Denied entry to Thailand!

[smutcakes]

5 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Doesn't matter, it is just an excuse. The real reason is they think he is living/working here.

Which he is, illegally.

[digitalnobhead]

Why did Vietnam immigration charge $140 for 15 days, I was under the impression as a brit if you return to Vietnam within 30 days of last visit then its $25 for 15 day visa in that you can only have one free visa every 30 days. Did you get a receipt for this or was this a bit of hush money incase they exercised their right to refuse you?

 

Travelling by train will be safer, flight to kuala lumpur, then another flight to penang or alor setar and board the commuter train to padang beasar. 

 

[Sheryl]

6 minutes ago, Vixiena said:

I'm trying to figure out how I can get baht while I'm in hanoi. I have money in my bank account, don't really want to draw out dong equivalent to 20k BAHT as I most likely can't exchange it in Thailand. I'm not too sure about the train yet, a friend suggested it.

Does not have to be in baht, can be in any currency as long as equivalent to 20,000 baht

[Vixiena]

3 minutes ago, digitalnobhead said:

Why did Vietnam immigration charge $140 for 15 days, I was under the impression as a brit if you return to Vietnam within 30 days of last visit then its $25 for 15 day visa in that you can only have one free visa every 30 days. Did you get a receipt for this or was this a bit of hush money incase they exercised their right to refuse you?

 

Travelling by train will be safer, flight to kuala lumpur, then another flight to penang or alor setar and board the commuter train to padang beasar. 

 

They gave me no receipt. Under the impression they scammed me tbh. Didn't really have a choice other than to pay. They said to me when I arrived that I have 2 choices, I can pay the 140 dollars or they will send me back to England lol. 

[digitalnobhead]

Just now, Vixiena said:

They gave me no receipt. Under the impression they scammed me tbh. Didn't really have a choice other than to pay. They said to me when I arrived that I have 2 choices, I can pay the 140 dollars or they will send me back to England lol. 

Sounds like it, oh well, I guess in those circumstances it's difficult to get information you need.  Good luck! 

[lkv]

@Vixiena

 

If i had found myself in this situation, I would want to minimise any further risk of being denied entry, so this is what I would do:

 

Lao Airlines flight Hanoi to Vientiane - USD 117

Vientiane to NongKhai to Udon Thani by land

Udon Thani to Bangkok by flight.

 

It will incur more cost, including a Lao visa, but you would be crossing what has been historically defined as a non problematic land border.

[ubonjoe]

15 minutes ago, Vixiena said:

I'm trying to figure out how I can get baht while I'm in hanoi. I have money in my bank account, don't really want to draw out dong equivalent to 20k BAHT as I most likely can't exchange it in Thailand.

You might be able to get US dollars before leaving Vietnam. 

[FritsSikkink]

37 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Doesn't matter, it is just an excuse. The real reason is they think he is living/working here.

And they are right.

[FritsSikkink]

"I broke no rules"

You did

[Cloggie]

Why o why do you still NOT know the rules how to travel and stay in Thailand? You blame immigration for refusing you entry to Thailand BUT the only one to blame is yourself NOT knowing how to travel and stay legally in Thailand. I live and work here for almost 20 years and never had a problem as long as you follow the rules of Immigration if you like them or not, if they make sense or not - not a single Thai Immigration officer is interested in that! Even if you have 10 BMW's in front of your house, even if you own 10 condo's, even if you have 100.000.000 THB in your bank account in Thailand, if you can NOT show THB 20.000 you will probably denied entry to Thailand, it's that simple so do not blame Thai Immigration for doing their job.....

 

PS this is not personally but to everybody who has problems entering Thailand - do your HOMEWORK!!

 

Almost forget, if you not like the requirements that is your problem - not their problem ????

Edited October 21, 2018 by Cloggie

[Just Weird]

7 hours ago, Vixiena said:

Guys I really need some advice here as I feel like I am being treated very unfairly. Basically I left Thailand and went to Hanoi, Vietnam for 5 days. While I was there I applied for a new Thai tourist visa. I supplied the embassy with bank statements ect. I was given my visa the next day, and headed back to bangkok. Immigration stopped me and said what are you doing here. I said traveling. The lady replied with I don't think so, you have been in and out of the country for a year now. They put me in a detentions cell over night which I had to pay for and made me pay for a flight back to Hanoi. Their reason for doing this was that I didn't have 20000 baht with me in cash? I arrived back to Hanoi and was told that I can either pay 140 dollars to stay for 15 days or pay for a flight back to the UK. The immigration in Thailand said I can come back in two weeks time. All of my belongings are there. I've wasted so much money due to them messing me around saying that I never had enough money, when most of it was in my bank account which I had told them. Anyone have some advice please?I know they are obviously just making my life difficult for me because I have had a few visas but there is no law stating how many visas you are allowed. I broke no rules, was granted a visa after showing the Thai Embassy my earnings. Yet I get told I can't come in because I don't have enough money? After being told to get out of their country and go back to my own. Tourists are Thailand's main income, and now to be honest it's put me off wanting to go back.

