Immigration at BKK or CNX ?

[rsbg1]

I need some help please, In Oct we are flying in on Cathay Pacific from HGK to BKK and then on to Chiang Mai. We are only bringing two carryon's with us for our vacation. The question is do we go through immigration in Bangkok or in Chiang Mai ? We will be flying Bangkok air to Chiang Mai.. Thanks, Ted

[asanee]

you can choose. But most use the dedicated immi betwen INt arrivals and domestic at BKK/Swampy aimed at people like you. Do not fear for long Qs there. LUggage will be labelled through, get a special coloured band and wll then be checked by customs at CNX-but that does not apply to you (for all the wise guys actually looking at already given answers).

[brommers]

Yes you can choose but you will waste a huge amount of time if you go through the very busy and often slow Immigration in Bkk, and then go up to level 4 and check in as a domestic passenger.

The quicker and less stressful way is when you check in for your CX flight to Bangkok you try to get your boarding pass for the domestic leg on Bangkok Air. If not you cannot do this you can get it at the Bangkok Air Transfer Desk in Suvarnabhumi airport.

When you get off your CX flight just follow the signs to Chiang Mai, Phuket, Hat Yai etc. This will take you directly to the transfer desk area if you need it. Also to the special Immigration area for transfer passengers. You will go through Immigration and the usual security check and into Terminals A & B. Go to the terminal for your flight, probably A.

Bangkok Air have a lounge in this terminal if you need it or go to the gate.

You will have been given a yellow shirt sticker before Immigration. This shows you are an international transfer passenger using a domestic flight. Keep it on your clothing on the domestic leg. When you land in CM your sticker will be used to send you to the International terminal, not the Domestic. Here you will clear Customs even though you only have hand baggage.

If you have someone meeting you they need to know you are arriving in the International terminal.

After the Customs check you can remove your sticker and exit the terminal.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[rsbg1]

Thank you, for the information I will try to get our check in at the Bangkok air desk in Hong Kong and if it don't work I'll just do it in Bangkok.... I have only post a few times and this is the first time I got good info, not smart ass one's .. So thank you again, I really appreciate it. Ted

[bubba]

I think the question was "will I pass immigration in BKK or CNX?" Just to clarify, everyone must pass immigrations in Bangkok, one way or another, before travelling on to Chiang Mai. Rsbg1 is only taking carry-ons, so baggage retrieval isn't an issue. As the other posters have pointed out above, you simply do your customs formalities at the special transit immigration desks inside arrivals.

There was a time when you could arrive in BKK, make a domestic connection, and then do immigration at several destination airports, such as Chiang Mai, but AFAIK, but no longer.

[Chicog]

I think the question was "will I pass immigration in BKK or CNX?" Just to clarify, everyone must pass immigrations in Bangkok, one way or another, before travelling on to Chiang Mai. Rsbg1 is only taking carry-ons, so baggage retrieval isn't an issue. As the other posters have pointed out above, you simply do your customs formalities at the special transit immigration desks inside arrivals.

There was a time when you could arrive in BKK, make a domestic connection, and then do immigration at several destination airports, such as Chiang Mai, but AFAIK, but no longer.

Funny isn't it. You can fly directly into these places and clear CIQ there, but you can't do it if you stop in Bangkok.

Yet going the other way is no problem.

You'd think they'd encourage it to lighten the load on CIQ staff at Bangkok.

[bubba]

Chicog - you used to be able to fly through with your CIQ sticker and do immigration at your domestic destination...maybe about 6 or 8 years ago. There was an obvious security hole with that process, though, and I think that is why it stopped.

Let's say you bought a ticket to Chiang Mai from outside Thailand. You first arrive in BKK, they give you a CIQ sticker, and then when you arrive at CNX, the agent at the jetway exit sees your CIQ sticker and points you to your right, where you will pass immigration, and the domestic passengers are pointed to their left, where this is no immigration clearance. Now let's say you removed your CIQ sticker. You simply follow the domestic passengers to your left, and you are in Thailand without ever passing immigration.

If you arrive directly on an international flight in CNX, no problem - everyone has to pass immigration.