BKK: If denied entry, can you fly to a nearby country instead of originating country?

[Hal65]

I'm coming from the US. If denied entry for any reason, I would prefer to go to Cambodia, not fly all the way back to USA.

 

Do you have that option or must you return to the country you came from?

[elviajero]

As a rule they send you back to where you flew from by the airline that carried you, because it's their responsibility. It's possible to fly elsewhere, but that is at the gift of the IO's dealing with your deportation.

 

The only way to ensure being allowed to fly to Cambodia would be to fly in from that country.

[Hal65]

Smart advice, thanks. I think I'll just fly into Vientiane and come in through the land (Nong Khai) border then

[BritTim]

First of all, if you are denied entry, you are not "deported" under the meaning that has in international rules. As an "inadmissible person" the airline that brought you to Thailand is responsible for your removal (whether you pay or not). The airline's main priority is to get rid of you as quickly and simply as possible while still getting paid for their trouble.

 

Most common is to return you to your last embarkation point, and (if that is not possible) arrange to repatriate you to home country where the airline knows you will always be admitted. In theory, though, you should be able to fly anywhere on the airline's route map where you will be admitted. There are some indications that Immigration may be interfering in this process but, if so, they are doing so inappropriately. As long as the airline removes you within a reasonable period of time, once they decide not to admit you, it is none of immigration's business where you fly to next.

 

If you have unused flight reservations that the airline can find, expect them to be seized (unclear if this is legal, but you cannot do much about it). Otherwise, you have leverage. make clear to the airline that you will resist payment if they take you where you do not want to go. Further, agree to sign an indemnity form to reimburse all future costs if they take you to your preferred destination.

Edited February 15, 2020 by BritTim

[PatOngo]

For what reason do you think you may be denied entry?

[DrJack54]

You will be flown to where you embarked.

Exceptions occur but rarely.

[ThaiBunny]

4 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

You will be flown to where you embarked.

Exceptions occur but rarely.

What if Bangkok is simply a short stopover on the way to somewhere else eg. Melbourne - Bangkok - London?

[DrJack54]

18 minutes ago, ThaiBunny said:

What if Bangkok is simply a short stopover on the way to somewhere else eg. Melbourne - Bangkok - London?

Sort stopover sounds like few days in Bangkok. You would have to be omitted to Thailand for that. is 30 day VE.

Certainly a long haul flight you suggest would support not being denied entry in first place.

[DrJack54]

29 minutes ago, ThaiBunny said:

 

 

Edited February 16, 2020 by DrJack54

[AlexCanada]

Maybe this is an option for OP.

 

What if OP was say flying from Los Angeles to Bangkok with a quick stopover and plane change in say Hong Kong.  Would Immigration send OP back to LA or where he last was, Hong Kong.

.

Edited February 16, 2020 by AlexCanada

[DrJack54]

11 minutes ago, AlexCanada said:

Maybe this is an option for OP.

 

What if OP was say flying from Los Angeles to Bangkok with a quick stopover and plane change in say Hong Kong.  Would Immigration send OP back to LA or where he last was, Hong Kong.

.

Either would be possible but would have very good chance just back to HK. Thinking certain. 

[elviajero]

7 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

8 hours ago, ThaiBunny said:

What if Bangkok is simply a short stopover on the way to somewhere else eg. Melbourne - Bangkok - London?

Sort stopover sounds like few days in Bangkok. You would have to be omitted to Thailand for that. is 30 day VE.

Certainly a long haul flight you suggest would support not being denied entry in first place.

I presume you mean admitted.

 

A Transit Visa could also be used and would practically guarantee entry.

[elviajero]

47 minutes ago, AlexCanada said:

What if OP was say flying from Los Angeles to Bangkok with a quick stopover and plane change in say Hong Kong.  Would Immigration send OP back to LA or where he last was, Hong Kong.

If it was a completely separate unconnected flight from HK then they would almost certainly be sent back there.

[Russell17au]

You will be sent back to the originating departure point. This is the procedure that is followed and why.

1: you will be held in a holding cell at the airport

2: your documents will be handed to the airline that brought you into the country

3: you cannot access the airlines booking desk to book to another destination

4: you cannot access the airlines check-in to check in even if you could book to another destination

5: you cannot access an ATM

6: you cannot obtain a visa for the country that you may wish to be sent as you cannot leave the detention area at the airport, so there is no guarantee that you will be accepted in that country, so the airline will only fly you to your original departure point as that is the country that has accepted you previously.

