Visa Question

[Guest Astrrro]

My retirement visa expired due to leaving the country. I ddin't want to get a rentry stamp since I didn't think i'd be back so soon.

 

I doubt that I'll have a problem getting a new retirement visa in Jomtien. But I'm not sure if it matters which visa I reenter with.

 

1) tourist stamp

2) 60 day visa which is no fee

3) 90 day visa which I have to pay for.

 

Another consideration is that I'll be coming in on a one way ticket.

 

Thoughts?

[Bob]

What you need is the Non-Immigrant O visa and, with that, you can obtain the retirement visa.

 

I arrived in LOS with the 60-day tourist visa this past January and, when I went to get the retirement visa, I was told that the retirement visa can't be piggy-backed off of that (only the Non-Immigrant O). So, they issued me the Non-Immigrant O (which I think was 2,000 baht) and the retirement visa (really a long-term visa) for 1,900 baht (both of which I got the same time - and within 45 minutes of entering the immigration office in Hua Hin).

 

I've heard (which means don't rely on this!) that you can do the same thing with just the 30-day deal (which is really an exemption versus an actual visa). But, since you need the "O" anyway, I'd suggest you get it.

 

As to the one-way ticket deal, I've heard that technically you're not allowed to get the 30-day exemption if you don't already have a ticket to go home. But.........nobody in the approximately 19 trips I've made to LOS has ever asked to see any airline ticket.

[Gaybutton]

Bob is correct. You have a choice. You can enter on the 30-days, but when you go to get a new retirement visa, first they're going to convert your 30-days to a non-immigrant visa, 1900 baht. Then they're going to convert the non-immigrant visa to the retirement visa, another 1900 baht. They'll do all of that at the same time, so you'll only need to make one trip to the Immigration office to get that taken care of and a second trip the next day to pick up your passport with the new Retirement Visa.

 

Now, you may have a problem with a one-way ticket, not upon arrival, but getting on the plane to start with. I did that when I retired and damned near was denied permission to board the plane. That happened in Los Angeles. My flight into Los Angeles arrived about four hours before the flight from Los Angeles to Taipei. This was with American Airlines.

 

When they were getting ready to begin boarding passengers they made an announcement: "Please check your boarding pass. If your boarding pass does not have a circular green stamp on it, you need to see the gate agent."

 

Of course, mine didn't have it. Three lines formed and three gate agents were taking care of people. The people in the other lines were getting their stamp in less than a minute. The gate agent handling me was fiddling around with her computer. After standing there for over ten minutes I asked, "Excuse me, but is there some sort of problem?"

 

She gave me a smiling "Yes." That's all she said.

 

"Would you mind telling me what it is?"

 

"Our supervisor is on her way over here, sir. She'll explain it to you."

 

When the supervisor arrived she said, "Sir, I can't let you board the flight."

 

I couldn't believe what I had just heard. "What do you mean you can't let me board the flight? Why not?"

 

"Because you only have a one-way ticket."

 

I said, "Of course I only have a one-way ticket. That's because I'm not coming back."

 

She looked at me puzzled. I further explained that I had just retired, was going to Thailand to live, and I had no need for a return ticket.

 

"The problem is, sir, that Thailand will deny you entry if you don't have a ticket to depart Thailand. Then American has to fly you back, at our expense, and we'll be charged heavy fines."

 

I said, "Ma'am, I've been all through this with my Thai attorney. I'm not going to be denied entry. They don't even check to see if you have a departure ticket."

 

"I still can't let you board the flight."

 

"Ok," I said, "Then sell me a ticket from Bangkok to Singapore or something. Then I'll have a departure ticket."

 

"You don't even have the correct documentation to enter Thailand."

 

I showed her my non-immigrant visa. "What's that?"

 

She looked at it and then said to the gate agent, "Ok, you can let him go."

 

Of course, I had no problem at all entering Thailand.

 

For that reason, if you're going to travel on a one-way ticket, I suggest following Bob's advice and get a non-immigrant visa in case you run into a similar problem.

 

Another thing. Since I entered on a 90-day visa, I figured I might as well use up the 90 days before applying for the Retirement Visa. That didn't do me any good. When they issued my Retirement Visa, the expiration date was one year from the date I had entered Thailand, not one year from the date I applied for the Retirement Visa.