"All of my belongings are there".

"...saying that I never had enough money, when most of it was in my bank account..." 

"Tourists are Thailand's main income..."

Doesn't sound as though you're a tourist! 

 

"I broke no rules..."

Perhaps you did.  Perhaps you're playing the system and you've been sussed?

[meinphuket]

4 hours ago, kinyara said:

 Around the 10% mark

Total contribution is actually 21.2% of GDP in 2017 and expected to rise by 7.4% for 2018. 

 

Direct contribution is 9.4% of GDP and estimated to rise by 7.8% in 2018

[Just Weird]

2 hours ago, atyclb said:

out of curiosity would an io allow the person in question to simply withdraw the 20,000 baht at the airport atm?  perhaps security to escort the person? then they can also witness the bank balance per atm machine. 

To allow that they would have to break their own rules and allow him in with no permission to stay, or stamp him into the country.

 

The amount of money apparently in the bank is irrelevant (that could change if payments that have not yet been debited suddenly hit the account), it's the cash that he has on him that has to meet requirements!

[Just Weird]

1 hour ago, Vixiena said:

Well I told them then money was in my bank account and they didn't seem to care. I have heard that immigration have let others to do though.

You heard wrong.

[lkv]

Just now, Just Weird said:

You heard wrong.

Yeah, cause you are working in Immigration?

 

I heard of a guy that came in by showing his Bitcoin wallet on the smartphone once.

[rhodie]

Good luck mate. I would agree with other posters that say entering by land is your safest bet. If it was me, I would head over to Laos and enter from there by land but have the 20,000 equivalent in cash. I think you can withdraw US$ in Vietnam at some ATM's?

[Rc2702]

Real schoolboy error not having 20k on hand. Not having 20k is now going to cost you a minimum of 20k and you should not be disappointed with thailand but yourself.  All could have been avoided. Suggest you spend a bit more time on here and try to understand what mistakes you made and how to avoid making them in future. 

[lkv]

This 20K is an excuse to reject. Because on that basis, every single Chinese traveller would be rejected entry. Chinese now in 2018 do not carry cash, but pay with QR codes, Wechat and AliPay.

 

But obviously, the Chinese are not scrutinised since they are the "golden goose".

 

All it took was for a Chinese to post on Facebook about being held in line too long at the VOA line because he refused to pay the fast track bribe, and it was all over the news with Thai officials saying "Chinese are welcome" bla bla.

 

So it's a mixture of racial profiling, sometimes based on looks also, and sometimes mixed with a PR exercise during the current climate which is not favourable to most other foreigners.

[Just Weird]

8 minutes ago, lkv said:

Yeah, cause you are working in Immigration?

 

I heard of a guy that came in by showing his Bitcoin wallet on the smartphone once.

"Yeah, cause you are working in Immigration?"

No, because there are no ATMs before Immigration.

 

"I heard of a guy that came in by showing his Bitcoin wallet on the smartphone once".

Yeah, right.  Hearsay's a wonderful thing.  Maybe the Bitcoin boy wasn't working illegally and trying to work the system as the OP was?

[lkv]

1 minute ago, Just Weird said:

Yeah, right.  Hearsay's a wonderful thing.  

No more hearsay than your assumptions of how Immigration takes decisions to reject.

[Just Weird]

1 minute ago, lkv said:

This 20K is an excuse to reject. Because on that basis, every single Chinese traveller would be rejected entry. Chinese now in 2018 do not carry cash, but pay with QR codes, Wechat and AliPay.

 

But obviously, the Chinese are not scrutinised since they are the "golden goose".

 

All it took was for a Chinese to post on Facebook about being held in line too long at the VOA line because he refused to pay the fast track bribe, and it was all over the news with Thai officials saying "Chinese are welcome" bla bla.

 

So it's a mixture of racial profiling, sometimes based on looks also, and sometimes mixed with a PR exercise during the current climate which is not favourable to most other foreigners.

Immigration also know that the Chinese are actual tourists, the OP clearly is not!

