Transit visa procedure at Suvarnabhumi, Bangkok

[thailandsgreat]

Hi,

I start my next visit to Thailand by a short stay in Myanmar. I fly from my home country Sweden to Myanmar. I found one ticket with last change at Suvarnabhumi. The layover is 6 hrs at Suvarnabhumi and the website specifically states that I will have to recheck my luggage at Suvarnabhumi for Yangon.

I have never been in this situation before at Suvarnabhumi. I assume there will be no problem once I arrive at Suvarnabhumi. But check-in at the Swedish airport are sometimes not well informed. (Two years ago they held me for 40 minutes and demanded an onward ticket to enter Cambodia, which I refused and they finally accepted. I also remember other problems there. I am not sure about this but to check-in for Thailand I think they also demand visa and do not accept the visa waiver, but that I am not sure about.)

I would prefer not to get any stamp in my passport in Bangkok. (Too many Thai tourist visas in my old passport finally made me go back to Sweden to get a new. At other airports I have just been given a transit-visa-card so I could go and check my luggage. For overnight transit they sometimes have kept my passport.) I assume I don't have to apply for a transit visa at the Thai Embassy?

So my questions are: I have an on-line Myanmar visa. I must recheck my luggage in Bangkok. What is the procedure for the transit? Are there any problems I must avoid?

Knowing the procedure is probably helpful for me if discussions arise at check-in.

Thanks

[ubonjoe]

There is no transit visa you can get at the airport.

What you will have to do is get a 30 day visa exempt entry on arrival. Unless you have had several of them you will not have a problem.

Checking in for your flight to here should not be a problem since you will have an onward flight within a few hours of arrival.

Not sure about the flight to Myanmar whether you need an onward ticket or not.

[thailandsgreat]

Thanks ubonjoe.

My (Swedish) passport is new and has no stamps.

Swedish check-in is sometimes not well informed. I am not sure they are aware of the visa exempt entry. Calling the airport has proven difficult before. If worse comes to worst, Swedish check-in will tell me that I need a Thai visa and refuse my check-in!

(With the on-line Myanmar visa you may need an onward ticket, which is not required if you apply at the consulates.)

[thailandsgreat]

I just spoke to the airport information over the phone. They were reasonable and suggested me to make a print out of the visa regulations for Thailand (visa exempt entry) from the homepage of the Swedish Embassy in Bangkok, and show at check-in if necessary. (Even the person I spoke to had had a bad experience at check-in, regarding visa requirements.)

I'll make a print out.

[ubonjoe]

I think they are a member of the IATA. All thy have to do is check the website of the IATA to find out what is needed.

I got this info by using the following website that will display the IATA info. https://www.klm.com/travel/kz_en/prepare_for_travel/travel_planning/travel_clinic/visaform.htm

"Visa required, except for Nationals of Sweden with a normal

passport for a maximum stay of 30 days."

[ubonjoe]

I just spoke to the airport information over the phone. They were reasonable and suggested me to make a print out of the visa regulations for Thailand (visa exempt entry) from the homepage of the Swedish Embassy in Bangkok, and show at check-in if necessary. (Even the person I spoke to had had a bad experience at check-in, regarding visa requirements.)

I'll make a print out.

You can get the info and print it out from the website I posted a link to in my previous post.

You could also print out this from the Thai Minstry of Foreign Affairs. http://www.consular.go.th/main/th/customize/62281-Summary-of-Countries-and-Territories-entitled-for.html

[elviajero]

If you are only staying in Myanmar for a short time you could get a Single Entry Tourist Visa (SETV) in Sweden and use it to enter Thailand. You'll be granted a 60 day stay on arrival. You can then buy a re-entry permit at the airport (1,000 baht) which will keep your 60 day stay alive. When you return from Myanmar you will be granted the remainder of the 60 days on re-entry.

[thailandsgreat]

Thanks for the links.

I have had problems at least twice. I dont know how the Swedish check-in staff work. They just look quickly into their computer and say "buy onward ticket" even though it is wrong. I don't know what data base they use.

Cambodia is a good example. Two years ago they held me for 40 minutes and called other officials. I had to ask them several times to check up their information. Each time they called another department and said I could not check in. I think it was the third time they called they finally let me check in. Also rude bahavior even though I was calm.

Even the lady at airport information had had ome similar experience!

One should be prepared with print outs from the Internet when one faces those guys!

[thailandsgreat]

Thanks for always correct and helpful advice, UbonJoe and others.

I checked in today. Long discussions. I had followed this airport's information on phone and came with printouts from the foreign department Web site and KLM site (probably IATA). None was accepted.

Their own database said Thailand without visa was impossible for Swedish people. Supervisor was called, came with a booklet, presumably updated monthly. It said differently - "without return ticket - passenger may be refused"

They made a distinction between "return" and "onward" ticket!

When I asked for an email address to discuss this, security guards were called and that counter refused to check me in.

I was allowed to go to another counter and check in "at my own risk"! The guy just said "Do you stay > 30 days? - No, I said" and had a normal check in!

Fortunately I was calm through the whole procedure and they could not make any grave accusations against me.

All was about Thai entry. They also seemingly distrusted I was going to Myanmar, since that ticket was not in their computer. (But I had printouts.) Airline: Thai Smile - a subsidiary of Thai?

Well. All ended well and I arrived in Yangon today.

The check-in staff in Sweden several times asked similar questions like "so Myanmar and Yangon are islands in Thailand". I was jai-yen and just replied.