Conflicting Thai VISA information
Replies: 17 - Last Post: Dec 15, 2012 5:38 AM Last Post By: Brax
jump to
Conflicting Thai VISA information
Hey guys...i know this has been covered a million times, and i thought i knew the deal, but the seed of doubt has been planted! My friend sent me a link to the Thai Consulate in the UK which states :A VISA IS NOT REQUIRED FOR TRAVELLERS TO THAILAND WHO ARRIVE AND HAVE A CONFIRMED DEPARTURE WITHIN A TWENTY NINE DAY PERIOD. TO BE ELIGIBLE, TRAVELLERS must not leave thailand at any time during their stay.
Travellers entering Thailand for periods longer than thirty days or a lesser period but are crossing a land border DO require a tourist visa.
Travellers who arrive in Thailand but intend to depart via any land border will always require a visa.
Visas are also required if a traveller is holding a one way only ticket.
(http://www.thaiconsulatewales.org.uk/faq's.htm)
I was under the impression from what i had read on the internet and heard from people, that you get a free 30 day visa by arriving by Air (Which we are doing) We are then entering Cambodia which we will have to get a visa for at the border for $20. We're then flying back from Thailand, so would get another free visa for 15 days by entering by land.
The statements from the Cardiff Thai Consulate above seem to contradict this though. Can anyone help clear this up for me once and for all? My friend is getting a bit stressed about it, and i don't want him and me to end up paying £50 for something that should be free!!
We both have UK passports and are residents of the UK.
Many Thanks.
Dean :-)
1
I need this same advice as I will be arriving by air and was expecting to get a 30 day tourist exemption and then leave Thailand to laos, vietnam and cambodia and when I returned I was hoping to get the 15 day overland exemption to fly back out and homeI was also hoping to go to India, so would need at least 2 or even 3, 15 day overland exemptions
Cheers
2
It's written out about five times a day on this forum.If you fly in, you get a visa EXEMPTION for 30 days (which isn't technically a visa).
If you don't have a ticket out of Thailand within 30 days, (most say a FLIGHT ticket out) your airline might refuse to let you on the plane in Europe. You are therefore recommended to get a visa in advance (or a flight out of Thailand within 30 days)
Coming overland from Cambodia, you will get a 15 day visa exemption, no problem.
That is the same as your quoted text says - it isn't conflicting.
3
Your link didn't work for me but here it is again http://www.thaiconsulatewales.org.uk/faq's.htmThat's got to be the most crap Thai consular information I've ever seen.
"to be eligible, travellers must not leave thailand at any time during their stay"
"Travellers who arrive in Thailand but intend to depart via any land border will always require a visa"
The above two statements are absolute bollocks
You can come and go pretty much as you please by getting a visa exemption (30 days by air, 15 days by land entry) and get a fresh stamp each time. The only potential hangup is on departure from the UK the airline might flag you for not having a return air ticket. Experiences vary in this regard. Sometimes they don't check, sometimes you can explain your itinerary, or just get a tourist visa in advance to smooth things over. If you want to deal with a consulate who knows their stuff contact the one in Hull http://www.thaiconsul-uk.com
4
Hi,Right this has got to be the last time I ever comment on this topic. It is getting crazy. Yes visa exemption for 30 days if arriving by air, 15 if by land. No limit on number of visits that I am aware of.
Been to Thailand many times and on 3 occasions have been asked to show an onward/return AIR ticket at UK check in, once even when I had a visa. So somewhat sporadic to say the least. Hull and Birmingham consulates are, in my opinion, the best places to get a visa if ever you need one. They also post the best advice online. So it is a gamble to try to travel on a one way ticket from the uk without a visa or proof of onward air travel. The advice posted here from the welsh consulate is in the main absolute (insert own choice of wording).
5
Travellers entering Thailand for periods longer than thirty days or a lesser period but are crossing a land border DO require a tourist visa.
That's true. You know what else is true? Prostitution is unlawful in Thailand.
Here's the big shock: not every law is vigorously enforced.
When you land at Suvarnabhumi, you'll go through immigration. The immigration guy
+ will ask for your passport and your filled-in arrival card (the stewardess will have given you a blank one about a half-hour before you landed and then sighed when you begged a pen from her)
+ might ask for your boarding pass (although why I don't know)
+ will insist you take your hat off (I always get caught on this one)
The guy doesn't speak English and he has a long line of tourists to process. He isn't going to ask you about your travel plans or your hotel or how you like your eggs in the morning.
Yes, technically, if you're planning to leave by surface transit, you aren't supposed to be eligible for a visa exemption.
And, technically, you aren't supposed to be getting a hummer under the table from that suspiciously broad-shouldered girl at that bar.
Lots of stuff happens in Thailand.
6
And this?http://www.thaiconsulatewales.org.uk/faq's.htm
The failure of that link is entirely the fault of... Lonely Planet! Or specifically, their computer programmers, who failed to completely parse the URL, stopping right before the apostrophe.
(I guess you can also blame whoever it was at the consulate who thought that English plurals are formed with apostrophes and then thought it would be a good idea to include such in the URL.)
Click here for the actual FAQs.
7
"Foreigners entering Thailand by any means under the Tourist Visa Exemption category must possess a passport with at least 6 months validity and have proof of onward travel (confirmed air, train, bus or boat tickets) to leave Thailand within 30 days of arrival otherwise a tourist visa must be obtained prior to entry."Sorry but it now clearly states (confirmed air, train, bus or boat tickets)
Albert
9
#7 It's irrelevant what any website says.The only thing that counts is what the people in charge want to enforce. Those that know, realise that when it comes to Thailand, everything is up for interpretation, and the tourist has no rights.
11
Hi,Sorry may be the correct word No.7. Yes the Hull consulate states that in its website. The Birmingham one is quite explicit in that is says you must possess an air ticket. So there you have it, contradiction from the experts - no wonder the poor first time traveler gets confused.
13
haha..thanks guys! I realise this is posted to death, so sorry for that! I have a return ticket from Thailand, so i can;t see there being any problems. Cheers now!14
Starting to panic now, as all this info is now even more conflicting.No 5. states "Yes, technically, if you're planning to leave by surface transit, you aren't supposed to be eligible for a visa exemption."
But the Hull thai consulate states
"Foreigners entering Thailand by any means under the Tourist Visa Exemption category must possess a passport with at least 6 months validity and have proof of onward travel (confirmed air, train, bus or boat tickets) to leave Thailand within 30 days of arrival otherwise a tourist visa must be obtained prior to entry."
I am planning to leave Thailand within 5 days of arrival by land crossing now. Shit, so what is the crack.
I mean its too late for me to get a visa, Im a UK citizen but live in Spain
Edited by: albertramsbottom
