Why You Need A "Return" Ticket For Thailand

[IMA_FARANG]

There are people on this forum who have been asking why the international airlines are hasseling travelers who try to enter Thailand without a visa. Here's some background information for those people.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is an international industry trade group of airlines headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The executive offices are at the Geneva Airport in Switzerland

IATA maintains the Timatic database containing cross border passenger documentation requirements. It is used by airlines to determine whether a passenger can be carried, as well as by airlines and travel agents to provide this information to travelers at the time of booking.

This database is the successor to the Official Airlines Guide (OAG) which was a 3 volume list of rules and regulations that IATA member airlines must follow.

In that OAG, and now in the database, there is an Appendix that lists all visa regulations for entry into most countries and all IATA member airlines to follow for international travellers.

In the Thailand section of that appendix, it lists the countries whose nationals are allowed that 30 day visa exempt entry into Thailand.

In a footnote it also states to the airlines that the visa exempt entry can only be given if "the visa free passnger has an out-of-country (onward travel) ticket from Thailand". Note that it does NOT say a return ticket is required...it only wants an out-of-country ticket.

From that requirement, the international airlines as members of IATA derive their requirement that you either must have:

1. A valid Thai visa OR

2. An out-of-country ticket if you qualify for a visa exempt entry.

So for you who want to know why you need to purchase a out-of-country ticket to enter Thailand without a visa...that is the reason.

Edited March 25, 2012 by IMA_FARANG

[CharlieH]

Great Info, suggest it should be "pinned" due to the frequency this arises.

[Dancealot]

Thanks for posting. This is correct information. However you are wrong about why the rule is set. Customs will raise some eyebrows over people who only want of a 1 way ticket to Thailand. This rule is set to relieve the customs officials from not having to have to raise their eyebrows in the first place. Therefore making their jobs more sabaai.

Cheers

[NanLaew]

Thanks for posting. This is correct information. However you are wrong about why the rule is set. Customs will raise some eyebrows over people who only want of a 1 way ticket to Thailand. This rule is set to relieve the customs officials from not having to have to raise their eyebrows in the first place. Therefore making their jobs more sabaai.

Cheers

Customs? What have they got to do with visas and plane tickets... anywhere?

Edited March 25, 2012 by NanLaew

[dasboot]

I have booked a one way ticket as we are trying for a holiday visa for my wife,the return tickets i was planning to purchase if we were succesful,do i take it from this post i cant do this ??????

[kurtmartens]

The issue is that it is "enforced" by the airlines at their whim. I have been traveling to Thailand for years (even before I received my "O" visa) and never once been asked to show a return ticket or out bound ticket by the airlines or immigration.

[4evermaat]

The issue is that it is "enforced" by the airlines at their whim. I have been traveling to Thailand for years (even before I received my "O" visa) and never once been asked to show a return ticket or out bound ticket by the airlines or immigration.

When i came to thailand from usa first time with a non-imm visa, delta rep at first was wanting to see itinerary for onwards travel. it took hin 5 min to realize i didnt need one, but he was checking every one.

"2nd best time to plant a tree is today." Sent from TV android app.

[Bung]

Very rarely have I been asked to have an onward ticket out of Thailand by airline staff before I leave to fly out there. When it does happen it is totally random but as I am a seaman and have a seamans discharge book I just have to show that and the requirement always gets waived.

[pmarlin]

Very rarely have I been asked to have an onward ticket out of Thailand by airline staff before I leave to fly out there. When it does happen it is totally random but as I am a seaman and have a seamans discharge book I just have to show that and the requirement always gets waived.

when I was flying yo Thailand from the US six or seven times a year with no visa I was checked for a return ticket each time. They may not tell you they are doing it but they are. Now that I live here no worries.

[steve187]

The issue is that it is "enforced" by the airlines at their whim. I have been traveling to Thailand for years (even before I received my "O" visa) and never once been asked to show a return ticket or out bound ticket by the airlines or immigration.

can they check on their system, and see if you have a return ticket booked, without asking? yes not everyone has a return booked, but if you did have.

[Mario2008]

I have booked a one way ticket as we are trying for a holiday visa for my wife,the return tickets i was planning to purchase if we were succesful,do i take it from this post i cant do this ??????

If you have a visa form a consulate, no onward flight is required. If you don't have a visa, an onward flight is required when you check in at the airport. You don't have to have one when you book the flight itself.

[peteinchina]

I have booked a one way ticket as we are trying for a holiday visa for my wife,the return tickets i was planning to purchase if we were succesful,do i take it from this post i cant do this ??????

I've done 1 way tickets many times.

If asked (which is seldom), I tell them that I'm going by bus to Laos. Which I usually am...

So no, the return ticket is not necessary IMHO.

[Mario2008]

Proof of onward travel is required, although not every airline is as strict as the other ones.

Many members over the years have found out the hard way that they will be denied boarding without proof of onward travel and either had to buy a ticket out of Thailand on the spot or were refused.

[Daewoo]

Yes, the check in agent looks at the computer, and checks if you have a return ticket with them, if not, they may ask you (depending if they are diligent at their job, or their airline is diligent in complying with the requirement).

