billp
This has to be the number-one stumbling block for people who'd like to use Bangkok as a hub for independent travel in the region.
How do you mean ? do you mean people who wish to fly back from a country other than Thailand ? If that's the case the Embassy / consulate will tell you that the requirement for an onward / return FLIGHT can be substituted by BUS / TRAIN ticket and I believe these can be bought on-line should your airline still be one requiring this proof.
Quoting the Hull Visa Exemption rules again:
"Any person intending to enter Thailand under the ”Visa Exemption Rule” for a stay of either 30 days or 15 days must:-
...
c) hold a confirmed flight ticket to show they will be exiting Thailand within 30 days or 15 days of entry, as applicable."
That's the way it's been for years. Train tickets or intentions to take a bus out of the country don't count.
That's the way it's been for years. Train tickets or intentions to take a bus out of the country don't count
I exchanged emails with the Thai embassy today and they clearly stated that bus / train tickets were acceptable.
It becomes more and more obvious why some airlines don't bother with these checks.
But you may be on to something. The "proof of onward travel" requirement is no longer on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website visa exemption regulations, and I'm sure it WAS there last time I looked. I've posted a query on Thai Visa to see if someone knows anything about a stealth change, or could check the original Thai on http://www.consular.go.th/.
I had no trouble getting this confirmation today.
Just an idea for those of you who still want / have to travel with an airline insisting on this silly rule, ask them if this confirmation together with a bus / train ticket will satisfy them.
I exchanged emails with the Thai embassy today and they clearly stated that bus / train tickets were acceptable.
Meaning they still do require proof of onward travel, and at least the person at the embassy thought bus or train tickets would be acceptable.
billp you haven't understood my posts at all. I am not arguing about the wording of any requirements, I was simply pointing out that in practice, things can be and are much different.
Of course I understand your posts! But, with all due respect, and not that I personally doubt you at all, but who's going to risk having their trip ruined because they've been denied boarding due to what an anonymous person who claims to be a check-in agent has posted on an internet forum? I'm trying to track any official confirmation out there to support what you're telling us.
So far, I haven't found anything I would regard as gold-standard, just negatives ie "proof of onward travel" no longer appears on the MFA website and on the internet pages of some embassies and I'm sure it was previously quite clear on the MFA site. But neither MFA or Immigration announced any change in the rules.
Maybe the rules have indeed been changed for some time, but airlines have still been clinging to the obsolete rule because the Thai government never advised them of the change? That would explain why some airlines have been denying boarding, but Thai Immigration anecdotally never checks for proof of onward travel.
The IATA database as accessed through Delta's website says:
"Additional Information:
- All passports must be in good condition.
- Immigration officers can request visitors who are visa exempt to show return/onward tickets and documents required for next destination."
I don't doubt her actually bill - when was the last time you were asked what further travel arrangement you had made and I have never bothered to show the passport control in Thailand my tickets.. I am just aware that is the rules but they seem to be not enforced?
(course - it'll be bloody funny if its an ex-banned)