Six-month passport validity required to enter Thailand

[sicky]

Can someone confirm, is the six month period calculated in terms of number of days, or a calendar date.  For example, if a foreign visitor's passport expires on 28 Jan 2018, what would be the last allowable date of entry?  Thanks.

[ubonjoe]

It is 6 months based upon the calendar. The last day of the 6 months before would be July 28.

Are you asking about entry to the country or to apply for a visa.

For entry to the country it depends upon your nationality. Some countries only  need a passport valid for their length of stay.

 

[sicky]

Many thanks.  I have a non-B visa which does not expire until next year.  I am British.

 

One of the reasons for asking this is because I have had problems with Thai Airways check-in staff during the recent past, where they asked me a lot of questions, even though I showed them my non-B visa.  I switched to using Cathay Pacific and have never had a problem.  However, since my passport is close to expiry when I shall arrive in Thailand, I just wanted to get the matter straight.  Appreciate your help.

[Maestro]

Removed an off-topic post and the reply to it.

[perthperson]

Most people can (it depends on nationality) enter Thailand with a passport which is valid for the length of their proposed stay. However, it should be noted that travel to the majority of nearby countries requires a passport validity of six months. 

 

Many Thai Embassies/Consulates require passports to have a 6 month validity before a visa will be issued. 

 

Personally I would never travel with a short dated passport. 

[Jip99]

There is no excuse for running a (British) passport to the wire. The HMPO will credit up to 9 months unexpired term so no reason to cut it fine.

[sicky]

2 hours ago, Jip99 said:

There is no excuse for running a (British) passport to the wire. The HMPO will credit up to 9 months unexpired term so no reason to cut it fine.

Yes, I accept that.  However a few weeks before the start of the six-month expiry should be ok.  Can you help with the latter point you made, in regard to crediting nine months' time.  How does one go about doing that?  Can I do that whilst staying in Hong Kong, at the consulate?

Edited July 7, 2017 by sicky

[stevenl]

There is no required 6 months validity if you enter with a valid non-B visa.

 

Some airlines though do have a minimum 6 months passport validity in their passport, irrespective on travel destination.

[ubonjoe]

5 hours ago, sicky said:

Yes, I accept that.  However a few weeks before the start of the six-month expiry should be ok.  Can you help with the latter point you made, in regard to crediting nine months' time.  How does one go about doing that?  Can I do that whilst staying in Hong Kong, at the consulate?

When you apply for a new passport they will add up to 9 month of the remaining validity on your current passport to the new one.

[gk10002000]

9 hours ago, Jip99 said:

There is no excuse for running a (British) passport to the wire. The HMPO will credit up to 9 months unexpired term so no reason to cut it fine.

9 month credit eh?  That is nice.  The USA doesn't.  It just starts a new 10 year clock from scratch.

[perthperson]

7 hours ago, sicky said:

Can you help with the latter point you made, in regard to crediting nine months' time

It happens 'automatically'.

 

 See the link for detail of renewing a UK passport from abroad.

 

https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports

[IMA_FARANG]

No that is no longer true. at least for many nationalities.

It once was some years back, but the law has no been  changed

Not all airlines know that, however, and some will still tell you he old law still applies.

 

However, some of the nearby South East Asian countries do still have such a requirement, so You may find that going to one of them from Thailand cause problems.

This often comes op when  crossing a land border to one of those neighboring countries.

 

I was once told by a clerk at the check in booth for a flight to Malaysia that , although I was still only 7 month away from my passport expiration date and therefore I was still legal for a free Malaysian entry stamp.

But Malaysia required a 6 month passport for entry so  I was close to the limit.

So when I returned to Thailand from Malaysia I went to the U.S. embassy in Bangkok and applied for a new U.S. passport to avoid any problems in the future.

 

 

 

[perthperson]

26 minutes ago, IMA_FARANG said:

It once was some years back, but the law has no been  changed

Links, please to the old and 'new' law. When was this "new" law published in the Royal Gazette? 

[fdch]

17 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

It is 6 months based upon the calendar. The last day of the 6 months before would be July 28.

Are you asking about entry to the country or to apply for a visa.

For entry to the country it depends upon your nationality. Some countries only  need a passport valid for their length of stay.

 

i had the same with a  Dutch pasport only valid for 6 weeks

you can enter by plane  and get 30 days 

but you need to leave the country before it expires

also u will not get any extension 

for visa 90 days you need a minimum of 6 months 

[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, fdch said:

for visa 90 days you need a minimum of 6 months 

Why would you need 6 month of passport validity to enter the country. That would be needed to apply for the visa.

You could enter the country with less than 6 months passport validity.

[Inepto Cracy]

Dear ubonjoe, your highness and Encyclopaedia of all things Thai. We adore you, but I spoke to an IO who came to my house on Thursday in Phuket, who informed me that they are now very strict on the six months validity of a passport, b e f o r e you enter Thailand. End of story.

He works at Immi Phuket Airport.

[stevenl]

30 minutes ago, Inepto Cracy said:

Dear ubonjoe, your highness and Encyclopaedia of all things Thai. We adore you, but I spoke to an IO who came to my house on Thursday in Phuket, who informed me that they are now very strict on the six months validity of a passport, b e f o r e you enter Thailand. End of story.

He works at Immi Phuket Airport.

He can be strict, but there is no 6 months passport validity requirement for a visa exempt entry.

 

End of story.

[perthperson]

1 hour ago, Inepto Cracy said:

who informed me that they are now very strict on the six months validity of a passport, b e f o r e you enter Thailand

Best you have this IO spread his strict message.  My son entered Thailand via Phuket on 07 July 2017 - He has five months validity left on his Australian passport. 

