Visa (Free) Run to Hong Kong

[pjthefey]

I was browsing flights the other day and noticed that you can get a round trip ticket to Hong Kong that leaves in the morning and comes back in the evening for about $210 USD.

I was told during my last flight with Cathay Pacific that they can print all boarding passes when you check in the first time if travel is within 3 days. You won't have to leave security in Hong Kong because after you land you can just go through transfer security since you have a boarding pass. Furthermore after searching online, it appears that HK doesn't stamp your passport even if you do decide to go through security so it'll look exactly the same to Thai immigration when you come back.

Has anyone ever tried this as an alternative to a visa run to Cambodia or Laos?

The way I see it, Bangkok Buddy charges 7k+ THB for a visa run to Cambodia, plus you have to pay for your own hotel for 3 days. Yes, by taking that route you can stay in Thailand for 90 days with an extension as compared to 60 days with extension, but this visa exempt method is cheaper,plus you are there and back the same day.

If you are a member of one of the One World Alliance frequent flier programs (I am), you can even use Cathay Pacific's lounge for the 2-4 hours you are sitting in the HK airport and get some decent food.

I'm thinking about trying this next time. I'm just curious if anyone has ever tried it and how it worked out for them.

On a side note, does anyone know how many back to back visa exempt entries you can have (via airport)?

Edited February 27, 2016 by pjthefey

[sunnyjim5]

It depends on what you are seeking to achieve.

A simple trip to Cambodia to secure another 90 day entry on a multi-entry "O" or "B" visa for example can be achieved within a day at a cost of circa 2000 Bht.

Continued use of back to back use of visa exempt entry's is a bad idea and will attract the attention of the immigration officers. If a stay of more than 30 days is planned an appropriate visa should be obtained from a Thai Embassy/Consulate.

[pjthefey]

It depends on what you are seeking to achieve.

A simple trip to Cambodia to secure another 90 day entry on a multi-entry "O" or "B" visa for example can be achieved within a day at a cost of circa 2000 Bht.

Continued use of back to back use of visa exempt entry's is a bad idea and will attract the attention of the immigration officers. If a stay of more than 30 days is planned an appropriate visa should be obtained from a Thai Embassy/Consulate.

Fair enough I should have elaborated... I can only qualify for tourist visas because of my age, and that I'm not working or married to a Thai person.

I've only had one Tourist visa before, and I went to Laos by bus, which took forever. I'm just looking for other options. My first Thai visa was a year long multi entry education Visa, but now I'm no longer a student.

[thedemon]

HK Immigration don't stamp the passports of HK citizens or residents because they can use their ID cards to pass through a smart gate. But they have always stamped my passport.

No idea whether Thai Immigration would care about that or even check.

[visarunner]

Thai Immigration will check if you have stamp from the other country, in case you do just a "transit visa run" make sure you keep and show them both boarding passes.That is fine.

[DipStick]

HK Immigration don't stamp the passports of HK citizens or residents because they can use their ID cards to pass through a smart gate. But they have always stamped my passport.

No idea whether Thai Immigration would care about that or even check.

Wrong, HK Immigration have bit stamped passports for about 18 months, you go through the usual immigration line and they print out a label which shows your entry etc. this is placed in your passport not stuck in so your actual passport shows no stamp of you entering HK apart from the loose label. Of course HK residents can enter on their ID Cards.

It is also possible to land in HK and pass through a security gate without immigration checks to catch a connecting flight. So in my opinion the OP should have no problem Except when re entering Thailand they may question where he has flown in from if he loses the print out label.

[sunnyjim5]

It depends on what you are seeking to achieve.

A simple trip to Cambodia to secure another 90 day entry on a multi-entry "O" or "B" visa for example can be achieved within a day at a cost of circa 2000 Bht.

Continued use of back to back use of visa exempt entry's is a bad idea and will attract the attention of the immigration officers. If a stay of more than 30 days is planned an appropriate visa should be obtained from a Thai Embassy/Consulate.

Fair enough I should have elaborated... I can only qualify for tourist visas because of my age, and that I'm not working or married to a Thai person.

I've only had one Tourist visa before, and I went to Laos by bus, which took forever. I'm just looking for other options. My first Thai visa was a year long multi entry education Visa, but now I'm no longer a student.

If you are young, not married, not working and not undertaking a course of education the only option you have for staying in Thailand is to use tourist visas.

[DipStick]

HK Immigration don't stamp the passports of HK citizens or residents because they can use their ID cards to pass through a smart gate. But they have always stamped my passport.

No idea whether Thai Immigration would care about that or even check.

