Job Discussion Forums

[loniponi]

hey,

i am going to be arriving in BKK on a one way ticket..becuase i am taking a CELTA course and then hopefully getting a job for a year.

I've heard that immigration might not let me in if i don't have an onward ticket somewhere else or a return flight already booked.

But i've also heard that if i can prove that i can afford a return ticket when the time comes, it shouldn't be a problem.

I've also heard that i have to be on a non imm. b visa in order to enter on a one way ticket.

do you know anything about this?

thanks.

[kenkannif]

Well you probably won't have a problem with Immigration this end. It's whether you'll actually be able to buy a ine way ticket or board the plane your end without a return ticket. If you can get as far as Thailand you'll most likely be fine.

Being able to prove you can afford an outbound ticket probably isn't the problem, the above is. You could just buy el cheapo ticket for Laos and then on arrival cash it in (if you buy it by credit card!).

If you have a proper Visa (Non-imm or even I think a 'proper' tourist Visa obtained at an Embassy or Consulate) you should be okay!

[Spiderman Too]

There are 2 issues involved.

1

Many countries require you to have an exit ticket (it doesn't have to be a return to your original destination and it doesn't have to be by plane) or be able to show that you have sufficient funds to be able to buy an exit ticket. A credit card is usually acceptable.

2

Obtaining an entry visa before travelling to a country (any country) is not a guarantee that you will be allowed entry; the final decision rests with the immigration officials at the port of entry.

There are many reasons why immigration officials may deny you entry, even though you have a visa, including;

- suspicion that you intend to work in the country but do not have a work visa

- belief that you have insufficient funds to support yourself

- assessment that you are an unfit visitor (got drunk on the plane and caused a disturbance)

It's not unheard of for people to be denied entry into a country upon arrival at the airport of that country.

Have you seen the new Tom Hanks movie 'Terminal'? Of course, that was an extreme case of why he couldn't gain entry (and no country would have you hang around indefinitely in the transit lounge). Also in that movie, did you see the immigration official processing one of the visitors a few people ahead of Tom Hanks in the queue? She asked to see his return ticket.

Anyway, the airline that brought you to the country is responsible to take you back from whence you came if you are denied entry; full-stop, no arguments!

Hence, some (but not all) airlines insist that you buy a return ticket to protect their own financial interests.

I have travelled in & out of Thailand a dozen times and immigration have never asked to see my return ticket. Qantas & Singapore Airlines check-in staff have both challenged me about having a one-way ticket. Thai Airlines have never challenged me, nor have they ever charged me for excess baggage.

[Sheep-Goats]

You'll be lucky if you can get the immigration guy in Thailand to look up from his comic book, let alone to actually ask you for proof of a return ticket. Don't dress like a slob, though.

You're more likely to get stopped by your boarding agent in your home country -- and even that's not so likely.

I'd say people with a one way ticket have a 99% chance of arriving hassle free, despite the fact that they're technically not supposed to be able to.

[oxfordstu]

You have nothing to worry about. They'll give you a 30 day tourist visa (although some people are lucky and get 60 days). When they ask you what you're doing in Thailand, just tell them you're on holiday. They'll stamp your passport, staple an immigration card to one of the pages, and then send you on your merry way. I arrived in Bangkok on a one-way this past June and had some of the same worries. I came in from San Francisco to London to Amserdam to Vienna to Bangkok to Phuket. No problems whatsoever.
I asked my TEFL program about it and they told me that if they gave me any trouble, to just buy a one-way ticket to Malaysia. Very cheap. But you shouldn't have any problems.

[markholmes]

Thailand isn't the problem, its your home country. Technically anybody entering Thailand must have an onward ticket, in reality this is ignored.

However the airline with which you are travelling may have the problem because this is Thai law and its the airline's responsibility to ensure you have the right paperwork or they are responsible for the costs involved.

A few years ago my (now) wife bought a return ticket to London in Bangkok. We flew to London no problem. When she went to check in at the airport in London the ground staff asked her for her return ticket. When we explained that this was a return ticket (a return to Bangkok where we bought it) they initially wouldn't let her on. They only eventually let her on because my wife had had the foresight to get a visa because her trip was going to be more than a month.

When we lived in Taiwan and were flying to Thailand the airlines used to make us sign a declaration stating that we would be responsible for all costs if we were turned away by Thai immigration. One ground staff admitted that Thai immigration don't actually inforce this policy, but the airline wanted the signed form to cover their asses.

So its not Thailand its your home country following the law to the letter.

[kenkannif]

^ Agreed! IME it's buying the ticket that's the problem (and then boarding the plane) not this end at all!