Returning to Thailand on a Thai retirement visa

[zzSleepyJohn]

Hi folks,

I'm a retired UK citizen and I've usually visited UK once a year on a return flight originating out of Bangkok, but this year I'm planning to do it differently by making a return flight booking out of UK to Bangkok in early November this year with a return to UK 6 months later in June 2014.

I have a current one-year Thai retirement visa issued in Mae Sai which expires in March 2014.

My concern is whether UK airline check-in desks will have any problem with the fact that my visa expires before my booked return date.

I believe UK check-in desks have a responsibility to make sure their outgoing passengers either have a valid Thai visa or a return ticket that will bring them back within the visa-free period. I kind of have both, but they don't exactly coincide date-wise. Do you think this would matter or am I worrying unnecessarily?

From my previous experience, UK check-in desks are quite familiar with UK issued Thai visas, but they aren't so hot when it comes to Thailand issued retirement visas, and in this case there's the March to June 2014 period when I won't have any documented visa to show them. Of course I plan to get a new one-year retirement visa in Mae Sai in March, but I'll need to be in Thailand in order to do that.

[Mario2008]

You can ask immigration to extend your stay in Nov, citing as reason that you need to travel and have to do it now. But it is very early to extend it already so they will probably refuse it.

If they refuse, you will have to get a new non-O visa while in the UK. A single entry will do just fine.

[Sirius1935]

From a British Airways Captain (Retired)... You won't have any problem returning to Thailand. Don't worry.

[galoubet]

zzSleepyJohn Quote: "I believe UK check-in desks have a responsibility to make sure their outgoing passengers either have a valid Thai visa or a return ticket that will bring them back within the visa-free period. I kind of have both, but they don't exactly coincide date-wise. Do you think this would matter or am I worrying unnecessarily?"

Never heard that one before. I fly out to Thailand on 4 months+ stays every year. When I check in, all the airline does is verify my ticket with my passport photo page. They never check the visa pages. And even if they did what would it tell them? So I shouldn't worry about that. I don't.

[zzSleepyJohn]

Thanks Mario2008, but I think you misunderstood. Upon arrival in Bangkok I already have a visa valid until next March, so I don't envisage any problem with Thai immigration. If there's going to be any problem it would be with the check-in desk in UK as I leave if they're not so familiar with visas issued in Thailand and how they are renewed.

For Sirius1935, many thanks! That's very reassuring!

[Sceptict11]

Wait ! No "retirement visas" are issued in Thailand so I suspect the OP is referring to an extension of stay.

Perhaps we should ask if the OP has a re-entry permit ?

If he has a re-entry permit there will be no problem with the airline.

[marstons]

Never had a problem in similar situations when going to UK and returning with a 1 year ticket to return to the UK,retirement visa expiring in between. Thats with Emirates at Birmingham and Manchester.

Presumably you got a re-entry permit before leaving Thailand.

[galoubet]

Wait ! No "retirement visas" are issued in Thailand so I suspect the OP is referring to an extension of stay.

Perhaps we should ask if the OP has a re-entry permit ?

If he has a re-entry permit there will be no problem with the airline.

This is all bananas. Why would a UK airline check you had a valid visa for Thailand when you don't need a visa to enter Thailand (as you get one free for 30 days when you arrive in Bangkok). Airlines might check your visa status if you are flying to a country that requires a visa (eg. India or China). But this doesn't apply to Thailand.

[Sceptict11]

Wait ! No "retirement visas" are issued in Thailand so I suspect the OP is referring to an extension of stay.

Perhaps we should ask if the OP has a re-entry permit ?

If he has a re-entry permit there will be no problem with the airline.

This is all bananas. Why would a UK airline check you had a valid visa for Thailand when you don't need a visa to enter Thailand (as you get one free for 30 days when you arrive in Bangkok). Airlines might check your visa status if you are flying to a country that requires a visa (eg. India or China). But this doesn't apply to Thailand.

If someone wishes to fly without a visa an airline can , and some do, require to see a flight out of the country within 30 days.

As a matter of information the are many airlines flying out of the UK most of them are foreign!

[JohnC]

Not a problem, I have done exactly that, flew out from Manchester with Finnair last June with a return flight booked for May 2014, my permission to stay expires in April 2014, I had a re-entry permit and was not questioned when I checked in at Manchester, stopover in Helsinki and when I arrived in swampy immigration stamped me in on the re-entry permit showing permitted to stay until April despite my return flight being in May, I will of course renew my extension and get a re-entry permit ready for my return!