 

You do have the option of obtaining the Retirement Visa at the nearest Thai consulate too. You might want to consider that. It will cost you about US $100 more to do it that way, but you would be traveling on an already approved Retirement Visa.

 

[Guest tdperhs]

Another thing. Since I entered on a 90-day visa, I figured I might as well use up the 90 days before applying for the Retirement Visa. That didn't do me any good. When they issued my Retirement Visa, the expiration date was one year from the date I had entered Thailand, not one year from the date I applied for the Retirement Visa.

 

One other caveat. Do not wait until you have fewer than seven days left on your visa to apply for another visa in Thailand. You will be required to get an extension (Another 1900 Baht.)

 

[Guest fountainhall]

Another consideration is that I'll be coming in on a one way ticket

 

I had the same sort of experience as GB 4 years ago when trying to fly from Sydney to Bangkok on British Airways, but before I got my retirement visa. The check-in lady resolutely refused to give me a boarding pass, even though I told her I had never had this problem before and had been entering Thailand for years from various countries (as proved by the number of entry/exit stamps in my passport) without return tickets because I always bought round-trip air tickets which started in Bangkok.

 

When she still refused, the supervisor was summoned. I told her I did have an e-ticket on another One World airline out of Bangkok to Hong Kong 10 days later, but that document was in my apartment in Bangkok. I asked them to check their One World computers, "Our computers are not linked to One World!" was the reply (which made me wonder what on earth is the value of these airlines alliances).

 

So I said I would give them an imprint of my American Express card which they could fill in in the event there was any problem in my getting in to Thailand and they had to fly me back to Sydney at their cost. This was not acceptable because - as was also explained to GB - airlines are fined when they let passengers try to enter the country without the correct paperwork, and the staff who allowed it to happen are disciplined.

 

As my patience was running out, I demanded to see the manager, I also suggested I call my travel agent in Bangkok to get her to fax a copy of the e-ticket to the BA check in. This would be fine, I was told. Whilst on my cell phone, I asked the by-now very obstructive supervisor for their fax number. "Oh, we do not have a fax at check-in!"

 

"Well, what is the number in your office?" "I don't know." "Do you think you can find out?" By this stage, I was furious. Before she could reply, the manager arrived. I explained the whole situation for the third time. "Do you have a credit card?" he asked. Yes, I said, adding I had told the check in lady this some 20 minutes earlier. "Well, all we need is an imprint in case Thailand denies you entry!"

 

Of course I had zero problem when I got back to Bangkok. But I felt the treatment I received was disgraceful - and I was not only flying first class (on a miles ticket) but was a top-tier member of the airline's Executive Club.

 

The moral, however, is that rules are rules and some airlines will not bend them. Thailand does occasionally ask inbound passengers for their outward ticket, and without it you are definitely in trouble. So, in the absence of a retirement or other long-stay visa, I would advise not trying to fly in to the country without proof of a valid ticket out of the country.

[Gaybutton]

So, in the absence of a retirement or other long-stay visa, I would advise not trying to fly in to the country without proof of a valid ticket out of the country.

I thought my story was a nightmare, but yours is incredible. I don't know if I could have gone through what you did without totally losing my temper and winding up arrested.

 

There are two exceptions to what you say above that I can think of. One is if you are returning to Thailand with a re-entry permit. The other is if you are entering the country with a new Retirement Visa that you obtained while still in your home country.

 

If I had it to do over again, I would obtain the Retirement Visa while still in the USA. It would cost more, but it would save the hassle. I was lucky. If that supervisor hadn't given in, I would have been forced to either buy a return ticket or buy a ticket from Bangkok to somewhere else. That would have probably cost much more than the US$100 difference it costs to obtain the Retirement Visa outside of Thailand. That's the problem people are going to face if they try to fly to Thailand on a one-way ticket. The problem is unlikely to be arrival in Thailand. The problem is going to be with the airline.

 

Another way around it would be to buy a fully refundable ticket from Bangkok to another country, and then get the refund once you're in Thailand.

[2lz2p]

As previously mentioned, you can arrive in Thailand on Visa Exemption (30 day stay), Tourist visa (60 day stay that can be extended for 1,900 Baht for another 30 days), or Non-Immigrant Visa (90 day stay for all categories except O-A, which receives a 365 day stay - the latter is the one GB mentions as a retirement visa obtained in your home country).

