jspill
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Posts posted by jspill
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Yes I found it easy, got an SETV in SGN even with a 2 yr overstay stamp and 7 visa exemptions in current passport, and I didn't get asked to show any proof of funds. Had a fake onward flight ticket from one of those online rental sites, handed that in with the application form and $40 (they only accept USD) and that was it. I handed it in just before they finished for the day (11:15, they stop taking applications at 11:30 and go on their lunch break). That may have helped. Also I didn't dress like a backpacker.
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58 minutes ago, darrendsd said:
That's like being banned from driving for 2 years and starting to drive again after 1 and when caught using the excuse oh sorry I wasn't sure how long my ban was
Do you really think that is going to work?
OP won't have actually entered the country yet, only presented himself at the border. So the analogy would be a banned driver applying for a new license, not driving.
If he sneaked over a land border to get in then yeah sure, harsh consequences if caught. But at the border I think all that's going to happen is he gets sent back if caught.
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It wouldn't surprise me if there are actually no serious consequences if you get caught. Just entry denied stamp and flown back to where you came from. It can't be proven that you were intending to enter illegally, you may have just been unaware of how long your overstay ban was, and have changed your name for other reasons.
As someone suggested you could change your passport twice, as the second is still linked to your current one, but the third is linked to the second. And change your name too. So the first replacement is because you 'lost' it, the second because you changed your name. That's what I'd do. Or as someone suggested, buying citizenship in another country plus a name change.
P.S. If you google 'laos airlines refused entry' you can find some thaivisa threads from while back, that say Laos has been refusing people on overstay from entry / boarding a flight there. Don't know if that's still happening, but something to bear in mind. No problem entering other countries in the region though after clearing overstay.
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You didnt mention how long you'd be ok with being outside Thailand between entries. I've had 10 entries in a row on current passport since clearing a long overstay, no issues but I was out almost as long as I was in. 2 months in, 2 months out, 2 months in, 1.5 months out, etc. extending every entry to the max. I made a thread if you search my profile, where I took pics of all the stamps, 7 visa exemptions in a row then an SETV, since that thread Ive had 2 more exemptions
If youre trying to do as close as possible to 365 days a year in Thailand, do Ed visas, thats what Im doing now, as a break from all that travelling. Ive done a Thai language ed visa before but it was on my previous passport, so Ill do it again, then again with Japanese. 2 yrs. Then renew passport and do both again.
So far I havent been denied, been living in Thailand nearly 10 years. 19 more until I turn 50 and am on easy street with retirement extensions
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'Checked her screen' - avoid the female IOs
I just got in with another visa exemption couple weeks ago, in my current passport is a 2yr overstay stamp, 9 exemptions and 1 tourist visa, and previous passport 7 years of visas including another 1.5yr overstay.
I pick a queue with a male IO who is letting in people quickly
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While there aren't any limits for tourist visas defined in law, when people run into problems - questioning at border, denial of entry etc. - it's always been when they exceed 6 months per year in Thailand. One can confidently say spending under 6 months per year on tourist visas is 0% risk, you aren't even classed as a tax resident etc.
Over 6 months no one really knows, it just becomes guesswork. But the 8-9 months per year that you plan doesn't push it too far, you plan long breaks in between each stay, and will return home each year, so I'd say it's very low risk. You don't fit the profile of someone working illegally in Thailand.
To make it even lower risk you could enter by land border wherever possible (e.g. train from Malaysia) as they are less strict than airports, with the possible exception of the Poipet Cambodia border. Plus carry 20k baht cash as proof of funds whenever you enter.
Or just study Thai and get an Ed visa, there are lots of language schools in Chiang Mai.
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14 hours ago, captpkapoor said:
Would much appreciate a link for this please. I'm never in Thailand long enough at a stretch to attend classes, but if I could download a whole lot on my laptop that would be great. Many thanks.
8 hours ago, MadMuhammad said:Link via PM if you feel you have the time or energy please jspill
Google utorrent and install that free software.
Then Google piratebay (the domain keeps changing), on there search 'Thai learning pack', you'll see a 1GB one and an 8GB one, click the magnet by the name to start downloading in utorrent.
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You can torrent a huge 8 gigabyte 'thai language pack' on the thepiratebay, just saying... a dozen ebooks including 'teach yourself thai', entire audio courses, etc. I learnt Thai that way, never had a lesson. Had an Ed visa to avoid visa runs but didn't attend classes just taught myself.
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Nobody cares. I've been doing it since 2009 no issues.
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12 hours ago, SangSom77777 said:
and another question: Im from switzerland and if want to get a tourist visa here in switzerland i have to show them my return flight. Will there be any problem if i show them the return flight after 5 months?
Probably not they will see you're going home pretty soon after the tourist visa, haven't been there >6 months in year last year, and won't be this year... they should just take your money and give you the tourist visa.
It's Thailand you never know they make up the rules as they go along but I'd say >90% chance you'll be fine.
And Thai consulates in other countries don't ask to see the return flight, they're already being anal in Switzerland by requiring one, it'd be even more anal to require one dated within 90 days.
