Return Ticket For Non-o Visa Application

[Maestro]

We all know that it is not wise to fly with a one-way ticket without a visa and without confirmed return or onward flight within 30 days from arrival, because airlines are likely to refuse boarding.

Going further, some Thai consulates issue a visa, including a non-immigrant visa, only upon presentation of a confirmed return or onward flight. The honorary Thai consulate in Zurich, Switzerland, is an example.

This requirement is printed both on their visa form and on their user guide. I wanted to test it and sent all listed documents (passport, application form, copy of marriage certificate, 2 photos, visa fee) except the flight confirmation for a single-entry non-O visa to visit family and friends.

The consulate received my application on a Monday, and three days later, on Thursday, called me to ask for the flight confirmation, which I faxed the same day. The visa was stamped in my passport on the same day and the passport mailed off to me the following day.

Of course, this requirement of confirmation of a return flight makes no sense at all, and on the telephone I said that apparently they wanted to make sure I would not spend money for a visa without actually flying to Thailand. After all, my visa allows entry into Thailand for 90 days, while my confirmed return flight is four months after the arrival date. It is nothing more than bureaucratic nonsense, originated probably at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but implemented by few honorary consulates in the world.

I didn’t mind sending that flight confirmation. After all, I already had it on my computer for weeks, and the electronic ticket, too. It’s just that I wanted to test the procedure of this particular consulate, this being my first visa application with them. I already knew that the government-staffed consulate in Berne needs the same for any type of visa application.

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Maestro