In fact, one flight, not to Thailand, I was made to go to the Internet Kiosk and print the return ticket, because Immigration in the destination country don't have access to the airline booking sysytem and require PROOF of a return ticket (not just that you have one). I wonder if that will become the norm...

If asked (which is seldom), I tell them that I'm going by bus to Laos. Which I usually am...

So no, the return ticket is not necessary IMHO.

I tried this one, I was actually planning to go to Laos, I was eligible for 3 months visa exempt on arrival, I was able to buy a return ticket for the same price a day or 3 months in advance... The response from the check in girl was that, unless you are a good swimmer, eventually you need a flight back to Australia, and Thai immigration may refuse entry if you don't have that... that was their position, and was not negotiable... I had to go and buy a return ticket before they would give me a boarding pass... If you are going to try a one way ticket from Australia (with Jetstar, BA, or Qantas), I suggest you have the cash and the time to buy the return leg if you want to board...

Edited March 26, 2012 by Daewoo

[tig28]

I have booked a one way ticket as we are trying for a holiday visa for my wife,the return tickets i was planning to purchase if we were succesful,do i take it from this post i cant do this ??????

If you both hold a visa for Thailand you can fly into Thailand on a one-way ticket.

Without a visa you may be refused boarding by the airline at your point of departure. This has happened to me on two occasions (Qantas from Australia)

The workaroud -- should you be refused boarding -- is to purchase the cheapest air ticket to anywhere ----- or perhaps expensive (fully refundable) tickets on your credit card which you cancell upon arrival in Thailand.

[fotog]

United Air Lines Return Ticket Incident:

I was unable to check-in online for my departing flight on United Flight PHX - SFO - NRT -BKK

However I was given a WEB CHECK-IN CONFIRMATION
and instructions to see a UAL representative in person at the airport to complete the check-in procedure with No other explanation or reasons. I arrived at Terminal 2 in PHX and showed the UAL representative my check-in confirmation where upon he scanned my passport and then asked to see my 'RETURN' ticket'. I tell the representative I do not have a return ticket and he says then I cannot be issued a boarding pass without one. I am shocked as this is a first for me. Then I explain that I am a retired expat living in Thailand for eleven years and I have a retirement visa from Thailand (issued by thai Immigration) and show it to him (It is stamped into my passport) and I also tell him I don't know when I will be returning to the U.S. He says what I have is only a 'RE-ENTRY PERMIT' and I must have a return ticket or I will not be issued a boarding pass. I very politely explain that I do have a retirement visa from Thailand and show it to him again and I also have lived there for 11 years and own a condo in Thailand. He looks at the Thai visa and then tells me I still need a return ticket because the Thai Visa expires in August 2013 and now he wants to see the deed to my condo! With my second request to see a supervisor he finally begrudgingly walks me over to a supervisor and explains to her that I do not have a return ticket, PERIOD (he does not tell her I have a RETIREMENT VISA issued by the THAI IMMIGRATION). I explain to the supervisor that I have the retirement visa and own a condo in Thailand and go through that same dance all over again with her. Finally she issues the boarding pass and tells me to go ahead and check our bags. In SFO I was asked by the Japanese rep for ANA about the return ticket and just showing her my Thai retirement visa was all that was necessary to satisfy her and it was a short and pleasant episode.

In all of my annual trips to the U.S from Thailand, this was a first for me.

[impulse]

Put yourself in the airlines' shoes.

If they haul someone in that gets refused at immigration, they may have to haul them out at their expense, and are subject to fines that various airline employees have told me range from $5K to $50K- (though I don't know the fine into Thailand).

Was told that when I was refused boarding into China (in Chicago), though I had the proper paperwork for that exact time, which required a letter of invitation from an authorized company with which I could get a visa on arrival in Beijing. Very soon after, the visa on arrival in Beijing was no longer available. I guess United was aware the policy change was imminent because I never had a problem previously with the same documents. Never did nail down the exact fine, but I got the notion it was not insignificant.

I would guess some airlines are willing to take the business risk to keep a butt in the seat, and others are not.

[Maestro]

From the OP:

IATA maintains the Timatic database containing cross border passenger documentation requirements. It is used by airlines to determine whether a passenger can be carried, as well as by airlines and travel agents to provide this information to travelers at the time of booking.

You can consult the Timatic database yourself. The IATA website let's you do it here:

http://www.iatatravelcentre.com/

Personally, I find this web page, to which there is a link in the pinned topic Important Visa Information, a lot more convenient:

http://www.staralliance.com/en/services/visa-and-health/

[lopburi3]

There is no business risk. Not only do you not need a "return ticket" you do not need an onward ticket having a visa for entry (and your re-entry permit is your visa for entry).

[Maestro]

...Then I explain that I am a retired expat living in Thailand for eleven years and I have a retirement visa from Thailand (issued by thai Immigration) and show it to him (It is stamped into my passport) and I also tell him I don't know when I will be returning to the U.S. He says what I have is only a 'RE-ENTRY PERMIT' and I must have a return ticket or I will not be issued a boarding pass. I very politely explain that I do have a retirement visa from Thailand and show it to him again and I also have lived there for 11 years and own a condo in Thailand...