Edited July 8, 2017 by perthperson
correction of typo

[Phuket Man]

There is no six month requirement. 

Simple as that. 

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, Phuket Man said:

There is no six month requirement. 

For those from some countries. It is not needed for those from most countries eligible for a visa exempt entry.

[Jip99]

16 hours ago, Phuket Man said:

There is no six month requirement. 

Simple as that. 

 

 

Indeed not.

 

BUT, the travel industry has effectively imposed the "6 month rule" and without it travelers may experience issues at boarding.

 

I believe that Australia is the same - no immigration requirement, but the travel advice is to have 6 months validity.

[bangkoklasse]

I have entered Thailand a couple of times with less than 6 months left on my passport. Mainly because I'm Swedish and our passports only last 5 years. and a new cost 6000 baht at the embassy here. Then you like to use it as long as it last

[BritTim]

6 hours ago, bangkoklasse said:

I have entered Thailand a couple of times with less than 6 months left on my passport. Mainly because I'm Swedish and our passports only last 5 years. and a new cost 6000 baht at the embassy here. Then you like to use it as long as it last

Your decision, of course, but 6,000 baht for 5 years works out at 600 baht for 6 months. Personally, for the sake of saving a potential US$17 or less, I would never risk being unable to travel when a need arose. Sure, you can enter Thailand with a soon to expire passport, but you cannot visit most other countries (or, in some cases, even transit through them) without 6 months validity.

[ukrules]

There is also something else to consider.

 

If you're not flying direct and transit through a third country where the rules are different you may well find that the rules of the third country dictate the requirements to allow you to fly.

 

If your onward flight is cancelled you will end up in the third country quite possibly having passed through immigration depending on where it is. This is why in my experience it's always best to have the full 6 months. You could end up staying a night in the middle east with an extra stamp on your passport because they cancelled a half full flight for their own convenience.

[sicky]

Having read through posters' replies on this subject, I'm a bit unclear whether the apparent lack of requirement for a six-month validity period applies to those visiting with a visa-on-arrival, or for those who have a visa. Some have said that they did not require six-months' validity when they arrived, such as Perthperson whose son only had five months left on his passport (presumably visa-on-arrival), but Phuket Man adds "There is no six month requirement. - Simple as that."

So I'm still quite confused. Is it simply the case that as visitors, we have no way of knowing, because Thai authorities follow their own rules and make up the rules as they go along? I read on another thread just now about 90-reporting and that "some offices do x" and "some offices do y". Is it simply the case that this is how Thai authorities are, and they often think they know the rules, but the rules are just vapour? Just a thought!

Edited July 9, 2017 by sicky

[ukrules]

3 hours ago, sicky said:

Having read through posters' replies on this subject, I'm a bit unclear whether the apparent lack of requirement for a six-month validity period applies to those visiting with a visa-on-arrival, or for those who have a visa. Some have said that they did not require six-months' validity when they arrived, such as Perthperson whose son only had five months left on his passport (presumably visa-on-arrival), but Phuket Man adds "There is no six month requirement. - Simple as that."

So I'm still quite confused. Is it simply the case that as visitors, we have no way of knowing, because Thai authorities follow their own rules and make up the rules as they go along? I read on another thread just now about 90-reporting and that "some offices do x" and "some offices do y". Is it simply the case that this is how Thai authorities are, and they often think they know the rules, but the rules are just vapour? Just a thought!

Any problem won't be with Thai immigration when you arrive.

 

The problem will hit you very suddenly when you arrive at the airport and they tell you that you won't be travelling, end of story. Different airlines, different rules and like I said above, the transit country matters more than you might think.

[perthperson]

5 hours ago, sicky said:

. Is it simply the case that as visitors, we have no way of knowing, because Thai authorities follow their own rules and make up the rules as they go along?

You can check visa requirements/passport validity by opening the link and filling in your details. 

 

Nothing to do with anyone "making up rules" 

 

http://www.iatatravelcentre.com/

[ubonjoe]

5 hours ago, sicky said:

I'm a bit unclear whether the apparent lack of requirement for a six-month validity period applies to those visiting with a visa-on-arrival, or for those who have a visa.

You would certainly need at least 6 months of passport validity if you were to apply for a 15 day visa on arrival. The 19 countries that qualify for them have to have 6 months of passport validity.

Most of those that qualify for a visa exempt entry only need a passport valid for their length of stay. A person from one of those countries that enter using a visa would still only need a passport valid for the length of stay allowed by the visa.

You can check what  is required for your nationality by entering a passport validity here that is less than 6 months. https://skyteam.traveldoc.aero/

 

[bangkoklasse]

15 hours ago, BritTim said:

Your decision, of course, but 6,000 baht for 5 years works out at 600 baht for 6 months. Personally, for the sake of saving a potential US$17 or less, I would never risk being unable to travel when a need arose. Sure, you can enter Thailand with a soon to expire passport, but you cannot visit most other countries (or, in some cases, even transit through them) without 6 months validity.

If I need to travel to a country where I need 6 or more months validity on my passport, then I would apply for a new one of course. But I live in Thailand and don't travel a lot except for domestic travel

[BritTim]

45 minutes ago, bangkoklasse said:

If I need to travel to a country where I need 6 or more months validity on my passport, then I would apply for a new one of course. But I live in Thailand and don't travel a lot except for domestic travel

If my embassy could process a passport renewal the same day, I might take the same view. As it is, it takes at least a couple of weeks for a UK passport renewal in Thailand. I am not willing to risk being unable to travel for that length of time if the need arose. I understand your situation could be different,.