Boarding Denied - Passport Validity for Thailand Trip

Good evening,

First of all, my deepest sympathy for this misadventure.

When this happens, and it’s clear at the airport that it’ll be a problem, you should check how to keep, change, or postpone the ticket—and how much it’ll cost. Maybe it’s worth it. For example, your tickets might have been changeable or extendable for a few months at a cost of 50 or 150 € per person. If that’s not an option, unfortunately, the only thing left is to claim the airport taxes back.

That said, since other airlines wouldn’t have blocked you over such a technicality—I assume all three of you had return tickets within the required timeframe, well before your passports expired—you’re still justified in boycotting this airline commercially, spreading the word as much as possible, and warning others about this practice. Unless they offer you a full refund as a goodwill gesture.

For the benefit of other travelers, you should also name the departure airport, since that’s where this decision was made.

Michel

I'm really sorry, I hadn't seen any testimony like this before.

It's essential to pay close attention to certain things when traveling and crossing borders because it's no joke when it comes to that.

Always make sure your passport's validity extends at least 6 months beyond the last day of your trip, think about any necessary vaccines, have an international driver's permit if you plan to drive, get solid travel insurance and read the policy carefully, and make financial arrangements in case of minor or major setbacks. Also, don’t forget prescriptions for any medications you might need.

I hope everything works out favorably—keep us posted!

But well, 3 days...

3 days.

It’s too bad for you, but no airline would’ve let you board.

Entry requirements are a key thing to check before buying a ticket. It’s one of those things that never forgives. 🤪

(Not to mention that getting a new passport in France takes ages... 😠 An international driver’s permit even longer, for that matter. 🏴‍☠️)

It’s unfortunate for you, but no airline would have let you board.

Yes, yes... There are plenty of frequent testimonies from passengers who were allowed to board as long as their return ticket was well within the time frame, despite their passport not having 6 months of validity.

Michel

You're a fan of Russian roulette. I'm not.

I requested a full refund for the on-site rental, a week’s parking, and the Uber to get to the airport. This whole situation cost me a lot of money. It’s not okay that they validated my online boarding passes with the dates shown on the documents! Seriously, a day that was supposed to be happy turned into a nightmare

I’m sorry for you, but it’s not just this airline that enforces this requirement—it comes from the destination country, which in your case is Thailand. Some friends had the same hassle with another airline for Indonesia. I agree with you: there should be an alert during online check-in.

Thanks for sharing your experience! 🙂 Now the question is whether it's disputable and can be challenged with the airline, because I’m basically just asking for a credit so I can rebook this trip. 😕

Hi, Was it the airline’s own ground staff handling check-in, or ADP staff? If it was ADP staff—who usually apply the destination country’s rules to the letter—that would make it even less likely the airline would offer any goodwill compensation.

Thanks for your feedback. No, it was the staff in Etihad Airways colors. There was a layover via Abu Dhabi. Best regards,

Watch out for bad advice—the airline isn’t at fault, as they all follow the same regulations on this. It’s a tough situation for you, but it’s just the enforcement of the regulations of the country you were supposed to enter. You should know that if you don’t meet the required conditions and are turned away by Thai police upon arrival, the airline will have to cover the costs (hotel and return ticket), so the airline checks your passport’s validity at check-in or boarding. There have already been stories like this on the forum, including one about a family where one of the children’s passports didn’t meet the requirements and couldn’t enter Thailand, even though the airline had mistakenly let them board. I think the mother and child were stuck in the transit zone in Bangkok for several days, at the airline’s expense, while waiting for paperwork. But no airline will stop you from buying a ticket with an invalid passport, since you might have a passport application in progress and could be in compliance by the time of departure. Unfortunately, your misadventure will help other travelers stay vigilant about the requirements of the countries they’re visiting. Personally, I’m extra careful now that I’ve heard about these boarding refusals or arrivals being turned away, especially when I’m traveling with friends... Before knowing about these kinds of situations, I could’ve been caught out too!

Good evening,

It’s a sad story for you, but it’s just the application of the regulations of the country that was supposed to welcome you being followed.

The airline has some leeway to assess the situation. The idea that travelers in a couple with a child would request visa extensions—and thus need those six months—when they clearly have a return ticket is reasonably unlikely. The easy solution is indeed to take no risks; legally irreproachable, but commercially questionable. It’s the airline that must bear the responsibility for this decision. They have a ground agent at the destination who they can call, and who will know in advance if the police are likely to refuse the passenger, because they see the case every day and there are established practices, even if they’re not formalized. But in reality, the passenger can’t legally obtain any compensation. They can boycott the airline in the future—it won’t help, but it’s comforting.

Michel

The issue has nothing to do with visas—it’s about the passport’s validity period, which must be valid for 6 months after the entry date into Thailand. The same rule applies to Australia, Vietnam, and many others... Each country sets its own conditions, and immigration officers at arrival are never cooperative!

The issue has nothing to do with visas; it's about the passport's validity period, which must be valid for 6 months after the date of entry into Thailand.