I see two problems with the above:

1. You did not have a retirement visa in your passport nor any other valid visa for travel to Thailand. With "retirement visa" you probably mean the extension of stay for the reason of retirement.
2. The database which the check-in person consulted told him that you needed a visa or an onward ticket out of Thailand within 30 days from arrival and he did not know that your re-entry permit was the equivalent of the required visa, perhaps because he was not taught this during his training or because he had forgotten it. The supervisor, to whom he eventually let you speak, knew it and did the right thing for you. "Re-entry permit" is an unfortunate wording, in my opinion, but that's what Thailand uses and airlines had to adapt their staff training accordingly.

[nidieunimaitre]

Another complication?

What if your return / onward ticket is with a different airline?

Your only proof, a print from your computer, seems rather unconvincing to me.

Can airline A check if you have a booking with airline B? or even with a buscompany?

Edited March 8, 2013 by nidieunimaitre

[oldgent]

I find like reading all the replies to the topic it gets confusing.

1.. if you already get a visa from a Thai embassy in your own country is it ok just to have a one way ticket ?

2.. if you don't have a return ticket would you be refused an extension of stay ?

[lopburi3]

1. Yes.

2. Has nothing to do with extensions of stay.

[oldgent]

1. Yes.

2. Has nothing to do with extensions of stay.

thank you it is clear to me now

[puukao]

I have flown to Thailand twice, both with a one-way ticket. I do wonder if they will ask about it, but both times not a problem. Korean air the first time; china air the second.

in hindsight, I think I should have gotten a 6-month round trip ticket with insurance, and then just changed the departing flight, if needed. however, last time I decided to travel into Cambodia and Vietnam, and then fly out of Vietnam, not BKK.

[Maestro]

Another complication?

What if your return / onward ticket is with a different airline?

Your only proof, a print from your computer, seems rather unconvincing to me.

Can airline A check if you have a booking with airline B? or even with a buscompany?

A return or onward airline ticket from any airline is acceptable.

With very few exceptions, all airline tickets are now electronic tickets, ie a computer printout. Unless you book through a travel agent, your electronic ticket will be a printout from your own computer.

Airlines can check if you have a booking with another airline, but not it you have a reservation for another mode of transportation.

[jonnyscot]

Interesting to know that as I also carry a seamans book, but other than providing a history of your regularity of movements with the vessel stamped entries and depending on your work rotation out of Thailand if it regularly shows less than 30 days + travel time days in between stamps in your seamans book, with the exception of understanding staff I wouldn't have thought it would be a method to rely solely on, unless arriving at check in early giving yourself time for plan B,,

I usually travel on a non imm o visa, but have been asked to show proof of onward travel a number of times specifically with emirates or qatar check in staff when they couldn't find the visa in the passport.

[quote'Bung' Very rarely have I been asked to have an onward ticket out of Thailand by airline staff before I leave to fly out there. When it does happen it is totally random but as I am a seaman and have a seamans discharge book I just have to show that and the requirement always gets waived.

[riclag]

I'm from the USA. I have a question again about having a Tourist Visa Stamp with 2 or three entries .I'm not talking about a 30 day tourist visa on arrival . Below is the requirements from the staralliance site .Can someone please tell me where it says a onward or returning ticket is not required if having a Tourist Visa Stamp. It looks to me that one needs to "show" leaving Thailand . Its just doesn't make sense to me. I think many airline check in employees at departure gates have the same problem ,its not described well enough. I think it needs to be revised with passengers are not required to have etc.etc. . I have a feeling I'm missing something here and more then likely its very obvious to you members who have tossed this around.

http://www.starallia...isa-and-health/

Passport required.
- Nationals of USA must hold passports and/or passport

replacing documents valid for the period of intended stay.
Passport Exemptions:

- Holders of emergency or temporary passports.

Visa required, except for A max. stay of 30 days:
Additional Information:

- ACMECS Single Visa issued by Cambodia and Thailand are valid
for 90 days from the date of issue and are valid for a stay
of 60 days in Thailand. Holders of visas isssued by Cambodia
(marked KHA) will be required to pay their fee for Thailand
upon arrival in Thailand.
- Visitors who are visa exempt are required to hold documents
for their next destination.

- Visitors over 12 years of age are required to hold
sufficient funds to cover their stay (at least THB 10,000.-
per person or THB 20,000.- per family).
For details, click here
- For those who do not require a visaFor details, click here
Warning:
- Visitors who are visa exempt but do not hold return/onward
tickets could be refused entry.

[Mario2008]

You have a visa, so no proof of onward travel within 30 days required.

[ubonjoe]

Visa required, except for A max. stay of 30 days:

Warning:

- Visitors who are visa exempt but do not hold return/onward

tickets could be refused entry.

I think these lines answer your question. It means if you don't have a visa you must have a ticket out of the country within 30 days which is required for for a visa exempt entry.

Edited June 30, 2013 by ubonjoe