"It has been pointed out on this thread and others that you need to show proof of leaving Thailand within 30 days; this includes being on a tour."
Many things have been pointed out, but not all are true.
The proof of leaving Thailand within 30 days officially has to be a flight ticket out of Thailand.
Do i take it that if i fly London to Hanoi , then change at Hanoi to Bkk (on my uk passport) i should be fine to get my 30 days free without hassel from my outward flight company ?
If i then plan to travel overland (without any fixed flights) to Cambodia then Vietnam to Hanoi and return to Bkk for a second time i can use my 15 days free before traveling on to KL ( where i will fly back to the Uk) .
I think thats what i have read as acceptable.
Many thanks to all who have put this thread togther and to anyone who replys to this request for help!.
Edit .. if a flight is required and i am traveling south to north apart from BKK where can i get a required flight out of Thailand to Phenom Pheng or siam rep?
this seems to be the stumbeling block.
Edited by: londontashkentrally
found this on Uk Thai consulate webage.
note where it says onward travel by AIR , TRAIN , BUS , BOAT...
GENERAL VISA RULES & REGULATIONS
As a general rule, any foreigner wishing to travel to Thailand needs to obtain a visa. The visa is a document which is issued by this consulate and it gives the traveller permission to formally request entry into Thailand within a given period of time and for certain purposes. There are several different types of visas available based on purpose of visit and length of time required. In the case of tourism there are certain circumstances where the traveller is either exempt from needing to apply for a visa or can apply for a visa on arrival in Thailand – see Tourist Visa Exemption and Tourist Visa on Arrival below.
Tourist Visa Exemption
Passport holders of the countries listed below are not required to obtain a visa when entering Thailand on an international flight for tourism purposes provided their stay in Thailand does not exceed 30 days. If such foreigners enter Thailand at Immigration Checkpoints which border neighbouring countries (overland crossing), they will be allowed to stay for only 15 days each time.
Foreigners who enter Thailand under the Tourist Visa Exemption category and would like to leave and re-enter may only stay for a cumulative duration which does not exceed 90 days and is within a 6-month period from the date of first entry.
Foreigners entering Thailand under the Tourist Visa Exemption category must provide proof of adequate finances for the duration of stay in Thailand at the point of entry (i.e. traveller’s cheques or cash equivalent to 10,000 Baht per person and 20,000 Baht per family).
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.
Please note that Tourist Visa Exemption only applies to foreigners holding passports issued by the countries listed below. Travel document for aliens issued by these counties are not acceptable.
Copy/Pasting from Thai consulate websites isn't always a sure thing. For example this policy...
"Foreigners who enter Thailand under the Tourist Visa Exemption category and would like to leave and re-enter may only stay for a cumulative duration which does not exceed 90 days and is within a 6-month period from the date of first entry"
... was cancelled a few years ago. Outdated info.
Also re. "proof of onward travel (confirmed air, train, bus or boat tickets)"
I have yet to find any way to pre-obtain any bus/train/boat ticket out of Thailand (except maybe the Orient Express). Therefore departure by air seems the only viable option as far as "proof" goes.
I recently (last week) flew from the States without any onward ticket (again) and got hassled by the airline check-in lady to show a return flight. Thankfully I had a Thai visa already which gave the green light, but only after some consultation with her colleagues. Sometimes it comes down to who you deal with on the day and how they interpret "the rules".
Dear Bob ,
Thanks for a more "real term" update on that.
I was printing of the visa application form and then read it and thought Ohhhh ..
My situation is that i have an outward one way flight from LONdon To HANoi .
i also have another flight that leaves Hanoi later that day and goes to Thailand BKK.
From there i was "hoping" to use my 30 day visa exempt to see part of Thailand then travel to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat and then proceed into Vietnam which will have a visa for as i am applying for it now
I then wish to fly back down to Thailand (from Hanoi) and use another 30 day visa exempt to travel down to Malaysia watch the F1 and fly home on a pre booked ticket.
In your opnion (if you would be kind enough to give it) should i just get a 60 double entry tourist visa for Thailand that will take out the hassle factor of "what if , and maybe" or am i just going over the top .Or am i clearly not reading the bit that is clearly stated on here page after page I need onward travel !!!!!!!.
many thanks in advance
Edited by: londontashkentrally
If your flight in and out of bkk is 60 days and your intention is to tour a neighboring country within the 30 day exempt and 15 day land boarder rules, having a 60 day visa should not+ be an issue. Upon leaving bkk you would either have to have purchased a 1900b visa at a consulate ($20 more than a 60 day visa) or be fined 500b per day. +If you didn't play by the rules.
Thanks for the answers to my questions.
QUOTE- "flight from LONdon To HANoi .
i also have another flight that leaves Hanoi later that day and goes to Thailand BKK.
From there i was "hoping" to use my 30 day visa exempt to see part of Thailand then travel to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat and then proceed into Vietnam which will have a visa for as i am applying for it now"
---------------------------------
If you are flying into Bkok from Hanoi then going by land to Cambodia if you wish you could arrive in Thailand without visa - Thai immigration are not going to check on arrival and when you depart the airport staff in Hanoi are not that likely to be that strict about onward ticket for Thailand.
Yes, but that won't stop questions about it , the questions will only stop when Thai authorities reform the onward ticket rules - that may be a long wait though.
My experience flying into Bangkok a few days ago:
I had a one-way ticket into Bangkok. Fearing I wouldn't be allowed on the plane, I purchased a Thailand visa.
After some consultations at the counter, I was allowed on the plane without an onward ticket because of my visa but was told that I might need to purchase a ticket to leave the country when I arrived in Thailand or might not be allowed in. This sounded wrong to me, and I felt very confident (based on this thread and armed with my visa) that I wouldn't be turned away nor would I have to purchase an onward ticket. I told the airport ticketing person that I planned to leave over land, and she told me that I might want to have a detailed itinerary to present on landing.
Out of an abundance of caution, I crafted a detailed itinerary during the long flight showing a land departure into Laos, and I purposefully didn't put my visa number in my landing documents (as explained further, below).
On arrival, I handed my documents to the officer, hoping to just get the 30 day visa exemption so that I could save the use of my visa for the onward portion of my journey - when I crossed back in from a neighboring country. Unfortunately, she noticed my visa. I told her that I wanted to use the visa for later re-entry into the country, but she said that was not allowed. She wouldn't let me have a visa exemption, but she did use my visa and didn't ask about onward travel.
So, the bottom line from my experience: the visa got me on the plane and into the country without onward travel. However, I was not allowed to defer using that visa. So, I'm researching as to whether I will need a ticket out of Thailand to get the visa exemption on my next entry (likely from Cambodia via land or Vietnam via air). I suspect I will need that or another visa.
Anyway, your results may vary, but I thought I would give my recent personal experience.