[lkv]

Just now, Just Weird said:

Immigration also know that the Chinese are actual tourists, the OP clearly is not!

That's a weird logic. As if the Chinese cannot be perpetual tourists like the farangs, which some are.

[Just Weird]

Just now, lkv said:

No more hearsay than your assumptions of how Immigration takes decisions to reject.

It's not hearsay if you know the Bitcoin boy personally and you have evidence that what he told you in that tale is correct.

 

What assumptions have I made about "how Immigration takes decisions to reject"?

[stevenl]

29 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

"I broke no rules"

You did

Agree, and I also think his attitude is no good.

 

But that doesn't help him now. I agree that the best chance of gaining entry is by land, although also his plan to fly into Chiang Mai will most likely work.

[Ulic]

Lessons learned for everyone. Dot I's and cross T's. Bring the required 20+ with you. Sorry to hear about your problems. I hope that you get things sorted.

[FritsSikkink]

3 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Agree, and I also think his attitude is no good.

 

But that doesn't help him now. I agree that the best chance of gaining entry is by land, although also his plan to fly into Chiang Mai will most likely work.

"But that doesn't help him now"

Why should I help people who break the law? 

[JackThompson]

26 minutes ago, Just Weird said:

Why the huge desire to try to get back into a country that, in your eyes, doesn't want you here and threw you out, it's not as though you've got a job here that you need to go to, is it?   Or have you?

The OP didn't follow the 20K rule.  Clearly, he learned his lesson - and hopefully understands the 20K was just a handy "gotcha" in a larger scheme.

 

I experienced a string of "corruption or no service" interactions with immigration at a local office, but I still love Thailand.  I don't dare fly-in, even on a Non-O Multiple, because who knows what some IO and boss could do with no "rule of published laws" system to constrain their actions. 

 

But Thailand is not represented (to me) by some clique of problem-IOs.  It's not "the country" who doesn't want us here.  Speak to average Thais in the Tourist sector, and ask if they prefer Chinese or Western customers.

 

That IO-clique may be doing their best undermine Thais whose jobs/businesses depend on us, and would doubtless like all Farang not paying them off with agent-bribes or whatever to be booted out - but let's hope good folks don't capitulate to this.

Edited October 21, 2018 by JackThompson

[Vacuum]

25 minutes ago, lkv said:

I heard of a guy that came in by showing his Bitcoin wallet on the smartphone once.

You shouldn't listen to bar stool rumours. The rule is cash money.

[TSF]

Is this 20,000THB cash a requirement for every foreigner entering Thailand, or just tourists? In my own case I'm on annual retirement extensions with multi-re-entry visas, and have been for the past decade. I probably make 3-5 entries each year - some by land and some by air -  and have never once been asked about money. But could I be pulled up over this 20K requirement, and denied entry?

 

Often I just have 5K or 10K Baht cash in my wallet but I always carry a Thai bank book with me that shows a balance in excess of a mill THB. I always figured if I was ever asked I'd show my Thai bank book which will prove that I have sufficient money to satisfy requirements. But reading this thread perhaps not.

[JackThompson]

2 hours ago, Vixiena said:

My tourist visa was not stamped but it's a single entry tourist visa.

You didn't "enter," and they didn't write anything nasty on it, so it's still good.

 

2 hours ago, Vixiena said:

I am currently in Hanoi where I was sent back to. I booked a flight from here to Chiang mai this time, instead of BKK, where I was stopped. Do you think I should cancel the flight and maybe go by train?

We have fewer horror-stories from CM Airport - possibly because they are better - or possibly because there are fewer people using it, so less reporting on what they do.  The biggest problem of entering by air, is that if you are denied, you cannot just walk back and try somewhere else or the next-shift.

 

I would not take a train.  Though better than flying in, Malaysian entry-points are not the best-choice, immediately after being officially denied-entry.  That event is in the immigration computer now, so you can expect questions about it.

 

You definitely should have the cash to show now, regardless of where you enter.  $USD is fine.  If asked, you can explain you were surprised there was no ATM between the incoming-plane and immigration, because they are present on the way out between immigration and the outgoing-plane.

 

Someone suggested Vientiane then the bridge.  That is by far the best entry-choice. 

 

Another option would be to take a bus to Phnom Penh, then another to Battambang, then a shared-taxi to the Ban Laem entry point.  Do not try at Poipet - as bad or worse than the airports!!  If the "100-baht TM-6 form" scam is still running just before the Ban Laem entry-point, I'd buy one, since this money is likely shared with the local-staff.