Phu Nam Ron with Non O Multiple Entry - to go or not to go?

[vi2004]

Hi all,

 

I have read many good things about the Phu Nam Ron crossing near Kanchanaburi.

I will be in Kanchanaburi for probably next weekend anyways so I thought I might cross into Myanmar to activate another entry on my Non Imm. O Multiple Entry based on marriage.
Usually I am flying sowewhere for a small trip (KL, HCMC, ..) but a couple of months ago I was in Poi Pet and was told not to come back. The officer wrote "Run Visa" under my stamp.

 

Now I am not sure if I should take another land border. On the other hand most people don't seem to have problems with Phu Nam Ron.

I could only find one post of a guy who was told not to come back to Phu Nam Ron.

 

So, should I better fly somewhere?

Or is Phu Nam Ron ok?

If so, what are the opening times?

 

Thanks a lot

 

 

 

 

[elviajero]

You should have no problem getting another 90 days at that crossing.

 

It's open from 06:00 to 20:00 daily.

[BritTim]

Poi Pet is the only land crossing where they will give you grief when doing a border hop for a new entry on your multiple entry visa. At Phu Nam Ron, you will have no problem.

[Boycie]

Please report back and let us know how it goes, so we'll have an upto date lowdown.

 

Many thanks

[nuananddon]

I’m a little confused about this. Why or how can immigration officers tell a person not to come back when you have a non O with multiple entry. Does anyone know a legal reason? Just because they can is not a good reason, after a person pays $200USD for such a visa.

[ubonjoe]

10 minutes ago, nuananddon said:

I’m a little confused about this. Why or how can immigration officers tell a person not to come back when you have a non O with multiple entry. Does anyone know a legal reason? Just because they can is not a good reason, after a person pays $200USD for such a visa.

Just a unfriendly border crossing. I think they do it to reduce the number of people using the Aran/Poi Pet crossing. There is no legal basis for them to say that.

[elviajero]

14 minutes ago, nuananddon said:

I’m a little confused about this. Why or how can immigration officers tell a person not to come back when you have a non O with multiple entry. Does anyone know a legal reason? Just because they can is not a good reason, after a person pays $200USD for such a visa.

They are saying that you can't do a border hop to extend a stay, not that you can't come back. This type of visa is designed for people living outside of Thailand that want to visit frequently. It's not meant to be used to live in the country although The Immigration Bureau allow it.

 

Border checkpoints can legally stop someone doing a border hop if they can justify the reason.

[JackThompson]

On 10/18/2017 at 11:11 PM, vi2004 said:

... a couple of months ago I was in Poi Pet and was told not to come back. The officer wrote "Run Visa" under my stamp. ...

Yes, avoid Poipet like the plague.  The "visa run" terminology only appears in police-orders with regard to the Visa-Exempt scheme.  It has never been applied to / referenced cases of people with valid visas.

[vi2004]

On 20.10.2017 at 10:38 PM, JackThompson said:

Yes, avoid Poipet like the plague.  The "visa run" terminology only appears in police-orders with regard to the Visa-Exempt scheme.  It has never been applied to / referenced cases of people with valid visas.

I have a valid visa, a Non O Multiple Entry. Still got this handwritten "visa run" beneath my entry stamp that I was given at Aranyaprathet.
But yes, don't go to Aranyaprathet. If I wanted to go to Siem Reap I would fly out and in ;-)

[JackThompson]

35 minutes ago, vi2004 said:

I have a valid visa, a Non O Multiple Entry. Still got this handwritten "visa run" beneath my entry stamp that I was given at Aranyaprathet.
But yes, don't go to Aranyaprathet. If I wanted to go to Siem Reap I would fly out and in ;-)

Understood.  If you do decide to fly-in on a future-trip, be sure to have copies of your proof of marriage, and pics of wife on your phone.  There was one case, awhile back, where a fellow was questioned on the validity for the issuance of his Non-O Multiple based on marriage.  Almost no chance you will ever need it, based on current reports, but it cannot hurt.

Edited October 23, 2017 by JackThompson

[nuananddon]

With theNon O multiple isn’t it required that every 90 days you have to cross the border, come back and get a stamp for another 90 days and it’s good for one year. What else would you call that other then a visa run? Does it make any difference what they call it or does it mean something else? I think some of these border officers think they are more important than they really are.

[BritTim]

5 hours ago, nuananddon said:

What else would you call that other then a visa run?

