Denied visa, plane leaves in three days, any ideas?

[Pkl]

I was denied a visa at my local Embassy, due to one missing paper. Seems like my lawyer made a mistake. However, my plane leaves Sunday the 27th, so there is no time for me to apply for a visa again before my departure. I have a return ticket in January, so my total length of stay would be around 80 days.

Can I simply fly to Thailand on Sunday and enter the country as a tourist?

Without a visa, I will get 30 days as a tourist. But do someone at the airport or immigration check or ask about my return ticket? Should I prepare myself with some ticket to leave the country before 30 days? If so, do you have any recommendations of the cheapest ticket out of Thailand that I can show to the immigration if asked about my return ticket?

[Mario2008]

The airline might not let you board the flight if you do not have proof of onward travel within 30 days of arrival in Thailand. In that case you can buy a one-way ticket out of Thailand with a low-budget carrier. You could even use the ticket to get a tourist visa in a neighbouring country. Kuala Lumphur should do nice.

immigration itself will not check, they leave it to the airline.

[Pkl]

Thank you for your quick reply!

Do you mean I can travel from Thailand to some neighboring country and apply for a tourist visa there, even if I do not have any visa (only 30 day visa exempt stamp)? If so, what would be the best option (i.e. cheapest) to travel from Chiang Mai? Vientiane Laos?

[Mario2008]

Yes, you can travel to a neighbouring country and yes Laos would be closest.

But might need ticket out of Thailand within 30 days of arrival when comming to Thailand from your home country.

[Pkl]

I think I will buy a one way ticket from Bangkok to Hanoi Vietnam to within 30 days of arrival to Thailand, that was the cheapest I could find (48 euros). Thank you so much for your help!

[thaiexpat21]

I think I will buy a one way ticket from Bangkok to Hanoi Vietnam to within 30 days of arrival to Thailand, that was the cheapest I could find (48 euros). Thank you so much for your help!

If you do that and intend to use the ticket don't forget you must have a pre-arranged visa for Vietnam.

[alocacoc]

The airline might not let you board the flight if you do not have proof of onward travel within 30 days of arrival in Thailand...

Sure? I enter Thailand many times by air without onward ticket. In a few weeks i will travel to Europe and come back to Thailand. I will book BKK-AMS AMS-BKK. I did this many times. No problems at all.

[mbeau]

I was denied a visa at my local Embassy, due to one missing paper. Seems like my lawyer made a mistake. However, my plane leaves Sunday the 27th, so there is no time for me to apply for a visa again before my departure. I have a return ticket in January, so my total length of stay would be around 80 days.

 

Can I simply fly to Thailand on Sunday and enter the country as a tourist?

 

Without a visa, I will get 30 days as a tourist. But do someone at the airport or immigration check or ask about my return ticket? Should I prepare myself with some ticket to leave the country before 30 days? If so, do you have any recommendations of the cheapest ticket out of Thailand that I can show to the immigration if asked about my return ticket?

 

Lao Central Airlines sells return tickets to Vientiane for $120. A Lao visa on arrival will set you back another $30. You can then either apply for the required Thai visa in Vientiane, or simply do the whole thing again.

[Pkl]

$120 to Vientiane is not bad, but that is from Bkk. Is it still the best (i.e. flight tickets outside of Thailand, to a place from which I can apply for a visa) option considering I will be staying in Chiang Mai?

[KunMatt]

The airline might not let you board the flight if you do not have proof of onward travel within 30 days of arrival in Thailand...

 

Sure? I enter Thailand many times by air without onward ticket. In a few weeks i will travel to Europe and come back to Thailand. I will book BKK-AMS AMS-BKK. I did this many times. No problems at all.

Yes for sure, Mario is right.

You should have ongoing travel arranged out of Thailand or you could be denied boarding by the airline. It is the terms of the visa on entry and I have been denied boarding one time by Emirates meaning I had to purchase a 500 quid one ticket from Bangkok to Dubai at the airport which they knew I wasn't going to take.

