A Super Hack for your Return/Onward Ticket for Thai Visa or Visa Exemption
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- čas přidán 25. 11. 2022
- SORRY FOLKS, DUE TO AN AUDIO PROBLEM, I HAD TO TAKE DOWN THE ORIGINALLY POSTED VERSION AND REPLACE IT WITH A NEW VERSION. And thanks to Sim Biotik for noticing the spelling error in the original title.
A return or onward ticket is a requirement when applying for a Thai tourist visa or when entering Thailand on a visa exemption. Many tourists don't really know when they will return to their home country. Some will extend their visits by going to a neighboring country and re-entering Thailand on a visa exemption. Also, some airlines won't let you board without a return/onward ticket dated for within 60 days in the case of a tourist visa or 45 days in the case of a visa exemption. This is a stricter requirement than Thai immigration. These airlines (I know of JAL and Air Canada) don't take into account that you might be getting a visa extension.
For all of these reasons, many travelers resort to buying a cheap ticket that they will throw away, or doing some similar hack. In this video, I present some methods that I think may be the 'ultimate solutions'. See if you agree. And many thanks to my viewers Crazy Shenanigans and MBK Landmark who contributed these hacks.
In this video, I reference the video URGENT THAI VISA EXEMPTION VIDEO ON RETURN/ONWARD TICKET DATES • URGENT THAI VISA EXEMP...
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This really is the best of the best videos for onward travel. So glad for the information and for demonstrating the process. Thanks!
You're welcome! I hope, in the future, they just drop these onward travel requirements. All the best... Bob
Thanks man! This was really helpful!
You're welcome Mark. I wish they'd just get rid of these onward ticket requirements... all the best... Bob
Thanks Robert! Pretty useful info
Thank you Ash! and sorry for the late reply... CZcams hasn't been sending me email notifications when comments are posted. I think the problem may be fixed now.
Thank you for the tip.
Just landed yesterday, having a one-way ticket only as I wanted to be flexible. I might extend my stay here.
The lady at Bangkok immigration just asked when I am leaving the country without asking for an onward ticket.
However, I came through Mumbai and they asked for proof of onward ticket before issuing me a boarding pass!
That fake onward ticket for 10 bucks saved my ass :)
Stanislav, wow! That's a great story. Funny that immigration didn't ask, but the airline did. Can I ask what airline it was? thanks! ...Bob
@Robert Sultan Hi Bob, I was transferring to my flight. The immigration officers checked everyone who was continuing to Bangkok.
@@stanislavtvaruzek Yes, for $10 it's really worth preventing any problem. all the best... Bob
Very detailed video Sir thanks
You're welcome! ...Bob
Very informative, thanks from France
Merci Mine Turtle.... all the best... Bob
I was prevented from checking in with Swiss Airlines because they wanted to see a onward ticket within 30days, even though I had a return ticket for 60days, I automatically thought that I could extend my visa on arrival for another 30days in Thailand. It was a costly mistake because I had to amend my ticket and it was costly. Great video Robert.
Hi Lenny. From the viewpoint of Thai immigration, the 60-day return is no problem because they do assume the extension. It would be great if they would just publish this in the information they provide to the airlines. And the problem is that the airlines themselves apply this rules very unevenly. Sorry that you happened to get caught by this... but great that you're letting my viewers know... Bob
Shit that sucks. I'm worried I'm going to be in the same situation with Airasia / Jetstar. What a stupid situation, illogical. Same idea that you need a hotel when you get there .
Thank you. Rules is a moving target though.
Hi Joachim. Definitely! But at least with the tourist visas, immigration has been moving in the direction of simplification... but they are also definitely moving in the direction of easing people away from using visa exemptions as a means of doing long stays in Thailand by making repeated visa runs... but always a moving target... all the best... Bob
In my case (for Washington DC Thai Embassy) for a 60 day multi entry visa, the Embassy did come back to me and requested a copy of a departure ticket. I purchased a ticket to a nearby country within 90 days after my expected arrival date.
I flew Eva Air, and in my situation, they didn't ask to see a return ticket when checking in.