Yes, of course. This timeframe isn’t arbitrary—it aligns with the maximum possible extension for tourist visas. Technically, the passport is valid until its expiration date. But airlines take precautions, at travelers' expense, over passports that border authorities "might" reject for this reason.

Michel

I’m not trying to convince anyone—everyone can check on the website of the Thai Embassy in France that your passport must be valid for 6 months after your arrival date in Thailand. I just want to help other travelers avoid unnecessary risks.

Thai authorities, like many others, are still quite strict about respecting these dates, including—if I recall correctly—for visa renewals.

Let’s assume you need to check the restrictions of the countries you’re visiting, as they may differ from ours. It’s quick to do these days with a little online research.

Of course, once you’re aware of this rule, it seems absurd. On the other hand, a 10-year validity for a passport isn’t so bad.

Good evening,

It’s unfortunate, but you’re responsible for checking the validity of your travel documents and the entry requirements for your destination country. Thailand would most likely have turned you away—in any case, there was a risk—and the airline would have been obligated to fly you back to France at their own expense since they’re responsible for your arrival. This has happened to quite a few people, unfortunately, and you won’t be the last. The airline isn’t at fault since they’re not responsible for your travel documents, and they’ll only refund certain taxes on your tickets unless your tickets are changeable or refundable. Even if you registered on their site, that’s just for information—verification always happens at the airport.

Hi, During check-in at the airport, the system instantly queries Thailand’s immigration server (as many countries do) to verify there’s no active ban, everything’s in order, and it returns a message "OK TO FLY" on the screen.

Copy of one of my old posts from 2017:

Since December 1, 2015, Thai immigration (like other countries) requires that the APPS: Advanced Passenger Processing Service be sent to them before passengers arrive.

The APPS allows Thai authorities to access information such as whether a passenger is on a blacklist or prohibited from entering or leaving a country, and the airline (in Europe, for example) receives this information even before boarding, thus avoiding costly repatriation.

Here’s a recent example of a "quality tourist" with an amusing past: "On Tuesday, he tried to board a Thai Airways flight from Zurich to Laos, with a layover in Bangkok. However, the airline refused to let him board, stating that he was blacklisted by Thai immigration."

"Mardi, il a tenté d'embarquer à bord d'un vol Thai Airways de Zurich au Laos, avec un transit à Bangkok. Cependant, la compagnie aérienne a refusé de le laisser monter à bord, citant qu'il était sur la liste noire de l'immigration thaïlandaise."

Best regards,

Hello,

Yes, of course, but this is a different topic, unrelated to the passport's expiration date.

Besides, the 6-month validity rule isn't universal, and quite often some advice websites or airlines state it without any basis. Some countries require only 3 months, and many others just need the document to be valid for the duration of the stay.

Michel

Hello, .... We were denied boarding because the child's passport was invalid (about 3 days short) since it's indeed required to have 6 months of validity. .....

Sorry to hear about your misadventure and financial loss. These situations unfortunately happen often at airports. I remember a family who had already gone through boarding, and airline staff came to tell them in the boarding lounge that they couldn't leave for New York because their 15-year-old daughter didn't have a valid passport... First trip, tears on the spot... I don't think you'll be entitled to anything. By "about 3 days," I understand that the child's passport expiration date was 3 days less than the required 6 months of validity at the time of boarding?

I’m really sorry, I hadn’t seen any reports like this before.

Hey Joël, Didn’t you notice anything? 😉

You're being quite mysterious; no, I don't see what you mean.

You’re being quite mysterious; no, I don’t see what you mean.

But usually you check profiles when a message catches your attention...

Hi, for example, Vietnam with visa exemption requires passport validity of 6 months, but if you have an e-visa and proof of exit, the passport only needs to be valid for 1 month after the end of your stay. Website: https://www.action-visas.com/visa/Vietnam-E-VISA "Since August 15, 2023, French citizens, along with those from 12 other countries, are visa-exempt for 45 days (44 nights). What to do if your passport expires in less than 6 months? You won’t be eligible for visa exemption if your passport isn’t valid for 6 months upon entry to Vietnam. In that case, apply for an e-visa online: the required passport validity for a Vietnam e-visa is only 1 month after the end of your stay." I’d read this on the Vietnamese Embassy’s website and on this forum, where a Vietnamese agency gave this advice to a member who had the same issue. Eric

Well, those folks were lucky... because it's often when arriving in Thailand that problems can occur. Several people have paid the price, and the faulty airline has to pay 12,000 € to repatriate denied passengers. And that’s the case with most airlines. We handle disputes on a volunteer basis and get a lot of cases in our inbox about this... So unfortunately, people really need to check their passport BEFORE booking a flight ticket, especially if it’s less than 3 months before departure. In those cases, it can be a bit tight to get a new passport depending on the region...

Oh, and welcome back here by the way! !

Good evening,

I know everything you're saying about the airline fine and all that. Still, there’s some room for discretion—minor traveling, accompanied, return flight, only three days missing. Of course, I agree with you, it’s best to avoid it and be careful.

Michel

It's been a while since we "abandoned" VF post-COVID!! Good to see this forum active again