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12 hours ago, SangSom77777 said:
So when they ask if i have a return flight and when it is,, i should tell them after 5 months and show it? woulnt that get trouble? cause i can only stay 3 months with tourist visa
Doesn't really matter that much and is obviously better than saying no or not showing them anything.
It's still a return flight to your home country, yes you can only stay 3 months with tourist visa but you can leave and get a new tourist visa, and in total you will be there less than 6 months in a year, it's proof of that.
As mentioned carry 20k baht too, and then there's even less chance you run into problems.
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Pay for tuition at a language school to get the Ed visa paperwork, then when you actually go to get the visa (in Laos), go with an agency in a van. Often what these agencies do is present a van-load of passports at a time to one of their 'contacts' at immigration, who quickly stamps them all without really scrutinizing, while you all wait in the van, then you're back in the country and you have a year's stay on the Ed visa.
Once you're towards the end of that year's stay, you can consider renewing your passport for a fresh one at that point, then doing another Ed visa after that. Or, just do a 2nd Ed visa on that passport and again, go with an agency. Then definitely renew once you're towards the end of the 2nd year.
This was the advice given to a friend of mine who is on his 2nd year of Ed visas, after 5 SETVs, so even more than you. He's currently in BKK he got questioned flying in on the 2nd Ed visa, but after a phonecall to his school they eventually let him in. A lady at his school recommended next time he go with an agency in a van. And at the airport one of the IOs even recommended he get a new passport, haha.
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Under 180 days stay in a year is usually completely fine, on exempts, tourist visas, or both. You're not even classed as a tax resident.
That's probably why you were let in, you were always going to be let in, but he still wanted to ask you questions just to boss you around a bit. He let you in even after asking about your flights and you not showing him any tickets... basically his questioning was just him being a bit overzealous, either he had a bad day or there was something about your appearance / nationality he didn't like.
I wouldn't worry about it but if you really want peace of mind, just carry 20k baht in cash (withdraw it once you get there for the follow up entries) that amount is classed as 'proof of funds to support your stay'. Then if asked, show the 20k and politely point out that you haven't been in Thailand over 180 days in the last year.
And like you plan to do, fly rather than use land borders. You might also consider using the priority lane at the airport, 850 baht via Bangkok flight services, and this time have a printout of your return flight after 5 months.
IOs are said to get an 'alert' to ask further questions after someone has 6 visa exempt entries in a year, i.e. 180 days (6 x 30), you aren't at that point.
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No that's pretty tame, my visa history is 10x worse and I'm still here
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15 hours ago, bberrythailand said:
How silly it is !
How can someone enjoy a life where you cannot walk outside when you want, day or night. Feel pity for this kind of people...
And some others living in a luxury jails that they are scare to leave.
Great that some people enjoy such a ridiculous life !
That's not what I meant, it's just as a foreigner you can reduce a tiny risk to an even tinier one, because you can live in the same areas rich locals would choose to live. Doesn't mean you're scared to go elsewhere, especially as a guy.
Risks are much higher for females though, say your Mum or sister were over visiting you in the country, or a girl you were dating was making her way over to your place and back, you'd want to be living in a luxurious area.
'Snatchers' as the Filipinos call them (muggers) usually target women for their handbags, same in Vietnam.
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5 minutes ago, JackThompson said:
My experience in the PI (but not in Manila, which is like another country), is that you can walk through generally-poor areas, and the locals won't mess with you - even late at night. It may look like a place you would be killed (if in the USA, for being the wrong color, etc), but the difference is, the poor areas aren't infested with gangster-killers. I have walked blocks through such areas many times, took jeepney public-transport almost always, and was never mugged or even threatened.
Agree on the other comparisons, though.
Oh yeah I'm not surprised at all. I wasn't saying anything is likely to happen if you walked down a dark alleyway, just that there's no reason to even bother doing so and test it out.
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In Manila you can live in the BGC (Bonifacio Global City), it's a city within a city. Like a gated community, they don't let any beggars in, vagrants, etc. It feels like Singapore, clean, safe, wide sidewalks. It was originally a military camp, still often known as 'the Fort'. Closest thing in Bangkok would be the Thong Lo area. In Cebu you can live in IT Park, also safe.
In general as a foreigner you can afford to live in a secure condo, take Uber everywhere, just like Thailand, no reason to be walking down dark alleyways. So it isn't that unsafe and comparing the Philippines to Thailand on safety grounds is pretty dumb if you ask me, given all the deaths in Thailand.
Better to compare it in terms of internet (worse mobile 3G / more expensive for a good wifi connection at home), value for money accommodation (more expensive for what you get), the chicks (average facial features worse but you have more chance with the hottest ones).
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https://bestonwardticket.com/ I use this it works
better than flyonward lasts 48h not 24h and cheaper
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I count about 10 denials between Feb 2017 and now, 4 of which I know IRL, and I know several others that got strongly interrogated but eventually let in, also all in 2017. That's what I'm basing 'uptick' on. Yes it has always happened, whether 2014 - 2016, or even earlier, but not quite at the frequency of late.
