Hi,

as always i want to drop off one bag in BKK , while i am in transit in BKK.
i have 3 hours which is normally enough time.

i read it before but how can i avoid the departure tax if i get out of the airport?

i dont agree to pay the 500baht each time only because i want to get out of the airport for 1hour.

i think there was a thread about getting a stamp or something so you dont have to pay that 500baht, but i cant find that thread in the search.

anybody who know how to do it?

dp

Sorry, I can't help you with the thread you seek, but keep a couple of things in mind:

1) If you find the thread, the conditions it refers to were probably applicable to Don Muang, and may not be in place at Suvarnabhumi;

2) On February 1st, the international departure tax goes to 700 baht, and also gets rolled onto the ticket price collected by the airlines. After February 1st, I doubt there will be any remaining issue for you with respect to paying to re-enter the gate areas if you enter the main terminal during your international-international connection.

2) On February 1st, the international departure tax goes to 700 baht, and also gets rolled onto the ticket price collected by the airlines. After February 1st, I doubt there will be any remaining issue for you with respect to paying to re-enter the gate areas if you enter the main terminal during your international-international connection.

And what happens to those ticketed already for flights after Feb 1?

Jeff

And what happens to those ticketed already for flights after Feb 1?

Jeff

If the tax was already collected as part of the ticket, nothing happens. If the tax wasn't collected, then you'll have to pay it, presumably at the airline check-in counter.

The only way to avoid the tax is if you take the guided transit tour of the city - you have to be accompanied by the tour guide while leaving and entering immigration.

Note: this was the case at Don Muang. Don't know what it is at Suvarnabhumi.

And what happens to those ticketed already for flights after Feb 1?

Jeff

You'll fall into the "Twilight Zone"; the issue will be so perplexing, nobody will know how to handle it, nobody will want to make a decision on it, and you'll ultimately be denied boarding and miss your flight. It'll be like Hotel California:

"Goodnight said the night man,
We are programmed to receive;
You can check out any time you like but,
you can never leave"

;)

There used to be a waiver several years ago that let you avoid paying the departure bar fine, excuse me, departure tax, if you remained in the country less than 12 hours. It no longer exists. If go through immigration (other than with the tour, which will not allow you to pick-up a checked bag), you'll have to pay the tax. Sorry.

The only way to avoid the tax is if you take the guided transit tour of the city - you have to be accompanied by the tour guide while leaving and entering immigration.

Note: this was the case at Don Muang. Don't know what it is at Suvarnabhumi.

Is there still a guided transit tour at the new BKK? You'll have to be with the guide the whole time, I'd presume, so there'd be no chance to go off on your own before joining back up with the guide to go back into the airport without having to pay the departure tax. Has anyone done the tour at the new BKK and can explain how it works?

We have a STMP overnight stay this week on TG where they will bus us to a city hotel.

Someone posted that in such cases TG somehow gives you a chit proving you are a bona fide transit overnight passenger?

Anyone know?

Flew out of BKK on tues (19/12) as a family of 3 and didn't have to pay the usual 500 Baht tax per person? Our ticket was issued in Sept 05 and I am sure departure tax is not included when ticketed.

Will do the same next week..maybe can save some more $$$ :D

Flew out of BKK on tues (19/12) as a family of 3 and didn't have to pay the usual 500 Baht tax per person? Our ticket was issued in Sept 05 and I am sure departure tax is not included when ticketed.

Will do the same next week..maybe can save some more $$$ :D

Can you better explain what you meant? (For one, your question mark threw me off: '... per person?') Were you departing BKK, in which case how could you not have paid the departure tax? Or did you leave the airport during a layover?

Can you better explain what you meant? (For one, your question mark threw me off: '... per person?') Were you departing BKK, in which case how could you not have paid the departure tax? Or did you leave the airport during a layover?

Sorry for the confusion, I will explain what happened to me but in terms of why? I am not sure. Maybe someone else can explain for us.

My ticket was issued HKG-BKK-LHR-BKK-HKG back in Sept from HK office.

I had 2 sectors departing BKK. For the BKK-LHR leg (outbound HKG-LHR via BKK stopover), I had to pay 500 Baht airport tax BUT NOT BKK-HKG leg (On the inbound trip of my return trip LHR-HKG via BKK).

I was very surprised myself also.

Sorry for the confusion, I will explain what happened to me but in terms of why? I am not sure. Maybe someone else can explain for us.

