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Arriving with 6 months + 7 days to passport expiration, has anyone had issues?


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I'm arriving with 190 days left until expiration on my US passport, which is 6 calendar months plus 7 days. By all sources I've checked, the expiration shouldn't be a problem since it is over 6 months remaining upon entry. The Thai consulate website says over 6 months validity required, and IATA website says it is fine, as do other websites. It'll be a visa exempt, 30 day entry and I'm staying only 10 days. Flight from US to BKK through Taipei.

Has anyone had any problems with a passport that close to the cutoff, but on the positive side? I'm just double checking because I'm about to book an expensive, non-refundable hotel stay.

Edited by Carmine6
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Hello,

I entered Thailand by air when my passport was good for a bit more than

6 months and left the kingdom when it was valid for less than 6 months

no problem. It's been several years since then, though.

Good luck.

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There is no 6 months limit.

As long as the validity on your passport is long enough to cover your stay

you will be fine.

Only staying 10 days will be no problem at all.

Is that a visa exempt thing, or does it also apply to obtaining a tourist visa or other visa? That's just for information as I'm planning on sending for renewal right after I get back. Everywhere I looked said 6 months passport validity required for entrance to Thailand, though most were not official sites, and I'm not sure how updated the English versions of the Thai Consulate and similar websites are. But I doubt I saw any official website on visa exempt, since they tend to focus on applying for visas.

Hello,

I entered Thailand by air when my passport was good for a bit more than

6 months and left the kingdom when it was valid for less than 6 months

no problem. It's been several years since then, though.

Good luck.

Thanks. There are tons of posts here and elsewhere on people just under 6 months time left. Couldn't find any just over, which I took as a positive sign, but wanted to be sure. It always seems like they stamp me through much faster than the people in front of me, but I still am waiting for that day it doesn't go smoothly.

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Check it out for yourself here. There is no six month rule.

http://www.staralliance.com/en/services/visa-and-health/

Yeah. Thanks I'll bookmark that. Also saw reference from a 2013 thread that it is no longer required or not required.

Passport required.

- Passports issued to nationals of USA must be valid for the

period of intended stay.

But then there's places like the website of the Thai Consulate in Los Angeles:

List of Countries - Allowed 30-Day Stay Without a Visa ( For Tourism Only) - Passport MUST be valid for at least six more months.

http://thaiconsulatela.org/service_visa_detail.aspx?link_id=28

The US State Dept.

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country/thailand.html

Quick Facts
  • PASSPORT VALIDITY:

    Six months from date of entry

Embassy website in Bangkok says "The passport must have at least six months validity remaining to be allowed entry."

http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/service/thai-visas-for-americans.html

So the theoretically authoritative websites say 6 months required, while Star Alliance says different. Guess I know that getting on the plane shouldn't be a problem.

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That is info that the IATA has gotten from Thailand. for passport validity for those from the US that appears on the Star Alliance site. It is reliable and correct. You will have no problem entering the country

The info on some websites is generic and often just out of date. People from some countries do need 6 months of passport validity to enter the country.

This is a topic that has been discussed many times on this forum. You will find many posts by members that have entered with much less than 6 months on their passport.

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