Visa issues with a Paris - Kuala Lumpur / Bangkok - Paris ticket

Hi everyone, I’d like to take a trip from France to Malaysia and Thailand like this:

Paris to Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi

Langkawi to Koh Lipe

Bangkok to Paris

I’m wondering if I’ll run into any visa issues on arrival since I won’t have an outbound flight ticket from Malaysia and I won’t have an inbound flight ticket to Thailand. If you’ve got any tips or have done this trip before, I’d really appreciate your help.

Thanks so much.

Hi there,

The safest option is to have a continuation ticket to Thailand and a return ticket from Bangkok to France.

It’s theoretically mandatory.

The risk is that the airline may refuse to let you board because they’re responsible if you overstay your visa.

It’s happened multiple times before.

Personally, I’m often asked for my return or onward ticket to another country.

I took the ferry from Langkawi to Thailand, and they didn’t ask me for anything, but it’s still best to be cautious!

Make sure to fill out your MDAC form online before you leave.

Hi there, It's not so much a visa problem as it is an airline regulation issue that will likely prevent you from boarding. I faced the same problem for Tunis-Singapore (Malaysia and Thailand by road, then Bangkok-Tunis in January). I had to accept that I’d need to show a proof of onward travel at check-in at the airport—or risk being denied boarding.

Here are a few solutions: A rented ticket: but I haven’t found any 2024 reviews on how safe or reliable this method is. A low-cost exit ticket (small amount lost). A full-price business ticket with free refund (large amount tied up). Or maybe buying a ticket through an online agency—check Agoda, Booking, etc., for their 24-hour refund policies. I haven’t explored this option yet.

Hello, thanks for your reply. I’m not going to take any risks. I’ll get an exit ticket from Langkawi to Hat Yai in Thailand—the prices aren’t too steep—and then take a combo minivan + speedboat to Koh Lipe. Thanks again

Exactly, I’ll take my precautions and get an extra exit ticket. Thanks for your reply.

Hi there, I wasn’t even aware of this form. Thanks!

Yeah, that’s the ferry I took. It was at the start of COVID—I didn’t have any trouble arriving in Hat Yai, but I did have my return ticket Bangkok-Paris.

Hi, What on earth are you going to do in Hat Yai if you can afford the ferry from Kuah to Lipe! Especially since I don’t think there’s a direct flight between Langkawi and Hat Yai. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%A9roport_international_de_Langkawi

This year, when I arrived in Bangkok, I’d bought an exit flight from Thailand just in case, but they didn’t even ask for it at check-in in Paris. I didn’t even use it!

My experience in January this year: I did Thailand / Langkawi and then back from Langkawi to Thailand, but via Tammalang Pier, Satun. (I don’t even know if that ferry route still exists, by the way), because I didn’t want to go via Koh Lipe for budget reasons and also based on my sightseeing plans.

The online MDA had just been introduced. You had to do it 3 days before arrival... I did it the morning of my departure to Malaysia—I’d forgotten! No problem at all.

When returning to Thailand at Tammalang Pier, I just had to fill out the paper immigration card. But the officer asked me, "Do you have a hotel?" and insisted I write the address of my hotel on the immigration card "in my own handwriting" because I’d forgotten to fill in that section, as if the most important thing was my address in Thailand! He stamped my 30-day stay permit with the expiry date and didn’t ask when I was leaving Thailand or for any proof.

When arriving in Malaysia for the MDA, I wrote the name and address of a hotel for my address, but I didn’t have any reservation.

Don’t forget you now get a 60-day visa-free stay in Thailand. And in Malaysia, it’s 3 months visa-free. They’re really not strict in Malaysia—I never had any issues. You have a return flight from Bangkok, so I think that’s enough.

I’ll admit that figuring out how to get back to Thailand from Langkawi was a bit of a hassle because I didn’t want to go via Koh Lipe, and my usual ferry route from George Town had been canceled. What a pain to sort out! The agencies I asked for info in Cenang gave me all kinds of conflicting details, especially about schedules. But transfers to Koh Lipe? They sell those everywhere. If I were in your situation and my goal in Thailand was just to go to Koh Lipe, I’d take the ferry from Langkawi to Koh Lipe.

Good evening, It’s not about your experience or my experience or anyone else’s when you lose your entire trip because it’s the rule. Of course, some will say: "This airline never asked me for that," etc. But when you’re stuck, that won’t help you much. https://www.tourdumondiste.com/voyager-sans-billet-retour "

If you can’t present a document proving the continuation of your trip, you won’t be allowed to board the plane. The only solution will then be to buy a return ticket directly at the counter, and it can cost a lot—really a lot!

See also: https://www.avemundum.com/organiser-tour-du-monde/billets-de-continuation/

To enter certain countries, you’ll need an onward ticket if your next flight departs from a different country than the one you’re arriving in (meaning you don’t have a ticket proving you’ll leave that country). In this case, you’ll need to have purchased a transport ticket in advance that shows you’ll leave the country before exceeding the maximum allowed stay. This ticket serves as proof to authorities that you won’t stay in their country longer than permitted (usually 30 to 90 days for most countries). This applies to arrivals by air or land. An airline may refuse to let you board if you don’t have an onward ticket, because if you’re denied entry upon arrival due to lacking an onward ticket, the airline would have to fly you back to your origin—and they don’t want to take that risk.