Personally, I prefer the terms "border bounce" or "border hop". I previously liked to use the term "visa run" to describe a trip to a consulate outside Thailand to apply for a visa. However, since Thai immigration seems to refer to crossing the border, in some cases, as a "visa run", like "retirement visa", it becomes ambiguous. In the future, I will probably never again use "visa run" in my posts, because its meaning is now open to misinterpretation.

[nuananddon]

2 hours ago, BritTim said:

Personally, I prefer the terms "border bounce" or "border hop". I previously liked to use the term "visa run" to describe a trip to a consulate outside Thailand to apply for a visa. However, since Thai immigration seems to refer to crossing the border, in some cases, as a "visa run", like "retirement visa", it becomes ambiguous. In the future, I will probably never again use "visa run" in my posts, because its meaning is now open to misinterpretation.

I wasn’t trying to be a wise ass, sorry for the misunderstanding. My wife and I spend 6 months in Thailand each year from November to May and they require you to get your passport stamped every 90 days so I guess a person could call that a “run, hop, bounce, flop or whatever and it still all means the same thing. They charge a person $200 for it and Thai’s coming to the States come on a tourist visa and never go home to Thailand again and our stupid government lets them get away with it with sanctuary cities.

[BritTim]

2 minutes ago, nuananddon said:

Thai’s coming to the States come on a tourist visa and never go home to Thailand again

I know many Americans have strong feelings about this. A couple of points might help you to become a little more sanguine about the situation:

• Thais (and most others from relatively low income countries)  are vetted before being issued tourist visas. I actually have a friend who is a business owner with a healthy bank balance, who wished to take a three week holiday in the US. The request for a tourist visa was denied. This is not an isolated case. As noted in https://www.siam-legal.com/us-visa/us-tourist-visas-for-thai-citizens/,

  Quote

  Unfortunately, it can be difficult for Thai citizens to successfully apply for tourist visas.  Tourist visa applicants will not receive a visa unless they can convince immigration officials that they will return to Thailand after their visit.  To convince the visa officer that you plan on returning to Thailand, you will need to produce evidence that you have strong economic and social ties in Thailand which suggest you will return.

• The number of illegal immigrants in the US has been dropping steadily since 2007. There are anecdotal reports that suggest the decline has accelerated this year. The decline might be reversed should economic conditions worsen in Mexico (where most illegal immigrants originate) which might possibly occur in the wake of a disintegration of NAFTA, and the businesses that rely on it. However, I do believe the impacts of illegal immigration at the current time are overblown. Indeed, since the bulk of the illegal immigrant population is of working age, more self motivated than the average, and (excluding their undocumented status) more law abiding than the average US citizen, it is not clear that their presence in the country is negative on balance.

[nuananddon]

Just from the small village we live in when in Thailand there are many women who have went to the Los Angeles area on tourist visa’s and got married(frudently?) in less then a year knowing their mate or signed up for college education enrolled in a strip mall university never went to class and have been there working for many years. Now they want to bring their children there because everything is free(they think). My sister in law left her husband went there 2years ago and has not and probably will not return, she’s looking to marry an American so she can stay even though she’s still married in Thailand. I also know a fairly wealthy Thai lady who makes a living loaning moneyto these people so they can show USA immigration they are well off and plan on returning after their tour is complete. More damn scams then a person can keep up with. And the government does nothing, if you overstay in Thailand you are fined and if it’s a long overstay you’re blacklisted and can’t get back in, over there the government probably buys them a bouquet of flowers and the airfare to go home. Then people wonder why the American people elected a leader who might just put Americans first.

[anon789561]

drove up to poipet last year. funny place. was between visas. was on a tourist visa then i think. as leaving a young immo guy said maybe you can't come back in. yes i can i said. if you go maybe not allowed back. he said up to the boss. the boss is a lady it turns out, well it was on that day. crossed over came back. probably sat there with the lady for about half an hour grilling me about why i live in thailand. not sure i said. keep asking myself that everyday 555 stamped and back in. there's just better borders than poipet. haven't been there for a while but i think they are just saying use another border. they will let you cross with a smile but just be warned they won't make it easy. use another border if you have to leave on whatever visa you have

[JackThompson]

I agree with your analysis of those attempting to enter the US legally.  Many sad-stories of those coming from the Philippines and elsewhere, who had visas, but the IO didn't like something, and denied them entry for no reasonable cause.  But as regards immigration-stats and effects in the USA ...

