Having a few problems with thailand visa:
Booked ticket to enter thailand using sta travel and when on asking the agent about visa requirements she siad that we could get a visa on arrival....fine we thought and said no more about it, these people should know eh?!
After talking to a friend he mentioned we needed a ticket out of thailand for us to get the \'tourist visa exemption\' after reading forums and blogs i understand now that i need a ticket out of thailand or we need to get visas processed.
Question 1. how long does it take to get the visa processed from the london embassy?
Question 2. If we were to buy a cheap ticket we wont use, just so we have proof that we will leave thailand, can we then apply for a tourist visa in bangkok for when we enter thailand again?
Our route (i hope, as long as this visa stuff gets sorted) will be to enter thailand (!) stay in bangkok for about a week to sort the visas for future travel, then head into laos, travel north and enter vietnam, south and enter cambodia, then back into thailand to explore thailand properly, then through to malaysia and then on and on etc.
This normally wouldn\'t be a problem, but we have tickets booked with STA travel to leave on the 25th November. so basically, we have 9 days. your help would be most kind and very very much appreciated.
Graham
Reply to this Hello Graham 😊
Officially you need a ticket out of Thailand in order to enter but the Thai immigration rarely check that you have it. You are more likely to have trouble with the airline that are flying you to Thailand. Airlines often dont like flying people to Thailand unless they have an onward or return ticket.
Question 2. If we were to buy a cheap ticket we wont use, just so we have proof that we will leave thailand, can we then apply for a tourist visa in bangkok for when we enter thailand again?
When you reenter Thailand you will get another 30 day visa exemption. You can get a certain number of them within a certain number of days. I think it is 3 within 90 days but you would need to double check that because I cant remember exactly how it is.
But try not to worry about it too much. A lot of people are in your position, so surely the airlines are getting used to it by now. The Thai immigration seem to ignore it completely and make little/no attempt to enforce it.
Mel
Reply to this They never asked me to show that i had a ticket out
Reply to this Here's a cute trick I sometimes use: I tell 'em the truth.
Just tell them you are going overland to Laos, and you'll be fine.
Also, with tickets these days just printouts, you can get most travel agencies to print you a ticket and then cancel it for no fee. It's an absurd way to get around an absurd rule.
Reply to this Thank you so much for such a quick response!
I guess i need to stop worrying! This is my first travelling trip and i dont want to fall flat on my face at the first hurdle!
Reply to this To get a visa excemption you need proof that you are leaving Thailand by air, an overland won't do. It's not really immigration that will be your problem, I hear they often don't ask. However, your airline from the UK is very likely to. They might not let you on the plane if you don't have a visa or a return flight. We just flew out for the second time and they scrupusously checked everyone's passports and/or onward flights.
However, getting a visa is really easy and couldn't be quicker. Where are you? There are Thai consuls all over the country. We use Birmingham. You turn up with your passport, the application form, photos and some cash and they issue the visa there and then.Don't bother with the embassy, go to the consul.
This website is for the Hull consul, it gives you lots of info about one way flights. http://www.thaiconsul-uk.com/
Obviously if you want to risk it, do. I dunno, I just would worry that I wouldn't be allowed to leave the UK....
That would ruin anyone's trip. So if you do, at least make sure your insurance will cover that.
Have a great trip!
Reply to this Hi guys, me and my girlfriend are travelling to Thailand in 2 weeks! We don't have any Visas but we do have a return ticket which is 2 months after we arrive.
We know that we have 30 days in thailand, but how do we go about renewing it after 30 days?
Can we just cross the border into Laos or Myanmar for example and come straight back?
Thankyou!
Reply to this Hello Joe 😊
You could just cross a border to another country and then come back to Thailand and get another 30 days. Malaysia might be a good option(be aware of border political situation and take precautions. ie cross the border at the safe places) because you are probably a citizen of one of the countries that can get a free visa on arrival in Malaysia.
Mel
Reply to this Why don't you just get visas then? Most embassies and consulates issue them overnight. Otherwise, yes, you can just cross the border and come straight back, but a 60 day tourist visa is cheaper.
Reply to this As I said above, consuls in the UK will issue a 60 day tourist visa on the stop, there and then. Takes about 5 minutes! Not even overnight!!.
Reply to this Ok thanks for you advice guys. We've left it too late now so we'll just have to leave the country and come back.
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