Hi tbd, that's very interesting information. I was not asked for a return/onward ticket when applying for an METV. I think I've done this 3 times, from both the NY and LA consulates. However, I see that this IS listed as a requirement on the DC embassy website for METV. So, just to be safe, I'm going to stop telling people that a return/onward ticket isn't needed for an METV. Maybe I just wasn't asked for it. Thanks for letting me know about this.... Bob
Onwardtickets websites offer just pre-paid tickets, no paid ones and Immigration officers can check that easily if they want.
Hi. I plan to get a METV Visa. If I need to get onboard ticket,wondering when to put return as I may try to extend for another 3 months. Thank you in advance.
Hi Cindy, you should watch the video czcams.com/video/92OWF_10s1w/video.html This will give you complete instructions on this question. Submit ONLY a one-way ticket from your home country to Thailand. Do NOT submit a return or onward ticket unless immigration asks you for this. I recommend specifying a return date 60 days or less from your date of arrival. Immigration doesn't really care about this date for an METV. But look at the video and let me know if you have questions. All the best... Bob
Thankyou for all the wonderful info. What documents do i need for visa exemption? Im from the US. thanks
Hi Joe. You need your passport with 6 months remaining validity and a blank page that can be stamped, the boarding pass from the flight on which you just arrived, and an onward or return ticket dated within 75 days of your arrival. You may be asked to show that you have the equivalent of 20,000 Baht, about $560, but this doesn't have to be in Thai Baht. You can show the money you came with, or even your credit cards. It's unusual to be asked for this. If anyone can think of something I missed, please add to this comment.... and happy travels... Bob
@@robertsultan2550 Thankyou very much
Does it say you can extend for additional 30 days on the 60 days evisa letter?
Hi Edwin, when you arrive on a tourist visa you get a 60 day stamp, you can extend that 60 days by an additional 30 days by getting a visa extension at any immigration office in Thailand. It doesn't say this in the evisa letter. See the video czcams.com/video/2Nz3GaUhaQM/video.html enjoy your travels... Bob
What happens if I enter overland from Malaysia or Cambodia? Can I have a bus ticket from the nearest town to the border sent to me in advance? There's enough to think about when entering a foreign country other than having to worry about this nonsense! Traveling has gotten so complicated it's barely enjoyable anymore! Back in the day you could just enter and leave and that was it!
Hi Tiimothy, if you enter Thailand by air on a visa exemption, it is very unlikely that you will be asked for a return or onward ticket. The rules are much less consistent if you cross overland. There's a good chance that you won't be asked for an onward ticket, but occasionally people do report that they have been asked for this. You could just wait to see if you are asked, and if you are, you could get a cheap (unusable) onward ticket from bookonwardticket.com, or you could get a real air ticket from Thailand to a neighboring country usually for less than $60, or you could go on a site like rome2rio.com and buy a bus ticket out of Thailand. Getting a ticket for a bus that just goes across the border will be difficult, and I suspect that it wouldn't be worth the effort. But, you could buy a bus ticket from Bangkok to Siem Reap, for example. I believe you can do this. My choice in this situation would be to get the ticket from bookonwardticket.com. At the border, I think it's very unlikely that anyone will discover that this isn't a usable ticket. And you don't need to do this unless you're asked. You would certainly have time at the border to get such a ticket as long as you have internet access. So, lots of options, but getting a ticket for a bus that just goes across a border is not going to be easy. You might have to get a ticket for a longer bus route if you want to do this. As I say, in this situation I would just pay $10 for bookonwardticket.com
Most travelers are arriving by air, and Thailand has made the exemption process very easy now. Just present your passport and your boarding pass, and you're in. If you're crossing borders overland, that's always a bit less predictable. Also, if you entered Thailand on a visa exemption, and you're entering overland on a second visa exemption, you might very well get a warning not to do this again. Nowadays, immigration wants you to use the exemption for your initial entry into Thailand. They don't want you to use repeated visa exemptions as a means to stay for a long period in Thailand. People used to do this, but now the government wants you to get a real visa (maybe an METV) if you're going to stay for a long time.
But, I think the specific answer to your question is that you could wait until you are asked for an onward ticket, and if you are, you could just get an air ticket from bookonwardticket.com for $10. all the best... Bob
The phrase used on the requirements page of the e-visa website is "Evidence of travel from Thailand (air ticket paid in full).". These websites don't give you a ticket that is paid in full. I notice that the status of your ticket is "confirmed". There is probably a different status when you have paid. I'm sure the e-visa website includes "paid in full" to prevent people from using this hack.
