3 Months Passport Validity - Coming For 10 Days In December

[TaoNow]

I did a search on the passport validity issue and it seems that Thai immigration will allow entry if the intended date of departure is before passport expiration. But are airlines strict about this at check-in?

My daughter (who lives in Los Angeles) is coming to Bangkok for a 10-day visit in a few weeks and just noticed that her passport expires in February 2013.

She is flying China Airlines and I asked her to call them to see how they handle this at check-in.

She hasn't been able to get through to the Thai consulate in LA by phone or website.

Not enough time to get a new passport.

Appreciate any recent and relevant trip reports.

[wayned]

The passport validity is not a problem with immigration in Thailand. As long as the passport is valid for the intended period of stay it is acceptable However, it might be a problem with China Airlines as most countries require 6 months validity! You need to call China Airlines, not the Thai Consulate!

[Lite Beer]

Her Passport should be OK as it only has to be valid for the intended period of stay.

The airline should know this.

[kevc]

You have to have six months validity on your passport for the airline, the reason I know this is myself and my wife were travelling to K L with Airasia and didn't notice till we were checking in that her Thai passport only had three months on it, as we were going for only three days thought it should be ok. Not so the Airasia girl took great pleasure in telling my wife she couldn't travel, but we knocked the smile off her face when she pulled out her UK passport.

Problem was UK passport had no Thai visa so she used the Thai passport to exit with immigration with no problems. So the answer is immigration will accept but the airlines won't.

Hope this is of help.

[ripstanley]

"I was almost denied boarding China Air to Thailand because my passport didn't have 6 months left on it. I had to sign a waiver acknowledging that I could be denied entry to the country. Didn't happen, but we worried through the whole trip that we might be coming home as soon as we got there.

by Exeterfarmgirl on Wednesday, June 09, 2010" http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/blog/5004565/boarding-denied--passport-red-tape/

I found this about China Airways. It was someones experience. I would contact the airlines before the flight.

[lopburi3]

Other countries often have the six month rule - Thailand does not and airlines are fully informed of this when they access the IATA data base for that information. This is what the see on check:

Passport required.

- Nationals of USA can enter with passports and/or passport

replacing documents valid for the period of intended stay.

For entry into Malaysia the same person would get this:

Passport required.

- Passports and/or passport replacing documents must be valid

for at least 6 months from date of arrival.

[Sophon]

"I was almost denied boarding China Air to Thailand because my passport didn't have 6 months left on it. I had to sign a waiver acknowledging that I could be denied entry to the country. Didn't happen, but we worried through the whole trip that we might be coming home as soon as we got there.

by Exeterfarmgirl on Wednesday, June 09, 2010" http://www.airfarewa...sport-red-tape/

I found this about China Airways. It was someones experience. I would contact the airlines before the flight.

This report is to old to be relevant. Back in 2010 Thailand also required six months validity of your passport, but it has changed since then as mentioned in above posts.

Sophon

[ubonjoe]

You have to have six months validity on your passport for the airline, the reason I know this is myself and my wife were travelling to K L with Airasia and didn't notice till we were checking in that her Thai passport only had three months on it, as we were going for only three days thought it should be ok. Not so the Airasia girl took great pleasure in telling my wife she couldn't travel, but we knocked the smile off her face when she pulled out her UK passport.

Problem was UK passport had no Thai visa so she used the Thai passport to exit with immigration with no problems. So the answer is immigration will accept but the airlines won't.

Hope this is of help.

Air Asia was correct for the entry into Malaysia but wrong for Thailand. A Thai can enter Thailand with an expired Thai passport.

[noob7]

Her Passport should be OK as it only has to be valid for the intended period of stay.

The airline should know this.

Amazing Immigration stuff! And different view to the same issue!

http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/123/15380-Questions-&-Answers-on-Thai-Visa.html

Q: I would like to go to Thailand for vacation for 2 weeks. I hold American passport. Do I need a visa?

A: Nationals of the United States of America and 41 other countries are eligible

to travel to Thailand, for tourism purpose, with the exemption of visa and

are permitted to stay in the Kingdom for a period of not exceeding 30 days.

Therefore, you do

not

need a visa.

However, please

make sure that you are in possession of a passport valid for

at least 6 months

, a round-trip air ticket, and adequate finances equivalent to

at least 10,000 Baht per person or 20,000 Baht per family. Otherwise, you may be

inconvenienced upon entry into the country.

[ubonjoe]

Just some out of date info which the MFA website is full of.

[noob7]

Just some out of date info which the MFA website is full of.

mmmhhhhh, Apr 10, 2012 19:58:06

Out of date? If it isn't from today, it's out of date?

Ok, can you link the official website for the 'Passport doesn't need 6 month minimum validity on arrival' - hint?

Please!

[ubonjoe]

The info posted is incorrect.

No mention of passport validity here: http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/123/15396-Tourist-Visa-Exemption.html

[noob7]

The info posted is incorrect.

No mention of passport validity here: http://www.mfa.go.th...-Exemption.html

Not mentioned it is, yes! Totally not mentioned.

So the Passport can be expired, right?

And not only for Thai nationals.

You know, we all have seen, how it is handled. Many have seen, things can change, every now and then. Some officials play by the book, some don't.

But unlike you know, what is in the book, you have no chance, to point on it!

I like to know, if the 'doing it like they want' is an advantage, or if the 'like it;s written in the book' is better, for me.

In BiB connected issues, it is very useful, to know the book, and to be able, to point to the section.

It's limiting the options, for getting cheated!

In this case, arriving with a Passport, that isn't valid for minimum another 6 month at the arrival day is most likely no risk. As long the Airline is transporting you.

But in case, the one or the other immigration officer thinks about the almost world wide implemented 'minimum 6 month' rule, wouldn't you like to know, that this rule isn't valid in Thailand?

And do a quick look to here:

http://www.thaiembas....uk/?q=node/188

"Foreigners who enter Thailand under the Tourist Visa Exemption category and would like to leave and re-enter may only stay for a cumulative duration which does not exceed 90 days and is within a 6-month period from the date of first entry. (Passport or travel document must be valid for at least 6 months after the date of first entry)."

Looks pretty official, to me!

Edited November 28, 2012 by noob7

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

I just had an "interesting" experience with Air Asia. I booked tickets for BKK to CNX for December. My passport expires June 2013. A pop-up note on the website says my passport does not have six months validity and refused to process the order! Imagine that, can't even fly within Thailand on Air Asia if passport short of six months. (I have an extension based on retirement expiring the same time as the passport.)

Well, turns out I input the wrong expiry day date (6th, using the month date instead of the day date, 27th) and when I put in the correct one (27th), AA confirmed the ticket.

Seems to me that's way over the top for Air Asia not to allow internal travel.

Anyway, lesson learned. I will get a replacement PP well before the six-month twilight zone.