip or return ticket (don't remember which) by air, boat or bus. While in China, I would not even know how one can get round trip bus tickets between Thailand, Laos and China.

Does anyone have any recent experience getting a Chinese National into Thailand without flying?

Edited October 31, 201015 yr by vagabond48

You don't need to get an air ticket. Just give your GF's passport to a local travel agent. They won't charge you before the visa is done. The price is normally between RMB200-300.

Edited November 1, 201015 yr by roc634

One thing for sure , the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane/Laos do not issue Tourist Visa for Chinese Citizen.

If you travel overland without a Thai visa you can apply for a Visa on Arrival at Nong Khai border, but they will ask for a return ticket.

OP is getting the visa from China, not Lao.

If your not able to secure bus tickets return from China how about booking return flight that you can cancel after visa is issued?

OP is getting the visa from China, not Lao.

If your not able to secure bus tickets return from China how about booking return flight that you can cancel after visa is issued?

I know , but in case they planned to apply Visa while in Laos that would not be possible.

Thai Immigration would not accept bus return tictet , but a one way online air ticket , example Bangkok to Shanghai , departure within the validity of visa on arrival allowance (15days) would be acceptable. You can cancell or rebook ticket after entering Thailand.

thanks for the information