One-Way-Ticket To Thailand Possible?

[starcatcher]

I hope, I'm in the right forum for this topic. My travel agency can't help me right now. But maybe here someone knows, too:

A friend of mine wants to come to Cambodia. Not like a tourist, but stay there for the next one or two years. Officially he starts some work there (if required a confirmation from the Cambodian company isn't a problem). And he comes to Sihanoukville at the seaside, so the shortest and most fastest way is via bus from Bkk.

Actually he is not at his home country (he's working until March 31 in another EU-country), so he can not apply for a Khmer Business Visa in Europe right now. But he can make a Cambodian Tourist Visa online. I know already some friends (the Business Visa he will make at the Thai/Cambodian Border), they also arrived at Bkk on a one-way-ticket, and when showing there visa inside the passport, everything was fine and the could enter Thailand.

Butin this case I just can have the printed online confirmation for the Cambodian visa. Is there maybe some immigration office, where I can ask straight, if a one-way-ticket to Thailand is enough, when showing this visa confirmation and the Cambodian company's job confirmation? The point is, he definetly uses Thailand as a transit country. Or does he maybe have to apply for a transit visa for Thailand?

Thanks in advance

Tom

[lovelaos]

I was not allowed on a recent flight with Jet Airways from LHR - BKK without purchasing an onward ticket. I have a Lao business visa and have lived in Laos for 8 years. I have never had this problem with other airlines and never had a problem with Thai immigration. Some airlines insist on an onward ticket.

[steve187]

There will be a problem boarding the plane flying on a one way ticket without a visa , a visa or a flight out within 30 days will be required. a cheap or refundable ticket would be the answer, or in fact a tourist visa.

[SantiSuk]

"And he comes to Sihanoukville at the seaside, so the shortest and most fastest way is via bus from Bkk".

His fastest way if he lives in the EU and not the UK is likely to be a direct flight from Paris to Phnom Penh with Air France. Even if he lives in London it will be quicker to train it to Paris and fly from there to PP. [i'm sure I read somewhere that AF opened the first direct flight from EU to Cambodia during 2011]

Call me a pedant or worse, but his fastest and shortest way is never going to involve a bus from Bangkok to Sihanoukville, when there are planes from BKK to Phnom Penh!! That journey sounds like hell on earth - he must have a cast-iron constitution

I'm not saying that he is wrong to fly from London though. London provides the greatest variety of flights to Bangkok (probably than any other city in the world) and therefore is likely to provide cheaper flights, particularly if he flies with a change of plane in the Middle East or somewhere similar.

So far as the single ticket is concerned, if an airline or booking web-site will let you search for and buy a single ticket I can't imagine there would be any problem, but I have never had cause to try it. Immigration at Bangkok airport, Suvanabhum, have never checked tickets in the last 3 or so years I have travelled there; before that there used to be a sign saying that tickets were amongst the documents you should present (I remember this being the case when Suvarnabhum first opened) but the immi person usually (probably always) handed the tickets straight back to you without looking at them. If Thailand doesn't care it is a bit odd if airlines do care, but airlines are sometimes odd or inflexible.

Edited January 2, 2012 by SantiSuk

[Daewoo]

It is Airline Policy - so each airline could be different, but mostly they are the same.

The requirement is by Thailand Immigration to show proof of onward travel. If Immigration do not let you into Thailand, the carrier has to pay the full fare for you to be returned to the country of origin, on whatever airline has the next flight... plus a fine (to the airline)...

Jetstar would not issue me a boarding pass, even though I have a 3 month visa exemption, was intending to travel overland to Laos, and because I was 'In the Industry' purchase a ticket for the same price on the day of travel as 12 months in advance...

Their reasoning was, that, unless I was going to swim, at some point I needed to fly home...

I see that he has three choices, one is to try and get an answer from the airline in advance (in writting), the other is to turn up to the airport and hope, the third is to buy whatever is the cheapest ticket from Bangkok to anywhere out of Thailand (and maybe cancell it after he enters The Kingdom)...

Cheers,

Daewoo

[IMA_FARANG]

His problem won't be with Thai immigration, it might be with the airline not allowing him on the flight without at least one of these:

1. A Thai visa......or...

2. An onward ticket out of Thailand within 30 days of entry.

The important points are:

1. What is his nationality?

2. How long will he be in Thailand...and will he have to enter through immigration?

Number 1 is important because most EU nationals can be given a 30 day entry stamp on arrival without a visa.

But that requires a outward ticket within 30 days...not a return ticket...just a ticket out of Thailand to a neignboring country.

Number 2 is important because there is a time limit on how long he can remain in the airport as "transit". And if he has to go through Thai immigration to get a bus to Sihanokville, he can not be "transit" he must enter the country (visa or entry stamp required).

