# Arrival in Bangkok-Do we need a Roundtrip ticket even if not planning to leave?



## alyssa9933

My husband and I are moving to Bangkok due to his employment. I have read differing things about entering the country. We plan to stay long term on a work Visa and know about the 90 day renewals, etc. The question now is how do we book our original flight over there? We have heard that you MUST have a round trip ticket even if you aren't leaving anytime soon or they won't allow in the country. Is that true? Or - can we buy a one way ticket only? Wouldn't it look bad when we are checking in at immigration to have a round trip ticket when we are clearly telling them we are on a work Visa with hopes of long term employment (wouldn't it look like we are trying to be deceptive?) We don't want anything to go wrong upon our arrival so any help will be appreciated.


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## soiwalker

Firstly, there really is no such thing as a 'work visa'. What your husband's employer must do is send you folks a 'sponsorship letter' to document that he will be working for them. You then send this along with application (+supporting docs, pics) to a Consulate in the U.S. (I recommend Houston... very friendly and prompt) and they will grant you a 1-year, multi-entrance Non-Immigrant 'B' Visa. The "b" is for business (with various catagories, including working for a registered company). 

Once in country, your husband's company with get him a work permit and this can take some time (depending on the company)... during this time, you may need to cross a border (if it takes more than 90 days... but it shouldn't). Once all this is done [work permit]... you will then get what is called "1 year extensions of stay" from that point onwards - for as long as he is employed... no need to ever leave the country for anything as long as he is employed/valid work permit (just extend each year at Imm). You then must report your address to Imm every 90 days, but that's it... just report and this can be done by mail.

I got my last 'B' Visa in 2003 and have been in Thailand on extensions of stay ever since (left Sept 2009). I need to apply for a new one now, as I left my previous job/cancel of work permit. Just remember to get a re-entry permit when traveling out of the country and you're set for as long as you are working with this company/all docs valid. 

The rules are actually fairly black and white in regards to visa/air tickets, but yet some airlines and some Consulates will tell you that you need a round-trip ticket. The truth is, as long as you have an actual Visa (not the 30-day exemption on arrival), you are NOT required to have a RT ticket. I've left the U.S. on a round-trip ticket to BKK only twice since 1998. That said, some airlines will insist that you have a RT ticket because they simply DO NOT understand the visa rules and worry about having to foot the bill on your return back home (should you be denied entrance). I've personally never experienced this from an American carrier, but others have reported such from various other carriers like JAL, China Air, flights via India, etc... 

What many people do just for peace of mind is to buy an 'el cheapo' ticket with a carrier like Air Asia. As long as you have a ticket to another country, you have covered all bases. You could even book this as your first '90 day border cross' and actually go to a nearby country. I cannot imagine your husband's company/labor ministry taking longer than 3 months to process his work permit. You could also just book this ticket for any date in the future and just cancel it later and eat the small loss... up to you!  

I hope this has somewhat helped. I know there are tons of things to think about when moving overseas, so don't be afraid to ask around for feedback and advice. 

BTW, what kind of work does your husband do?


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## KhwaamLap

Yep pretty much as SoiWalker says, except these days you shouldn't need to do border runs while your WP is being processed, they usually give one month extensions in country (one after another) while the WP application is sitting on someones desk - eventually he should get the bluebook and 1 year extensions.


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## soiwalker

KhwaamLap said:


> ...except these days you shouldn't need to do border runs while your WP is being processed, they usually give one month extensions in country (one after another) while the WP application is sitting on someones desk - eventually he should get the bluebook and 1 year extensions.


Yep, I totally forgot about that! 

I must admit to having been completely spoiled by a great team of admin people who took care of all this stuff for me, but now I do recall getting a short-term extension while processing the WP application (2003). I remember that I was at first concerned about the amount of time it would take because I was on the end of my 1-year Non-B (I had been bouncing around and just looking at various schools before actually commiting - plus hitting beaches, going fishing and doing all kinds of other _serious professional planning_...LOL). 

Hell, these days I'm not sure I could even get the Non-B the way I did back then... i.e. just with a letter requesting me to come for a job interview in Bangkok. I think you need a real 'job offer' now. I guess I'll soon find out, as I'm planning a return shortly! lane:


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