[galoubet]

If someone wishes to fly without a visa an airline can , and some do, require to see a flight out of the country within 30 days.

As a matter of information the are many airlines flying out of the UK most of them are foreign!

But visas don't carry any information on the length of stay. They simply give you permission to enter the country. The length of stay is determined by the immigration officer at Bangkok. So suppose I have a single entry visa I may or may not be given a full 60 days. And then I can renew it if I wish for a further 30 days. How is an airline meant to know all this information when you don't even know it yourself?

I've flown reguarly to Thailand over the past 30 years and have never (knowingly) had a visa checked. I fly from Heathrow, always direct, generally with EVA but occasionally BA or Thai. What's so special about me, Heathrow or the airlines that I don't have visa checks?

[Sceptict11]

Not a problem, I have done exactly that, flew out from Manchester with Finnair last June with a return flight booked for May 2014, my permission to stay expires in April 2014, I had a re-entry permit and was not questioned when I checked in at Manchester, stopover in Helsinki and when I arrived in swampy immigration stamped me in on the re-entry permit showing permitted to stay until April despite my return flight being in May, I will of course renew my extension and get a re-entry permit ready for my return!

The point being that you had a re-entry permit!

[zzSleepyJohn]

Ah, good! Thank you. Lots of reassuring replies from you all there. I do have a re-entry permit so looks like I needn't worry at all.

The reason I asked is that on a couple of occasions in the past I have had my visa carefully scrutinised by UK check-in counters. Don't remember the exact circumstances, but I believe on one of them I only had a one-way ticket, and on another I was probably going back to Thailand on the return half of a Thailand-UK-Thailand ticket, so couldn't show them how I was eventually planning to leave. On each occasions they looked for one of the standard UK-issued Thai visas in my passport and couldn't find one, so I had to point out my MaeSai stamped retirement visa to them which they'd never seen before. If I remember rightly on one of those occasions, they had to disappear into the depths behind the counter and ask their boss if it was OK or not. It was OK, but it does illustrate that a Thailand-side issued retirement visa is something they're not too familiar with, and can possibly make them a bit suspicious.

[Sceptict11]

zzSleepyJohn

Please do everyone a really big favour and stop referring to your "extension of stay " + re-entry permit as a visa !

You do not have a visa !

Wish you a good trip

[Maestro]

Ah, good! Thank you. Lots of reassuring replies from you all there. I do have a re-entry permit so looks like I needn't worry at all.

The reason I asked is that on a couple of occasions in the past I have had my visa carefully scrutinised by UK check-in counters. Don't remember the exact circumstances, but I believe on one of them I only had a one-way ticket, and on another I was probably going back to Thailand on the return half of a Thailand-UK-Thailand ticket, so couldn't show them how I was eventually planning to leave. On each occasions they looked for one of the standard UK-issued Thai visas in my passport and couldn't find one, so I had to point out my MaeSai stamped retirement visa to them which they'd never seen before. If I remember rightly on one of those occasions, they had to disappear into the depths behind the counter and ask their boss if it was OK or not. It was OK, but it does illustrate that a Thailand-side issued retirement visa is something they're not too familiar with, and can possibly make them a bit suspicious.

I don't know what you mean with "retirement visa" but if you showed them your retirement extension, this was useless. It was the re-entry permit you needed to show.

[steve187]

You will need a re-entry permit, then there will be no problem, the airline will/may need to check it. The re-entry permit clearly shows the valid to date.

Airlines can and do check that you either have a visa/re-entry permit to enter Thailand or in fact have a flight booked out of the country within 30 days, before allowing boarding. the following is taken from the hull website download 'AA'

''Foreigners entering Thailand by any means under the Tourist Visa Exemption category must possess a passport with at least 6 months validity and have proof of onward travel (confirmed air, train, bus or boat tickets) to leave Thailand within 30 days of arrival otherwise a tourist visa must be obtained prior to entry.''

Is it not easier to get the correct visa before traveling, why do people take the risk of being refused boarding, all the people that do abuse/ skirt around the system make it harder for the genuine visitors.

[lopburi3]

The reentry permit is your visa and it may indeed be questioned and have to be confirmed at superviser level.