PLEASE HELP!! Thailand & a one way ticket

This is definitely an issue when flying out of Australia to any country in the world. I have talked my way out of it a couple of times (most recently with a one way ticket to LA) but there is an easy way to keep everyone happy. First up photoshop, take an eticket you have (AirAsia, Tiger, etc.) and just change to the appropriate date etc. Safer to have this on a different airline to the one you have your one way ticket into the country booked on. The other option is just to buy a fully refundable fare out of the country on your credit card. Once you arrive, call up and refund the fare.

Like all border regulations it is annoying when they aren't uniformly applied the world over, but no one ever wants to get stuck. I have travelled the last couple of years on one way tickets throughout the world and the only time I have ever been asked for proof of onward travel is when boarding a flight in Australia, never on arrival in a country (though they do have the right to ask, but often if you can prove adequate funds and a plan, ie. to exit the US overland it does all work out)

59# bloody LOL

60# TLT it isn't right to encourage people to commit fraud - I know you won't get into big trouble but it would still be fraudulent to create a ticket.

I agree with you about conformity but border control is imperious and with each country having rules because of individual problems not because of the control of tourism. It will never be any different and TT will always get asked the same questions about visas

My nephew took 48 hours to get from England to Canada on American Airlines once (a 5 hour flight) because the plane was late getting to Amsterdam. AA put him in a hotel for the night and next morning put him on a connecting flight via Boston USA where he was promptly arrested by the CIA for not supposed to being on that flight and not having a visa to enter the US and was questioned for 5 hours about terrorist organisations which then caused him to miss his next flight to Toronto - no wonder they are so proud to be an american!!

. First up photoshop, take an eticket you have (AirAsia, Tiger, etc.) and just change to the appropriate date etc.

That must be the worst advice I've read on TT. If you're so financially limited that you don't have the dosh to fork out for the cost of a cheapie airline ticket to show onward travel, then maybe you shouldn't be travelling.

^^LOL agree CC
I have also just been informed by an immigration expert that should you be questioned on arrival any genuine visa and in date passport etc would not be taken into consideration and your status would become 'illegal immigrant'.

travelislifeistravel I would suggest you stop doing that..

Indeed travelislifeistravel is very naughty making these suggestions. However it does highlight once again the pointlessness of the proof of onward travel rule, Thai immigration is perfectly aware that it simply cannot be effectively controlled.

Yes I agree with you all that the legality of it doesn't stand up at all. That is why I have routinely done the second option I stated or got a travel agent friend of mine to do a dummy booking in the future with the seat held then cancelled after I arrived. I think #64 got the point, it just shows how ridiculous a lot of this 'onward travel' requirement is. I am all for countries and airlines ensuring that people are able to get or have the required visa for entry. But those that are genuinely planning on overstaying won't care about forfeiting a return ticket they have anyway so the policy isn't achieving anything. As long as the traveller has adequate funds to return home on then everything should be fine.

#62 Unfortunately not every country in the world has access to 'cheapie' airline tickets, and I would prefer to be spending my hard earned on actual travel than extra 'entry' fees.

In Australia all of the press on the very small amount of illegal immigrants who arrive by boat when the large majority arrive by plane and just stay is ridiculous, it shows how much the policy is flawed. Just look at the Commonwealth Games from a few years ago as evidence.

The 'onward travel' rule needs to be thoroughly looked at by airlines/countries to bring it more in line with today's ease of travel through regions where borders are just a line on a map.

^^ you make some fair comments travelislife especially with cheapie airline tickets but whilst the situation with onward has become unmanageable you are summarising the issue in reverse order so have a misconception of what the issue is. Just because it is a problem for you doesn't mean the rules were created for that purpose.

For Thailand in particular the border is not 'just a line on a map'. With a population of 68m only 25m are Thai. Compare that to Britain (I know you would prefer not to) but we have the same populous of 68m, 54m of which are white British.
Thailand has a major problem with illegal immigrants and can even define who they are as opposed to both Aus and UK who have no idea. Thailand is a magnet for bums from Sweden and Australia. Unwanted illegal workers from Laos, Cambodia and Burma. And whilst border control doesn't prevent illegals, it does at least address the acknowledgement of a problem.

Anachak, thank you for your considered response. I know full well that this issue is a two sided coin, conversing here on TT the one side that is generally looked at is that of the tourist which is what we are discussing here. The other side of that coin which the same rules apply to are the migrant legal/illegal worker which is a large problem. And this is where what a border is to a country blurs greatly. They want tourists to be able to travel quite freely, whilst restricting illegal migrants, a tough problem in any country that has land borders.

You are right about bums just living on tourist visa's in Thailand especially, but if Thailand really wanted to tackle this they could not allow people to hold back to back 60 day tourist visas.

I would like to know where you got your stat of only 25m are Thai. Commonly it is said about 80% of the population are ethnic Thai, then the next biggest, Chinese, then Khmer, Malay, Mon and Vietnamese in the make up.

If it's any help, this gives the population ethnicity as being

Thai - 75%
Chinese - 14%
Malays - 3%
Hmong, Karen and other hill tribes together comprise 8%
The Khmer, Laos and Vietnamese live mostly in the border areas.

68# CC - on the same page is 33.7% of population that is Central Thai - this is the core descent of Siam. The rest of the population is incorporated from other countries and migrants. 25m is about 33.7%

67# travelislife I wholly agree with your point that controlling immigration does not prevent illegal immigration but the point I intended is that every nations borders have different issues and so have different rules.

Ethinicity is measured in two categories in Thailand. Those born in Thailand and those who are descendant from Central Thailand.