Visa Run To Singapore - Stamp Required?

[pete66]

I'm flying to Singapore tomorrow for a visa run. Need to get back in the evening, so not planning on leaving the airport even.

Is there any good reason why I need to get my passport stamped in and out by Singapore immigration? Or can I just fly in to Singapore, then head straight back to the departure gate?

When I say "good reason" I mean in terms of Thai immigration. Is it a problem if you fly back in to Thailand without them knowing where you have been?

[Thaising]

No Problem, I did it before. On arrival in singapore get your pasport stamp and out the terminal hall, walk up to departure hall and check in again that's all. Furthermore, you can do some shopping or use Free internet inside the departure hall while waiting for your flight back to LOS.

[lopburi3]

I would not take the chance these days as people are being required to show there boarding card to immigration some times these days and they have a record of you leaving and no stamp in your passport on a Singapore trip so they just might challenge you. With all that new computer equipment I would consider it foolish.

[Axel]

Not so sure if there is any rule that one must have a chop of another country when arriving in Thailand. Neither any rule that you have to enter Singapore before flying back.

In fact I use one p/port for Thailand, only and was never questioned why no other stamp there. I could have come from back home, where nobody chops the p/port. (Landborders are different, obviously for repatriation rules, whereby inairtravel immigation might just hand you over to the airline to fly you out again)

In another example, flying into Hong Kong, I use a HKG Travel PPass which will be chopped but have no HKG-stamp in the passport.

Although, as mentioned, it is not a big deal in Singapore to go through immigration in and out it might take 30 minutes if busy. So whynot using the pre-issued boarding pass or get one in transit at the relevant transfer counters.

[ovenman]

Singapore immigrations is fast and efficient. You can probably be stamped in and out in five minutes flat and steal a piece or two of candy from the immigrations desk while doing so.

[lopburi3]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record here it might be wise to heed this:

Overstayers can pay overstay fine at Aran immigration checkpoint.

- Note: If you have paid the overstay fine and are stamped out of Thailand, the Cambodian Immigration could reject entry and send you back to Thailand without stamping you in and out of Cambodia. In this case the Thai Immigration will have to send you to Immigration Bureau in Bangkok for investigation/interrogation/deportation.

- Cambodian Immigration could reject entry for different reasons. This is nothing to do with Thai Immigration.

*** Please note that if you are on the way to the border, police or immigration officers can check your passport, and if you are found to have overstayed your visa they will arrest you and send you to the nearest police station, and then to court.

[singa-traz]

I would not take the chance these days as people are being required to show there boarding card to immigration some times these days and they have a record of you leaving and no stamp in your passport on a Singapore trip so they just might challenge you. With all that new computer equipment I would consider it foolish.

Not necessary. If I fly to my country, via Singapore, there will be no new stamp on my passport.

[ovenman]

This just became a moot question. You indicate here that you are traveling to Singapore on AirAsia. I assume that your return flight is also on AirAsia. This will absolutely require that you clear immigrations in Singapore and proceed to the AirAsia check-in counter at Changi Airport because: 1) AirAsia in Bangkok cannot check you in for your SIN-BKK flight, 2) AirAsia has no check-in facility in the transit area of any airport, let alone Changi Airport.

[lopburi3]

I would not take the chance these days as people are being required to show there boarding card to immigration some times these days and they have a record of you leaving and no stamp in your passport on a Singapore trip so they just might challenge you. With all that new computer equipment I would consider it foolish.

Not necessary. If I fly to my country, via Singapore, there will be no new stamp on my passport.

I know that - but they have a record of you leaving Thailand and your return several hours later so that would rule that out. I suspect new computer programming to track travel are much more invasive that any of us can imagine - and at some point that information is going to be used. I would not like to be the victim for no real reason.

[ovenman]

If I fly to my country, via Singapore, there will be no new stamp on my passport.