The easiest way to solve the whole problem, and to avoid hassles with the airline which may demand to see a visa or onward ticket before he boards the flight, is for him to get a Thai single entry tourist visa BEFORE he leaves his country. With that visa the airline won't question him, and the Thai immigration will be happy.

That's the easiest and quickest solution...he just goes to the local Thai consulate in the country he is living, and gets that Thai tourist visa. There is a fee for that visa...but it will avoid all the questions by getting it. So that visa would probably be the smartest thing to do.

Edited January 3, 2012 by IMA_FARANG

[lovelaos]

It is Airline Policy - so each airline could be different, but mostly they are the same.

The requirement is by Thailand Immigration to show proof of onward travel. If Immigration do not let you into Thailand, the carrier has to pay the full fare for you to be returned to the country of origin, on whatever airline has the next flight... plus a fine (to the airline)...

Jetstar would not issue me a boarding pass, even though I have a 3 month visa exemption, was intending to travel overland to Laos, and because I was 'In the Industry' purchase a ticket for the same price on the day of travel as 12 months in advance...

Their reasoning was, that, unless I was going to swim, at some point I needed to fly home...

I see that he has three choices, one is to try and get an answer from the airline in advance (in writting), the other is to turn up to the airport and hope, the third is to buy whatever is the cheapest ticket from Bangkok to anywhere out of Thailand (and maybe cancell it after he enters The Kingdom)...

Cheers,

Daewoo

I purchased two tickets (me and mrs) from Bangkok to Mumbai with Jet telling them I want to cancel the flight a week later and get a refund.

I lost 2000 Baht in the process and it took Jet 2 months to refund me.

[Daewoo]

I purchased two tickets (me and mrs) from Bangkok to Mumbai with Jet telling them I want to cancel the flight a week later and get a refund.

I lost 2000 Baht in the process and it took Jet 2 months to refund me.

I got stopped boarding a flight to Solomon Islands because I didn't have a printed copy of the ticket, even though their airline could obviously see that I had a return ticket, because I would have no evidence to show immigration on arrival...

[whybother]

I got a one way ticket from Aus to Thailand a few years ago. I don't remember anyone making any fuss about it.

[bartender100]

I got a one way ticket from Aus to Thailand a few years ago. I don't remember anyone making any fuss about it.

But, did you have a visa, if so no problem, all the original post needs to do is get a 60 tourist visa from the Thai embassy in his country , still free I think. Then he will have no problems with airline or imm.. Or why not by an Airaisa ticket to PP online , get the bus from there, if booked well in advance cost would be minimal

[mrdome]

Either get a Thai tourist visa or some cheap Air Asia ticket to another country. I guarantee he will have issues with the airline if he doesn't have one of these and the flight ends in Thailand. I've dealt with this many times and airlines have asked from all the way back in 2001.

[Jingthing]

I got a one way ticket from Aus to Thailand a few years ago. I don't remember anyone making any fuss about it.

Interesting. In my view, Australia has a reputation as a very strict country for airport boarding to Thailand. Are you sure you didn't have a visa or reentry permit, perchance?

[whybother]

I got a one way ticket from Aus to Thailand a few years ago. I don't remember anyone making any fuss about it.

Interesting. In my view, Australia has a reputation as a very strict country for airport boarding to Thailand. Are you sure you didn't have a visa or reentry permit, perchance?

Yes, I did have a visa. But there were no questions at any stage.

Posted with Thaivisa App http://apps.thaivisa.com

[DoctorG]

Either get a Thai tourist visa or some cheap Air Asia ticket to another country. I guarantee he will have issues with the airline if he doesn't have one of these and the flight ends in Thailand. I've dealt with this many times and airlines have asked from all the way back in 2001.

$50 to PP. Cheaper than the tourist visa, and the bus trip down from PP I imagine will be a whole lot shorter/comfortable.

[easton]

I flew into BKK in November 2010 on a one way ticket on Korean Airlines without any problems or questions from them or Thai immigration. I had a one way Air Asia ticket to travel onward to PHN a week later, but was never asked to show it. Left after a week in PHN on a one way ticket on Korean Air to ORD. Guess it depends on the airline?

[kwonitoy]

I've flown into Thailand on a one way ticket for years now.

I live here and work overseas, my company flies me out of Bangkok to work and back here again.

The most scrutiny I get is departing from the US or Canada, as long as I have a Non immigrant visa, type O, B, or retirement I've never had a problem getting on the plane although they do ask questions.

I've also shown my yellow book as proof of residence, don't know what that proves, they can't read it and neither can I but it has helped on 2 occasions.

Thai immigration has never asked me for an ongoing ticket

[zzaa09]

I was not allowed on a recent flight with Jet Airways from LHR - BKK without purchasing an onward ticket. I have a Lao business visa and have lived in Laos for 8 years. I have never had this problem with other airlines and never had a problem with Thai immigration. Some airlines insist on an onward ticket.

Immigration authorities rely [almost insist] on the respective airlines to play immi-cop.