Now I just buy a one way ticket from Surat Thani to KL with Air Asia for about 1k baht to save myself the hassle of ever going through that each time.

[mbeau]

$120 to Vientiane is not bad, but that is from Bkk. Is it still the best (i.e. flight tickets outside of Thailand, to a place from which I can apply for a visa) option considering I will be staying in Chiang Mai?

Lao Airlines fly an ATR 72 from Chiangmai to Vientiane, but it is a lot more than $120 return …not sure exactly, but you can check on the web. You have to change planes in Luang Prabang. Probably cheaper to fly Nok Air to BKK and go Lao Central from there

[BAFC]

Nok Air fly direct from Chiang Mai to Vientiane. Just book a return trip for any time between you 20th and 30th day.

You can get a 60 day single entry tourist visa there, so sorted. Depending on flight times you will need to spend at least one night there, maybe two.

[ubonjoe]

Nok Air flights fly/ride via Udon. See: http://www.nokair.com/contents/promotion/vientiane/en-US/index.html

That would not work for proof of onward travel.

Vientiane will do a 2 entry tourist visa.

[Lammbock]

The Immigration officer never ask me for a return ticket. I handover my passport with NON-B Visa and the Arrival Card. That's it.

They never ask if I have another ticket for travel out of Thailand after 90 days.

I never have a ticket because I live in Thailand.

[ubonjoe]

If you have a visa or re-entry permit you do not need a ticket. If you do not have a visa a onward or return ticket is required. Enter info here and you will get info from IATA website. http://www.staralliance.com/en/services/visa-and-health/#

It is the airlines that check not immigration.

[TerryLH]

"I handover my passport with NON-B Visa and the Arrival Card. That's it. They never ask if I have another ticket for travel out of Thailand after 90 days. I never have a ticket because I live in Thailand."

You don't need a flight out if you have a visa.

As mentioned above, it's the airlines that check for this on check in, not immigration.

[Pkl]

Nok Air flights fly/ride via Udon. See: http://www.nokair.com/contents/promotion/vientiane/en-US/index.html

That would not work for proof of onward travel.

Vientiane will do a 2 entry tourist visa.

Why wouldn't a fly/ride ticket from Chiang Mai to Vientiane (via Udon) work as a proof of onward travel? It's a ticket outside of the country, isn't it?

[ubonjoe]

They would want to see a ticket where the plane lands in another country.

It is the same a trying to use a bus or train ticket for onward travel.

[mbeau]

Nok Air fly direct from Chiang Mai to Vientiane. Just book a return trip for any time between you 20th and 30th day.

You can get a 60 day single entry tourist visa there, so sorted. Depending on flight times you will need to spend at least one night there, maybe two.

Be careful because although the Nok website lists Vientiane as a destination, they actually land in Udon Thani, which is a domestic flight, and bus you across the border. And what you need to show is an onward international flight. Some explaining may work, as it has for me in the past, but you can't be sure.

[alocacoc]

If you have a visa or re-entry permit you do not need a ticket

Thanks. This explain it. I entered Thailand always with a double entry Tourist visa. That's because nobody asked me for a onward ticket / flight.

[FalangBaa]

I have a related question. Next week, I'm entering Thailand without a visa (UK citizen) with a return to the UK six months later. I know I have to make visa runs (first one after 1 month) but do I *ALREADY* need to have an onward ticket within one month *BEFORE* I depart from the UK, in addition to the return I have arranged for 6 months later? I'm flying with Qatar. Has anyone from the UK been denied boarding by Qatar having a return ticket later than one month while not having a Thai visa? I *THINK* just having the return at any time should be OK, but I don't want to have to rush and book a ticket and print it out at the airport check-in to avoid being denied boarding!

[JusMe]

I have a related question. Next week, I'm entering Thailand without a visa (UK citizen) with a return to the UK six months later. I know I have to make visa runs (first one after 1 month) but do I *ALREADY* need to have an onward ticket within one month *BEFORE* I depart from the UK, in addition to the return I have arranged for 6 months later? I'm flying with Qatar. Has anyone from the UK been denied boarding by Qatar having a return ticket later than one month while not having a Thai visa? I *THINK* just having the return at any time should be OK, but I don't want to have to rush and book a ticket and print it out at the airport check-in to avoid being denied boarding!