 

If using a Non-Immigrant "O" visa, you can apply for a one year "retirement" extension of stay. If using the Visa Exemption or Tourist Visa, you can apply for a Non-Immigrant Visa at Thai Immigration (upon showing documents that qualify you for the retirement extension). The fee is I believe 2,000 Baht for the Non-Immigrant Visa. Generally at the same time, Thai Immigration will then process your application for extension - fee of 1,900 Baht. However, if using monthly income as part or all of the required financial resources, you will need a letter from your Embassy. You will also need to open, if you do not have already, a Thai bank account (required even if you are using only monthly income to meet qualification requirements). But, if you are using 800,000 Baht in a Thai bank, it has t be on deposit at least 60 days before the initial (first) application for extension.

 

A friend went to Pattaya Immigration and changed his Tourist visa to a Non-Immigrant visa even though his 800k had not been on deposit 60 days. They gave him a 90 day stay from the date he got the Non-Immigrant "O" visa at Immigration. They told him to come back and get his one year extension after his money had been on deposit the required 60 days. In his case, as with others getting the Non-Immigrant from Pattaya Immigration, they gave him 365 days from the expiration date of his 90 days - thus, about 15 months total. Myself, I had the same experience that GB did - they gave me 365 days from the date I last entered Thailand on the multiple entry visa. I don't know if that is still the case as my first extension was in 2003.

 

Also, if you use the Visa Exemption, you should check with Immigration right away about converting - I have read some reports that some Thai Immigration Offices required at least 21 days remaining on your permitted stay in order to apply for the Non-Immigrant Visa. True? I don't know, but better to be safe than sorry.

 

The stories mentioned about being denied by the airline when you have only a one-way ticket is something to be concerned about. When I retired, I came to Thailand using a multiple entry Non-Immigrant "O" visa, but had a round trip ticket for returning 5 months later. I don't recall the airline, but it was not a US airline. I had no problem boarding. After returning to USA, I bought a one-way ticket on Korean Air for my return - no problem. I got my first "retirement" extension after returning.

 

My next return to USA, I bought a round trip Ticket from Bangkok to Dallas, Texas and return from Eva Airlines - the Los Angeles to Dallas and return leg was on American. When I went to American counter at DFW Airport for return (this was in May), they said I couldn't board because I didn't have a return ticket. I showed them my original visa stamp along with my "extension" of stay to July 10 of that year and my "re-entry" permit - to no avail. A supervisor came over and also said I couldn't board without a ticket out of Thailand. After much discussion, they finally issued me a boarding pass to Los Angeles only (the flight from LAX to Taipei was an American code share with Eva). Fortunately, they tagged my bags to Bangkok. The supervisor's parting words were that if Eva let me board, it was their problem with the further statement that Eva would not let me board.

 

When I checked in with Eva in Los Angeles - no problem at all. I thought at the time that it was fortunate that I didn't book American to Japan with a connection to Bangkok as I probably would not have been allowed to Board. I was also prepared to buy another ticket to a neighboring country if that is what it required - of course, if bought from American, getting a refund would have been difficult - if bought with Eva, at least they have a presence in Thailand.

 

On subsequent trips, using a round trip ticket purchased from Bangkok to USA, I have continued to use Eva - but, my return trips have been from Tampa to LAX on Delta -- no problems (probably because Delta does not code share and I had to check in with Eva - no problems encountered when checking in with Eva at LAX).

 

 

 

[Guest fountainhall]

If I had it to do over again, I would obtain the Retirement Visa while still in the USA

 

That's what I eventually did 3 years ago. As GB says, it costs a bit more up front and it takes longer to process (at least in Hong Kong it did because they require a police report which takes about 10 days). But it was painless. The added bonus is that if you get a multiple reentry permit at the same time and you then exit Thailand within the 12 month validity of the visa, at each reentry you automatically get a further 12 month extension from that date. So, I made sure I left and returned to Thailand 2 weeks before the visa expired. All I then needed to do was get a new multiple entry permit. No need for a new visa until 12 months after that last reentry date. So it saved cash in the long run.

[Gaybutton]

it saved cash in the long run.

This is where that old saying about being penny wise and pound foolish comes in. Since it is obvious that certain airlines create a lot of problems for people bound for Thailand with a one-way ticket, coupled with the fact that it is absurd to pay for a round-trip ticket that you know you're not going to use, then to me the smart thing for people traveling to Thailand to stay would be to spend the extra money to get the Retirement Visa while still in your home country.