If for example you did from L.A. to Hong Kong and changed planes there on one ticket booking that is classified as in transit

Unless you booked two separate bookings with a ticket from L.A. to Hong Kong and another separate booking and ticket from Hong Kong to Bangkok. Then your flight would originate in Hong Kong

Items 3. 4. and 5. require you to be able to enter the country for which you have been denied.

At the end there is no guarantee that you will be accepted in any other country without a current visa except the one that you departed from so that is where the airline will take you to.

If it was a deportation then you would be returned to the country of your passport which is classified as your home country. But to be deported you must first enter the country and not just be denied entry.

Edited February 17, 2020 by Russell17au

[FalangJaiDee]

if i were you, i'd just fly into Vientiane, walk across the bridge, and then fly to U-Tapao or wherever is closest to your ultimate destination. I'm planning to spend 7 months with a METV visa and there's no way I'm risking being denied entry at BKK airport after a ~30hr flight + the cost of the visa. 

[emptypockets]

On 2/16/2020 at 5:17 AM, PatOngo said:

For what reason do you think you may be denied entry?

Read some of his previous posts. Not pretty visa wise.

[PatOngo]

2 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

Read some of his previous posts. Not pretty visa wise.

He obviously knows that, hence my question!

[Kaopad999]

20 minutes ago, FalangJaiDee said:

if i were you, i'd just fly into Vientiane, walk across the bridge, and then fly to U-Tapao or wherever is closest to your ultimate destination. I'm planning to spend 7 months with a METV visa and there's no way I'm risking being denied entry at BKK airport after a ~30hr flight + the cost of the visa. 

But are there any flights from the west to Laos? or would you fly to bkk and then to laos?

Edited February 17, 2020 by Kaopad999

[drbeach]

40 minutes ago, Kaopad999 said:

But are there any flights from the west to Laos? or would you fly to bkk and then to laos?

Why does everyone have to fly to Bangkok?

 

For starters, coming from North America, there are no longer any direct flights to Thailand. These ended back in 2015, after THAI pulled out of Los Angeles, with no indication if or when they may restart services. United Airlines, which only ever operated a one stop service via Japan, pulled out a couple of years earlier. Not sure why, but they probably decided it was a loss-making route even though well over half a million Americans were visiting Thailand every year at the time, with most probably flying in on some cheaper Asian carrier. Americans are also used to flying indirect routes - changing planes 5 times when they could just do a one-stop service.

 

By contrast, there are direct flights from the USA to Singapore and one can fly to Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi from Australia and Europe. I would suggest a flight ending in Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi and then booking a separate ticket to Vientiane. Other options could include a direct flight to Singapore, then a connecting flight to Kuala Lumpur and then enter Thailand overland (preferably via any border other than Sadao).

 

Or Korean Air from the USA to Cambodia (Phnom Penh only, as I believe they have suspended services to Siem Reap) and then choose a land border crossing (preferably not Aranyaprathet as they can be a little strict) to enter the country. This means the OP would have to change transport at the border, since the direct international bus uses the Poipet-Aranyaprathet border crossing. There are no international bus services using any other border crossings at the present time, unlike say from Laos, where there are numerous ones.

 

That being said, there may be a slightly higher chance of success if using the bus, than if not, since it might be a bit weird for the bus operator to have a passenger on board who is subsequently denied entry, but I don't know whether they commonly encounter this or whether they have any strategies to mitigate the risk. Of course they wouldn't be obligated to take the passenger back; the journey would end at the border for said passenger.

Edited February 17, 2020 by drbeach

[ThaiBunny]

On 2/16/2020 at 12:58 PM, DrJack54 said:

Sort stopover sounds like few days in Bangkok. You would have to be omitted to Thailand for that. is 30 day VE.

Certainly a long haul flight you suggest would support not being denied entry in first place.

The question was about the outcome of being denied entry at Bangkok. Would they allow onwards travel (London) or insist on return to point of origin (Melbourne)

[Russell17au]

8 minutes ago, ThaiBunny said:

The question was about the outcome of being denied entry at Bangkok. Would they allow onwards travel (London) or insist on return to point of origin (Melbourne)

As you do have a ticket and you are booked on an outward flight before you landed in Bangkok they can deny you to enter Thailand and you would be held in transit for your onward flight

Edited February 17, 2020 by Russell17au

[AlexCanada]

4 hours ago, Russell17au said:

You will be sent back to the originating departure point. This is the procedure that is followed and why.