 

7 hours ago, BritTim said:

• The number of illegal immigrants in the US has been dropping steadily since 2007.

All mainstream-reported illegal-population estimates (the ~11-Million figure) are based on US-Census data, which assumes that Illegal-Aliens "report themselves as illegals" on US-govt census-forms and to federal census-workers.  Bear Stearns did an analysis to aid those in the financial-markets (who have a vested interest in knowing the truth), based on more reliable data, such as remittances, and came to a figure that was multiple times the "official" number. 

 

There was a drop in the influx, due to Trump's campaign-rhetoric and election, but when he continued the "catch and release" policy, began supporting a partial-amnesty, and the new heads of ICE and DHS continually swore they would not even look for illegals who were not committing crimes beyond illegal-entry, illegal-working, identity-theft, federal-document forgery, etc (what every illegal-alien does as a matter of course) the numbers have since risen sharply.

 

Illegal-immigration into the USA has decimated entire work-sectors, food-packing, trades, etc throwing millions into poverty, as the labor-market has been flooded.  But you won't see this "on TV," which is owned, literally, by the very transnational corporations who benefit from maximizing the percentage of workers earning poverty-wages. 

 

Those most hurt, demographically per-capita, are African-Americans, with citizen-Hispanics 2nd worst off - yet enforcement of the laws on the books is called "racist."  Irony of ironies - amazing what "owning the media" lets you get away with - and convince good, well-meaning people is "the truth."

[Boycie]

 Poipet, America and there's me thinking this thread was about Phu Nam Ron 

 

 

[vi2004]

Two more questions before I plan to go to Phu Nam Ron at the weekend:

 

1. Any changes for the opening times of the border due to the special days at the moment in Thailand? Are these vans that take you into no-mans land going frequently? Is there a time of day that one should be at the border at the latest?

2. Should I bring 20.000 baht in cash?

 

Thanks a lot

Edited October 27, 2017 by vi2004

[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, vi2004 said:

1. Any changes for the opening times of the border due to the special days at the moment in Thailand?

2. Should I bring 20.000 baht in cash?

1. No changes.

2. I have never seen a report of it being asked for at that crossing.

[vi2004]

Sorry ubonjoe, you had been so fast, I was still extending my first question: ;-)

 

Are these vans that take you into no man's land going frequently? Is there a time of day that one should be at the border at the latest?

[ubonjoe]

8 minutes ago, vi2004 said:

Are these vans that take you into no man's land going frequently? Is there a time of day that one should be at the border at the latest?

They go when they have passengers. They are not always vans sometimes they are pickups.

I would say at least an hour or more before the border closes to have time to cross and return.

[Julie H]

Ive been going to Ban Laem every 90 days for Four years now and have never been asked a single question, not even a smile, just a stamp and passport handed back to me thats the way i like it. I also stopped going to Chaengwattana for visa extensions because of ill treatment and superior attitudes 

[vi2004]

Just a quick feedback:

 

Drove the car to Phu Nam Ron. Quite a long drive from Bangkok but not too bad once you are outside Bangkok.

Arrived at the border in the afternoon, a pickup took me to Myanmar for 960 baht. I was the only "customer".

Quite interesting to see how the concrete road stops at the border.

Never seen the Myanmar immigration guys. Got my passport back after 5 minutes in Myanmar.

Back to Thailand. 10 people before me in the line.

Everything pretty easy.

 

Only strange thing:

The immigration officer was checking my passport for a couple of minutes and was like talking to herself.

Not sure what the problem was. Everything important was on one double page:

- Exit stamp from Myanmar

- Thai Visa

- Arrival card with Thai visa number

 

I had expected this to be an easy and quick stamp.

 

Anyway ... back in Bangkok.

 

[JackThompson]

1 hour ago, vi2004 said:

...

Only strange thing:

The immigration officer was checking my passport for a couple of minutes and was like talking to herself.

Not sure what the problem was. Everything important was on one double page:

- Exit stamp from Myanmar

- Thai Visa

- Arrival card with Thai visa number

They sometimes have an ear-piece and appear to be speaking to a supervisor (maybe their wife/husband - who knows).  Also, I have also seen them check every page of passports - presumably checking to see if it corresponds to the data in the computer, and any "interesting" countries were visited, which might indicate a security concern.