 

There are pros and cons to everything. For example, it's getting to be more and more difficult for farang to open a Thai bank account without a non-immigrant visa and you need to have a Thai bank account to get the Retirement Visa within Thailand. If you don't have one, they won't grant the visa.

 

On the other hand, if you get the Retirement Visa while still in your home country, having a Thai bank account is not among the requirements. So, you can get the Retirement Visa, come to Thailand with a one-way ticket, and since you'll enter Thailand with an already valid Retirement Visa, now you'll be able to open an account at any Thai bank you want.

 

The bottom line is there are several ways to go about it. But one way I would not recommend is trying to get an airline to let you board with a one-way ticket unless you have a ticket of some sort to exit Thailand or unless you already have the Retirement Visa.

 

I suppose one other thing you could do is call various airlines, explain your situation, and ask what their policy is about letting you travel with a one-way ticket. If the airline says it's no problem, I would ask them to confirm that for you in writing, and have that confirmation in hand when you try to board, just in case some clueless gate agent tries to stop you.

[Guest gwm4sian]

Technically, the requirement for the return ticket only exists if you plan to enter Thailand on the 30 day visa waiver or visa exempt programme. If you have a pre-issued visa of any kind for Thailand, then the return ticket requirement does not apply.

 

Some airlines do not understand this, and hence you get problems.

 

There is a fairly hefty cash incentive on airlines to get it right, as anyone they fly to Thailand who is denied entry because of (eg) expired passport, expired visa, no visa and so on has to be flown back at the airline's expense, and they can be levied a hefty fine by the Thai authorities.

[Guest thaiworthy]

Obviously, I am missing something here. Why would an airline sell you a one-way ticket knowing full well that you will not be able to board without a return? I once asked if I could buy a one-way ticket, but they told me it could not be done. And they added, if it could be done, you would be charged the same amount as a round-trip ticket.

 

So is it only a travel agent that can write a one-way ticket?

 

I have never used travel agents. I usually deal direct with the airline. Because if there's a problem with the ticket later on, it is the travel agent's responsibility to fix the problem. But I never hear from them and it's too difficult for me to contact them and get it straightened out. If you book with the airline, they are right there and can fix it right away.

 

Can you get a roundtrip ticket with the return date far off in the future? I have family I would like to visit once a year. Can the return date be booked a year away?

 

 

[Gaybutton]

Why would an airline sell you a one-way ticket knowing full well that you will not be able to board without a return?

I don't know whether the airlines sell one-way tickets to Thailand or not. I always booked through Rhonda, at Norcross Travel and I only bought a one-way ticket the only time I ever had need for one.

 

I would imagine that you could easily buy a one-way ticket from the airlines. Why not? No law says you have to book your return trip with the same airline.

 

You can buy open-ended return tickets, but they're much more expensive and they do have time limitations. Otherwise it would have been possible to buy an open-ended return ticket in 1957 and still have yet to use it.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

When I moved here I came on a one way ticket. At immigration they asked about a return and told them I was buying property here and was intending to live here. He said "OK". I was on a visa on arrival.

[Guest fountainhall]

I don't know whether the airlines sell one-way tickets to Thailand or not

 

Sure, any airline will sell you a one-way. For all the ticketing people know, you may be buying a ticket on another airline to get out of Thailand.

 

Can the return date be booked a year away?

 

Full fare tickets can be booked with the return portion being valid for 364 days. Discounted tickets usually have restrictions and few are valid for a full year.

 

So is it only a travel agent that can write a one-way ticket?

 

No, you can easily do this on the internet. Increasingly airlines are doing away with the need to purchase round trips and instead give you prices for each sector, These - depending on how early you book - are often competitive with what agents can offer. But beware! Not all airlines do this yet, One-way tickets on some airline internet sites tend to be full fare. If so, you are better switching airlines - or going through an agent.

 

At immigration they asked about a return and told them I was buying property here and was intending to live here. He said "OK"

 

Not sure when you travelled. A notice went out to all airlines and agents relatively recently reminding them of the need for those arriving in Thailand to be in possession of a valid outward ticket. I believe that was last year around about the time Immigration started cracking down on those who had lived here for a long time by continually doing visa runs.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

I moved here in October 2004.