Do you have an ongoing departure from Thailand within the 30 days of your arrival, visa exempt? I think not. It's six months later, and therefore not relevant.

Officially, you need to show either a visa of some kind, or a departure from Thailand within that 30 day visa exempt period in order for the airline to permit you to fly to Thailand.

[ubonjoe]

You should get a ticket to any nearby country on a low cost carrier (airasia.com) within 30 days of your arrival or you could very well be denied boarding of your flight.

You should of gotten a tourist visa before traveling that would give you a 60 day entry and no ticket would of been required. A 2 entry visa would of given a total of almost 6 moths of stay by extending each entry by 30 days at immigration.

You should plan a trip out for a tourist visa after you arrive. You can get a 2 entry in Laos and single entries at other nearby locations.

[harrry]

$120 to Vientiane is not bad, but that is from Bkk. Is it still the best (i.e. flight tickets outside of Thailand, to a place from which I can apply for a visa) option considering I will be staying in Chiang Mai?

Lao Airlines fly an ATR 72 from Chiangmai to Vientiane, but it is a lot more than $120 return …not sure exactly, but you can check on the web. You have to change planes in Luang Prabang. Probably cheaper to fly Nok Air to BKK and go Lao Central from there

Not if they only have one. Sadly one crashed a few days ago.

If you are staying in ChiangMai you could just make border runs to maisai (tachilik in Burma) cost about 500baht at the border and 500 baht transport a time and you get an extra 15 days on a free entry.

[Tchooptip]

Yes, you can travel to a neighbouring country and yes Laos would be closest.

But might need ticket out of Thailand within 30 days of arrival when comming to Thailand from your home country.

I came from Paris via Kuala Lumpur to Samui with a one way ticket 3 month ago no questions no problem at all, do you know why sometimes ?

[ubonjoe]

Did you have a visa? Ticket is not required if you have one.

If no visa you were just lucky they didn't pay attention when you checked in for your flight.

[lopburi3]

You traveled to KL - not Thailand - so your onward ticket to Thailand met the requirements of airline for that portion of flight - from KL to Thailand is not normally checked as a regional flight. Normally it is the long haul flights into Thailand where having a visa on ticket out within allowed stay would be checked.

[SantiSuk]

My god you visa experts do a great job of protecting the backsides of the touristically unwashed. Dunno how you maintain your civility at times

[KunMatt]

Yes, you can travel to a neighbouring country and yes Laos would be closest.

 

But might need ticket out of Thailand within 30 days of arrival when comming to Thailand from your home country.

 I came from Paris via Kuala Lumpur to Samui with a one way ticket 3 month ago no questions no problem at all, do you know why sometimes ?

If you read this thread you will find out that because you weren't checked for an ongoing flight just means you were lucky. Some airlines require it and enforce it more than others. I've been asked to show ongoing travel when I flew to Thailand from Australia 2 times (luckily I had a visa so this covered the rules) and I got checked in Malta with Emirates and I didn't have a visa or an ongoing flight so they denied me boarding until I purchased an ongoing flight with Emirates as they were the only ticket desk in the airport. Basically they were just using it as a money spinner and even the girl at the ticket desk said to me that she has lots of expats buying this ticket from Bangkok to Dubai every day to qualify for boarding.

[Gsxrnz]

My god you visa experts do a great job of protecting the backsides of the touristically unwashed. Dunno how you maintain your civility at times

Well said - and on a similar note, I wonder about what level of "knowledge" the OP has about Thailand. He can't figure out basic visa/entry details, has a lawyer apply for a visa on his behalf, and apparently screwed it up. Also has another thread going about applying for a B visa without a work permit, and left it too late to apply for the visa before his flight date.

OP - a bit of friendly advice. If your knowledge about Thailand is as vague as your knowledge of basic visa information......do some research or you'll last about 5 minutes here before we read about you being scammed by somebody.