1: you will be held in a holding cell at the airport

2: your documents will be handed to the airline that brought you into the country

3: you cannot access the airlines booking desk to book to another destination

4: you cannot access the airlines check-in to check in even if you could book to another destination

5: you cannot access an ATM

6: you cannot obtain a visa for the country that you may wish to be sent as you cannot leave the detention area at the airport, so there is no guarantee that you will be accepted in that country, so the airline will only fly you to your original departure point as that is the country that has accepted you previously.

If for example you did from L.A. to Hong Kong and changed planes there on one ticket booking that is classified as in transit

Unless you booked two separate bookings with a ticket from L.A. to Hong Kong and another separate booking and ticket from Hong Kong to Bangkok. Then your flight would originate in Hong Kong

Items 3. 4. and 5. require you to be able to enter the country for which you have been denied.

At the end there is no guarantee that you will be accepted in any other country without a current visa except the one that you departed from so that is where the airline will take you to.

Thanks for your post. 

 

What if the country your flight came from was Vietnam where you need an Invitation Letter to get a Visa.  You would not have another Invitation Letter to re-enter as you were not expecting to return to Vietnam.  What would the airline do then or does Vietnam have an obligation in the global agreement to take you back in?

 

What if you flew LA to Tokyo Narita airport then your connecting flight was from Tokyo Haneda to Bangkok.  It is on 1 single ticket.  Would a person from the airline actually follow you from Haneda to Narita so you could catch a flight back to LA?

 

What if you did not have enough cash to buy a ticket back to USA.  Since you have no access to an ATM how would you pay for a ticket out of Bangkok?  Is what a previous poster saying correct that if you are denied entry in to Bangkok the airline has to fly you back for free?

[drbeach]

21 minutes ago, AlexCanada said:

Thanks for your post. 

 

What if the country your flight came from was Vietnam where you need an Invitation Letter to get a Visa.  You would not have another Invitation Letter to re-enter as you were not expecting to return to Vietnam.  What would the airline do then or does Vietnam have an obligation in the global agreement to take you back in?

 

What if you flew LA to Tokyo Narita airport then your connecting flight was from Tokyo Haneda to Bangkok.  It is on 1 single ticket.  Would a person from the airline actually follow you from Haneda to Narita so you could catch a flight back to LA?

 

What if you did not have enough cash to buy a ticket back to USA.  Since you have no access to an ATM how would you pay for a ticket out of Bangkok?  Is what a previous poster saying correct that if you are denied entry in to Bangkok the airline has to fly you back for free?

Easy to get an express visa letter for the return flight, if it becomes necessary. Still better to get sent back to Laos or Cambodia though, where a VOA is now available. Even Myanmar, if you're one of the few nationalities eligible for VOA.

[Russell17au]

3 minutes ago, AlexCanada said:

Thanks for your post. 

 

What if the country your flight came from was Vietnam where you need an Invitation Letter to get a Visa.  You would not have another Invitation Letter to re-enter as you were not expecting to return to Vietnam.  What would the airline do then or does Vietnam have an obligation in the global agreement to take you back in?

 

What if you flew LA to Tokyo Narita airport then your connecting flight was from Tokyo Haneda to Bangkok.  It is on 1 single ticket.  Would a person from the airline actually follow you from Haneda to Narita so you could catch a flight back to LA?

 

What if you did not have enough cash to buy a ticket back to USA.  Since you have no access to an ATM how would you pay for a ticket out of Bangkok?  Is what a previous poster saying correct that if you are denied entry in to Bangkok the airline has to fly you back for free?