It does seem to come in cycles, 2014 was a bad year, that was when the 'out-in' rule happened plus a bit of of an Ed visa crackdown, with school inspections, overcharging for extensions, etc. Then next thing you know they're giving out free tourist visas as they realise they're costing themselves money, and the language schools are back to normal.
It's not strange at all that new posters join thaivisa, the vast majority of tourists and expats don't actively post on this forum. They either just read it or don't know it exists.
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My last visa is the Vietnam SETV from this thread (link) which you may have read. So I last entered on Feb 12, 2017, just before the drastic uptick in denials. Maybe if I'd had an exempt that time that would've been the end of my lucky streak. Before that as you know I did 9 months on visa exempts, documented in this thread (link).
So all of that is 2016 or very early 2017. I extended that last SETV, that took me to May 12. I left on May 12 and haven't been in Thailand since then. My plan is to come in via land border after 3 months out of the country. Aug 12th. I decided to do that to give myself the best chance of getting back in, when I saw how many others are getting denied. I wouldn't have believed it either unless I knew the people denied.
I don't mind the travelling either, after 7 years in Thailand I want to spend more time elsewhere. I've been to the Philippines, Macau, and Malaysia (typing this from there), to look like more of a tourist, and I'll likely re-enter via Laos or Cambodia (not Poipet). Once in I'll apply for a fresh passport and I'll attempt to have a good run in late 2017 / 2018 and do some more threads about it. Perhaps this will all have blown over by then.
I've never been interviewed by an IO or asked to show anything except an onward ticket one time when I came back in after a 2 year overstay. And I was asked to sign an acknowledgment form about the new overstay rules, and asked if I had a Thai GF, just one question so can't really call that an interview.
That year-long stretch on visa exempts followed by an SETV included 2-3 week trips out between each visit, which probably made it easier to pull off. Also I switch queues if the IO is sending people to the side for questioning. But mostly it looks like I just missed the uptick in denials.
That Feb 12th entry was after leaving Jan 26th, after my 7th visa exemption in a row. So in total in 2017 I've been in Thailand 26 days in Jan, then 3 months on SETV, so 116 days so far in 2017.
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28 minutes ago, Matt199 said:
I want to prep immediate boss of my gf to vouch for me (I guess that's not a standard first contact but better than nothing). I imagine her on the call doing well. Do you know what kind of questions are being asked? thx!
The GF herself is a good contact too, many reports of people being let in after a phone call to a Thai girlfriend, or simply the person saying they had a Thai GF. Often they'll say ok we'll let you in this time but marrying her would be a more appropriate long term visa route. I know one guy who had his phone inspected for photos / conversations with said girlfriend.
Also, Thai landlords have been called and that helped in some other cases.
General questions would be them wanting to know how you support yourself, i.e. that you work remotely online, not in the Kingdom. Many have said they work on the internet for overseas clients in some capacity and been waved through.
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7 minutes ago, Matt199 said:
Since this topic is still live I will ask - where would I be allowed to fly if I'm not allowed an entry ? Back to home country only or anywhere? Thanks!
Not anywhere of your choice, but recently many had to fly back to the country they flew in from, one flew to Manila, one to Laos, both had flown from there.
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2 hours ago, lkv said:
@jspill Tell us more about what happened last year in November when you entered with 210 days of visa exempt
Yes I did but the sharp uptick in denials is a 2017 phenomenon. Looks like I just missed it.
I'd be skeptical too but I know 4 people denied. I'm part of a community of under 50 digital nomads on a different forum. French guy in early Feb, Hong Kong guy in late Feb, US guy in April, then a German guy in July (the one who had 25k on him), and he met another TVF poster while he was in the detention room.
I'd be the last person to make this stuff up or over-exaggerate it, I'm usually the one deliberately pointing out how long I've been here on tourist visas / exempts, that's why I made two threads about it in 2016.
I understand why you think it's a troll but on Thaivisa the opposite would be a troll, someone claiming to have lived here ages on exempts to wind up the main demographic of TVF. Which I did in 2016 and maybe I'll be able to do again in 2018, these things come and go.
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28 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:
That can apply to many countries I guess. Sorry if a political statement but I think most Republicans in the USA feel the same they basically hate people from other countries coming to the US. Most I know also never travel outside the US as they have the, "why give them my money, I am going to keep it here in the US" attitude.
They are pro immigration or at least neutral, when people assimilate and share the same values. Whereas Democrats over-encourage immigration regardless of assimilation / values because immigrants overwhelmingly vote Democrat.
As for Thailand most us aren't even trying to 'migrate' (become citizens, vote, buy land, work, claim benefits, change the culture in any way etc.) we're just tourists that spend tons of money.
Best way to cycle visa runs?
in Thai Visas, Residency, and Work Permits
Posted · Edited by jspill
I'm doing Ed visa again on a new passport, they were able to process my application. Then for the 3 month extensions, my school has a special contact at immigration, when I turn up I simply call her and get a guaranteed extension for a small extra fee. Seen lots of other thaivisa posts about extra fees for the extensions too. In the range of 3000-5000 instead of 1900. Mine is 3400.
You could also do Japanese instead of Thai.