Same here, but I think the potential problem regarding passport stamps relates to day-trippers more than anybody else. I wouldn't be flying from Bangkok to the US and then returning the same day.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

This just became a moot question. You indicate here that you are traveling to Singapore on AirAsia. I assume that your return flight is also on AirAsia. This will absolutely require that you clear immigrations in Singapore and proceed to the AirAsia check-in counter at Changi Airport because: 1) AirAsia in Bangkok cannot check you in for your SIN-BKK flight, 2) AirAsia has no check-in facility in the transit area of any airport, let alone Changi Airport.

All very true. And Changi has to boast the most efficient immigration facilities of any airport in the world.

[Axel]

Well, I am still not convinced that immigration at Bangkok - airport will query if one has no chop from the previous boarding place.

Two examples:

a) 1 fly for one day to Hong Kong where I pass through immigration with my HKG-ID-papers.

Means returning to LOS, I have no HKG-stamp in my passport. Thai immigration does not see my HKG-ID.

1 fly for 1 or 2 days to SIN, where I pass through immigration on a different p/port.

Again, returning to LOS, I have no SIN-stamp in the p/port presented to the Thai immigration.

Up to now, they neer questiond this. The p/port I use for Thailand has got Thai stamps, in/out and Thai visa, nothing else.

[lopburi3]

And I am not saying that they will. But they now have the technical means to track you and do so if they so desire. And there have been recent requests for boarding cards from travelers which had never occurred before. So why take a chance when it only involves a short walk to do it legally. In any case this traveler seems to have to clear immigration.

[Thaising]

And I am not saying that they will. But they now have the technical means to track you and do so if they so desire. And there have been recent requests for boarding cards from travelers which had never occurred before. So why take a chance when it only involves a short walk to do it legally. In any case this traveler seems to have to clear immigration.

Agreed with lopburi3, do it legally with proper stamp on your p/port, unless you're doing something fishy.

[astral]

If you fly into Thailand you can even use a virgin passport, no stamps at all.

There is no requirement for an exit stamp from your origin.

Crossing a land border is a totally different matter.

[samran]

International Airports in Thailand don't check for stamp trails, as many countries these days simply don't stamp their citizens in or out anymore. So there is no need to get that Singapore stamp. It is important though that you have actually flown in on a registered flight, as they mark that on your Thai entry chop.

Though given the effieceny of the Sinapore, there is no reason that you can't spend 5 mins getting chopped in downstairs and then going back upstairs to get chopped out.

Crossing a land border is very different. They do check for the chops to make sure that you were checked out of the last place properly, and, in this case, to make sure that you have done your visa run correctly.

[pete66]

If you fly into Thailand you can even use a virgin passport, no stamps at all.

There is no requirement for an exit stamp from your origin.

Crossing a land border is a totally different matter.

Yeah, I did clear immigration in the end, if for no other reason than AirAsia don't issue boarding passes for the return journey "up-front", so I needed to check in again.

Personally I don't believe stamps are "necessary". For instance, I fly into and out of the UK without ever getting a stamp (I am English). So you can prove nothing "bad" about a person just because they don't have a stamp showing their last port.

[astral]

Yeah, I did clear immigration in the end, if for no other reason than AirAsia don't issue boarding passes for the return journey "up-front", so I needed to check in again.

Couldn't you have done the "check in" at the Transfer desk, air side?

Or is that cut out on the cutprice airlines?

Just curious.

[ovenman]

Couldn't you have done the "check in" at the Transfer desk, air side?

At the risk of repeating myself:

This just became a moot question. You indicate here that you are traveling to Singapore on AirAsia. I assume that your return flight is also on AirAsia. This will absolutely require that you clear immigrations in Singapore and proceed to the AirAsia check-in counter at Changi Airport because: 1) AirAsia in Bangkok cannot check you in for your SIN-BKK flight, 2) AirAsia has no check-in facility in the transit area of any airport, let alone Changi Airport.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

One can but only wonder why the OP is being so obtuse and avoiding something so simple. A problem in Singapore ?