Happy New Year everyone. Do I need an exit flight out of Thailand with accommodations to show exiting - even though I’m applying for the retirement visa?
Answer summary
When entering Thailand on a visa-exempt basis, it is advisable to have proof of onward travel, such as an exit flight, especially if you plan to apply for a retirement visa upon arrival. While not always checked at immigration, airlines may require proof of onward travel to allow boarding. To streamline the process, consider applying for the retirement visa before traveling.
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Robert *******
Make life easy, apply for the visa BEFORE you travel and use it on entry. Why wasting time and money to travel and buy a visa afterwards?
I think what people don't understand is that it doesn't matter what you're INTENDING to do once you get here, apply for retirement, marry a thai, go to school, it's WHAT way are you ENTERING thailand ?
If you're comin' in visa exempt <- free stamp entry, your air carrier can require you to have proof of onward travel within the number of days you'll be stamped in for (in most cases 30 days).
Now if you manage to board your flight without onward travel, in most cases passport control does NOT ask people for it stamping in free stamp entry.. The exception to that is if you have a crazy lenghty entry/stay history here milking free entries and 30 day extensions.. THEN you can be asked for onward travel <- as that's what they're going to ask for FIRST if they're thinking about denying you entry to the country.