Wrong, HK Immigration have bit stamped passports for about 18 months, you go through the usual immigration line and they print out a label which shows your entry etc. this is placed in your passport not stuck in so your actual passport shows no stamp of you entering HK apart from the loose label. Of course HK residents can enter on their ID Cards.

It is also possible to land in HK and pass through a security gate without immigration checks to catch a connecting flight. So in my opinion the OP should have no problem Except when re entering Thailand they may question where he has flown in from if he loses the print out label.

Amended to add, if you don't pass immigration, then it may also be possible to reclaim the HK$ 120 departure tax

[pjthefey]

Thanks for your replies. It seems like I could probably get by by alternating between tourist Visas, and visa exempt runs to HK. I just don't want to have to sit on a bus for 12+ hours every three months to get a new visa in Laos, or have to sit around Poipet for half a week with a visa service.

I suppose I could always fly to Laos, Myanmar,or Singapore and go to the embassy myself, but I try to do everything as hassle free as possible (that is to say either using a service to take care of all the paper work for me, and not having to check into a hotel for 1 or more days).

I read in in an article dated 2014 that they'll allow you to stay 90 days on visa exempt entries per every 6 months, but with all the recent immigration craziness I have no idea if that still applies.

Between Singapore and HK, does anyone know which place is the easiest to get to the thai consulate from the airport? Airfare isn't very expensive to either place, and neither country requires a visa on arrival. I just had to get a new passport after just three years with all my trips around Asia, so now I'm also trying to plan ahead and save visa pages.

Edited February 27, 2016 by pjthefey

[sunnyjim5]

"I read in in an article dated 2014 that they'll allow you to stay 90 days on visa exempt entries per every 6 months, but with all the recent immigration craziness I have no idea if that still applies.

I have no idea where you read this but that has never been the case and as far as I am aware has never even been considered.

The most that can be had from a visa exempt entry is, including an extension of stay, 60 days. Only one extension per entry is permitted.

[pjthefey]

"I read in in an article dated 2014 that they'll allow you to stay 90 days on visa exempt entries per every 6 months, but with all the recent immigration craziness I have no idea if that still applies.

I have no idea where you read this but that has never been the case and as far as I am aware has never even been considered.

The most that can be had from a visa exempt entry is, including an extension of stay, 60 days. Only one extension per entry is permitted.

I was referring to back to back visa exempt entries.

[twwy123]

If a $210 round trip every month (without a stay at the destination) is well within your means, consider the Thai Elite visa. It works out to $230/mo, if you can stomach the 500,000 baht upfront cost for 5 years.

[sunnyjim5]

"I read in in an article dated 2014 that they'll allow you to stay 90 days on visa exempt entries per every 6 months, but with all the recent immigration craziness I have no idea if that still applies.

I have no idea where you read this but that has never been the case and as far as I am aware has never even been considered.

The most that can be had from a visa exempt entry is, including an extension of stay, 60 days. Only one extension per entry is permitted.

I was referring to back to back visa exempt entries.

Whatever !

The information you read was "mistaken" or you misunderstood what was written ,

There is no such "rule" or restriction.

There are limits to the number of visa exempt entries immigration will issue/allow on some land border crossings.

[BritTim]

I am surprised no one has mentioned that

• for flying in/out to get a visa exempt entry, KL is cheaper (again, no visa required) though you ought to go through immigration in KL; and
• the easiest visa run is probably to Penang, using an agent to do the leg work to apply for the visa.

Also, you do not mention your nationality, but some can enter Vietnam visa exempt. Flights from Bangkok to HCMC are often very cheap and this cam also be attractive for in/out flights or application for tourist visas. Note, however, that if you want to apply for tourist visas in HCMC, they require flight tickets and you must do it yourself (no agents).

[TerryLH]

"I have no idea where you read this but that has never been the case and as far as I am aware has never even been considered."

An old policy, discontinued several years ago. Perhaps before your time here.

[pjthefey]

UPDATE:

I did my first HK Visa (free) run today and everything was fine.

I checked in at BKK, they printed both boarding passes and my lounge pass for HK airport in Bangkok, and few to Hong Kong.

In Hong Kong I showed them my transfer boarding pass, and went straight to the lounge... I got in 30 minutes before the lounge opened for the day so I decided to go ask HK immigration's opinion on whether or not I should exit completely and come back in. In short they said that they never stamp passports, and Thailand immigration has no way to know whether I passed through HK immigration vs. just going through the transfer gate.

Sat in the lounge for a few hours... hopped on a plane back to Bangkok.

The immigration officer literally said nothing to me. Looked at my passport. Stamped. waved me on through in less than a minute.

I'd call this little experiment a success.