You are still under the airlines responsibility until you are accepted into what ever country you are travelling to. It is an international agreement that if you are returned to a country because of denied entry then that country must accept you, but after you have been accepted it is then that country who can then place further restrictions on you e.g limited time of stay, report to police on a daily basis, until you leave that country. The thing with the LA to Tokyo that you have listed, it is the airlines responsibility to ensure that the international agreement is abided by and if that means personal escort from 1 airport to the other then that is what they must do, this could come at an extra cost to the passenger, which could be included in any claim by the airline for the compensation. As for the cash, like I said you are the airlines responsibility until you are accepted into the country and if you are denied entry then the airline must remove you from the country. As to the payment of the exiting flight the airline does have the right to seek legal action against the said passenger for compensation for the exiting airfare. Some airlines will pursue the airfare whilst some may just not bother but instead place a travel ban on you which notification of would also be sent to all other airline companies as a warning to them about your denied entry and fail to pay exit airfare.

[Salerno]

2 hours ago, Russell17au said:

3: you cannot access the airlines booking desk to book to another destination

4: you cannot access the airlines check-in to check in even if you could book to another destination

5: you cannot access an ATM

6: you cannot obtain a visa for the country that you may wish to be sent as you cannot leave the detention area

 

As long as you have battery power for your mobile and data:

 

3 you can book a flight online

4 you can check-in online depending on flight/airline details (although not seeing the point in this point - without prior negotiation and being told you will allowed to use such flights in which case check-in wouldn't be an issue)

5 numerous reports of people being escorted to an ATM to get cash

6 various visas can be obtained online including Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Mynamar depending on your nationality (issues being time to process and access to a printer to print the approval letter)

[Russell17au]

1 minute ago, Salerno said:

 

As long as you have battery power for your mobile and data:

 

3 you can book a flight online

4 you can check-in online depending on flight/airline details (although not seeing the point in this point - without prior negotiation and being told you will allowed to use such flights in which case check-in wouldn't be an issue)

5 numerous reports of people being escorted to an ATM to get cash

6 various visas can be obtained online including Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Mynamar depending on your nationality (issues being time to process and access to a printer to print the approval letter)

The thing that you have missed is you have failed to declare the "Denied Entry" stamp that is placed in your passport when you have applied online for a visa because even applying online you must send the country a copy of your passport information page, you cannot just apply for a visa without that information page being supplied. With any international flight booking you must still supply your passport information page. Escort to the ATM is up to the individual IO and very few countries allow that procedure now because of attempts to do a runner.

[Salerno]

2 minutes ago, Russell17au said:

The thing that you have missed is you have failed to declare the "Denied Entry" stamp that is placed in your passport when you have applied online for a visa because even applying online you must send the country a copy of your passport information page, you cannot just apply for a visa without that information page being supplied.

Didn't miss it at all. A denied entry stamp is not a guaranteed refusal for a visa.

 

2 minutes ago, Russell17au said:

Escort to the ATM is up to the individual IO and very few countries allow that procedure now because of attempts to do a runner.

We're only talking about Thailand.

 

All I was doing is highlighting there are options and therefore, your list is not 100% accurate.

[Russell17au]

15 minutes ago, Salerno said:

Didn't miss it at all. A denied entry stamp is not a guaranteed refusal for a visa.

 

We're only talking about Thailand.

 

All I was doing is highlighting there are options and therefore, your list is not 100% accurate.

• A copy of the biographical page of the passport
• Recent passport-style color photo
• Additional documents may be required depending on nationality
• The above are the requirements for an online visa application for Laos which is the same as every country in the world so the options that you are claiming are not there unless you have access to a scanner and a digital camera to send the photo and the other documents that may be required, so your option is 100% incorrect
• Every country is the same around the world. They will not issue any visa without a copy of the information page and a photo of the applicant.
• https://www.laovisaonline.com/visa-information
• No international airline will take an international booking without a copy of the information page of the passport of the person placing the booking.

Edited February 17, 2020 by Russell17au

[Salerno]

Basically everyone with a smartphone has access to a "scanner" and "digital camera" and therefore, your opinion that the option is 100% incorrect is ... 100% incorrect. The issue is; have you preplanned and have copies of your passport available or not (on phone or in the cloud).

 

Seriously, the thing that pisses me off about this site is the childish one-upmanship by people who are old enough that you would think they'd have outgrown said childish behaviour. Other than a few forums on here the idea is to share information - not get the last word in. To err is human; own it. 

 

 

Edited February 17, 2020 by Salerno

[Salerno]

15 minutes ago, Russell17au said:

No international airline will take an international booking without a copy of the information page of the passport of the person placing the booking.

If you say so. Guess I'm just lucky as have never ... and I mean never ... uploaded a copy of my passport to an airline booking site. But carry on digging.