My ticket was issued HKG-BKK-LHR-BKK-HKG back in Sept from HK office.

I had 2 sectors departing BKK. For the BKK-LHR leg (outbound HKG-LHR via BKK stopover), I had to pay 500 Baht airport tax BUT NOT BKK-HKG leg (On the inbound trip of my return trip LHR-HKG via BKK).


Thanks for the clarifications. So essentially you stopped in BKK on both directions, leaving the airport and staying in Bangkok more than 24 hours in both cases. Is that right?

I still don't see how you didn't have to pay the departure tax for the second stopover. For now (until Feb 1, 07?), at BKK, doesn't everyone still have to pay the departure tax, whose receipt is then punched prior to queuing up at the immigration lines? So then how could you have avoided paying the tax the second time? They didn't check and punch your receipt? Sorry, but I'm still confused...

Indded, I do not see how Kinchai, or anyone, could avoid paying departure tax IF you go through immigration during the stopover. I believe that it is not a question of duration of stopover (24 hrs or more). As soon as you cross immigration into Thailand, you need to pay departure tax. Maybe they forgot to check.
Now, what will happen after Feb 1 is interesting. Currently, if you transit thru BKK you pay no departure tax. But what will happen when it is included in the ticket price? Will it be cheaper (from tax viewpoint) to purchase a through ticket with no planned stopover (say LHR-BKK-HKG with same-day connection in BKK) rather than one with a planned stopover (LHR-BKK-HKG with a day stopover)??

... so... if one is arriving late at night, popping over to the Novotel across from the airport... and leaving the next morning.... one gets hit by the departure tax, eh?

Thanks for the clarifications. So essentially you stopped in BKK on both directions, leaving the airport and staying in Bangkok more than 24 hours in both cases. Is that right?

I still don't see how you didn't have to pay the departure tax for the second stopover. For now (until Feb 1, 07?), at BKK, doesn't everyone still have to pay the departure tax, whose receipt is then punched prior to queuing up at the immigration lines? So then how could you have avoided paying the tax the second time? They didn't check and punch your receipt? Sorry, but I'm still confused...

Yes, I stopped over in BKK on both directions, outbound (HKG-BKK-LHR) was 48 hrs+ and inbound was 6 days (LHR-BKK_HKG).

Guys, I am very surprised myself too in terms of how I got away without paying the dept tax. Maybe it's a one off incident? Maybe other FFs have experienced or not I don't know. I just want to share with you guys what happened.

I will do the same trip next week (HKG-BKK-LHR) with a landside stopover also in BKK. Will let you all know if I will face the same.

Merry Xmas everyone!

hi,

i was upgraded to first from NRT-BKK .
and as i am in transit but had to recheckin a bag and give one bag to the westin staff i had to go out.

i got a ROYAL FIRST CLASS TRANSIT Transit Passenger Card (purple) and i got the normal pickup at the gate with the car , super fast track through immigration and after picking up the baggage i re-checked in and when the woman tried to collect 500baht , i just showed the Transit card and said, i am in transit , and it was fine.

nothing collected :) and been there done that. but you need a transit card , with the usual gold first class arrinving card this wont work.

dp

Indded, I do not see how Kinchai, or anyone, could avoid paying departure tax IF you go through immigration during the stopover. I believe that it is not a question of duration of stopover (24 hrs or more). As soon as you cross immigration into Thailand, you need to pay departure tax.
Not so -- if you're only transiting Thailand (connecting flight within N hours), at Don Muang it was theoretically possible to get a waiver of the departure tax, and FTers reported spotty success at making it happen. But I haven't seen a report of anybody even try it at Boomy yet.

i got a ROYAL FIRST CLASS TRANSIT Transit Passenger Card (purple) and i got the normal pickup at the gate with the car , super fast track through immigration and after picking up the baggage i re-checked in and when the woman tried to collect 500baht , i just showed the Transit card and said, i am in transit , and it was fine.

nothing collected :) and been there done that. but you need a transit card , with the usual gold first class arrinving card this wont work.



Good work. We are in the same boat in 2 days.

WHO exactly at TG gives you this transit pass?

Good work. We are in the same boat in 2 days.

WHO exactly at TG gives you this transit pass?

hi

if you are in firstclass you can get it from the purser or the FAs if not, tell them that you have a tight connection to tg and that you need the first class transit card

in my cased it did work.

dp