Hi Gerald. I don't think air tickets say 'paid in full' or an equivalent. I think the status of a 'reservation' is 'pending' or 'confirmed', but when you are issued a ticket, it is always paid in full, so there is no indication on the ticket that it has been paid in full. All tickets issued are 'paid in full', while reservations have a status.
Having said that, someone suggested that the issued ticket has a 'reservation number' but not a ticket number printed on it. This might be true, as I found a reservation number but not a ticket number on my ticket. I'm not sure about this one. I'm sure there is some risk associated with this hack, but no one has yet reported any problem with these tickets entering Thailand.
Some people might also have an ethical problem with this workaround. For those people it's certainly better to pay $60 for a real ticket vs $10 for the hack. ...happy travels ...Bob
@@robertsultan2550 Hi Robert, I feel sure there must be some way of knowing from a ticket whether or not it has been paid in full. It might well be that the reservation/ticket number distinction can be used for this. The e-visa site states clearly that the ticket must have been paid in full. I'm sure the consulate will have some means of checking whether or not the uploaded ticket has been paid in full.
You say that when you are issued a ticket, it is always paid in full. If that's the case then what you have been issued is not a ticket because it wasn't paid in full. I'm sure the website would not pay out more than they receive from the customer. Some airlines allow free cancellations within 24 hours, but not all. and none of them allows free cancellations over 24 hours. So there is no way a ticket could have been purchased for the price that you paid on the website. It's possible that a reservation may have been made with the balance pending.
@@geraldjones1509 There is no question that these tickets DO NOT meet the letter of the regulations. They are not normal 'paid in full' airline tickets. I'm in full agreement with you on that. Will immigration, at some point, stop people from using these tickets? I have no idea. So far, I have not heard of any such cases. I did hear of one case in which a visitor to Saudi Arabia was prevented from using the ticket because it did not have a 'ticket number'. So, I think there's some risk in using such a ticket. It's not a huge risk since, if challenged at immigration, you could just go online and buy a one-way ticket to a nearby destination for about $60. But, definitely, this is a hack, and it's possible that it won't work in the future. People using this hack should certainly be aware of this. I think there is certainly an ethical concern, and I can definitely picture that some people will prefer to pay the $60 rather than pay $10 for a workaround, but that's a personal decision. For others reading this, if you use bookonwardticket.com and have problems at immigration, please let me know..... happy travels... Bob
This seems highly illegal, Im definitely buying one though 😅
Does seem that way, but it also seems to work... all the best, Bob (btw, sorry for the late reply, for some reason, CZcams stopped sending me comment notifications... trying to fix the problem now).
what a silly thing waste of energy and space., what would the government gain from such silly rules, nothing because nobody is going to overstay their visit and pay ton of cash upon their departure. it is only gain they can make with doing that. guarantee they make millions first year of lifting these silly regulations of needing proof of departure and lubricate the airport transitions and pull out all the rats on the other end.
Hi Nevezla. I think just about every viewer of my videos would agree with you. There is so much about the current system that doesn't make sense. There is a HUGE environmental and financial impact in making visitors fly to another country and return every 75 or 90 days. I'd be HAPPY to just pay Thai immigration a fee based on the number of days I'm actually staying. I would have no problem using a tracking app as was done during covid. I would be happy to periodically check in with immigration on a regular basis. Thailand would make more money if they just allowed visitors to do monthly visa extensions. My impression is that competing interests within the Thai government make agreement on a rational policy impossible. I wish it was otherwise.
Requiring an onward ticket does not make it more or less likely that people will overstay. It just creates an extra expense for visitors, and that money does not go to the tourist sector.
I think the best hope for change would be if Chadchart Sittipunt, the current governor of Bangkok became prime minister. He is an MIT grad, an engineer, and a professor. He might put a more rational focus on immigration because tourism is so important to Thailand's future.
Bob
@@robertsultan2550 100%. Cheers Bob
Thai immigration is shocking 🧠
Hi Spencer, any particular reason why you think that? They're cracking down on the use of repeated visa exemptions, but they've been making it easier to get tourist visas.... Bob