Will I be let back in

[juice777]

Hi guys I've been back in the UK since July. I am now considering coming back for a holiday in May I want to fly to Thailand spend a week or two and there then fly to India and maybe spend a few months there then return back to the UK. I'm concerned about the amount of visas I had before so I'm thinking is Thailand really worth it and maybe just go to India.

 

This is my visa history

 

London Tripple

Double Vientiane

2 singles Vientiane

7 singles Savannakhet

 

Then a 30 day land crossing and a 30 day extension

 

Then in a new passport a 30 day land crossing and a 30 day extension

 

I wasn't working in Thailand before I was living off rental income from property in the UK. If I was to take a little bit of documentation like bank statements and rental contracts would that prove that I had enough income to support myself before. I've had to land crossings within the last year that's my main concern.

 

Thanks

 

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[Isaanbiker]

  If I were you, I'd go to a Thai consulate in your country and ask the same question. If there's anything noted that would cause any problems for you, they should have it in their system. ????

 

          

      

[juice777]

  If I were you, I'd go to a Thai consulate in your country and ask the same question. If there's anything noted that would cause any problems for you, they should have it in their system. [emoji289]
 
          
      

There is no blue stamps or anything like that or any overstay would they really be able to advise what immigration at the airport would say or do?

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[lkv]

It does not matter what you have done a long time ago. Many people had more than that spread out across the years in multiple passports.

 

It would be quite ridiculous to dig back years in history, as they were encouraging visa runs themselves at the time.

 

With a fresh passport with one VE entry extended one year ago I don't see any issues.

Edited April 16, 2019 by lkv

[BritTim]

After 10 months out of Thailand, I would normally not expect you to have a problem entering. My inclination would still be to get a single entry tourist visa rather than entering visa exempt. At least in theory, immigration has greater discretion to deny visa exempt entry than to abrogate visas.

[sometimewoodworker]

1 hour ago, Isaanbiker said:

If I were you, I'd go to a Thai consulate in your country and ask the same question. If there's anything noted that would cause any problems for you, they should have it in their system.

No point to doing that as they are different ministries and the foreign ministry doesn't access (possibly can't access) the immigration ministry database.

39 minutes ago, juice777 said:

There is no blue stamps or anything like that or any overstay would they really be able to advise what immigration at the airport would say or do?

They would have no information about that. 

The decision is made by the individual IO and their superior officers at the point and time of entry 

 

I would not be very worried since you will have your ticket to India together with at least £500 cash with you and you will be showing the ticket to the IO if there seems to be any delay. You will also have the evidence of income in the UK that you mentioned (I would not provide rental contracts, since they would reinforce the possibility that you are living in Thailand)

 

You can always get yourself a single entry tourist visa and carrying the same information, ticket & cash. As BT said that would be the safest option with little risk.

Edited April 16, 2019 by sometimewoodworker

[juice777]

I mean all those vissas were back to back without returning to the UK.I thought that might be frowned upon my immigration if I land at a Thai airport again. Especially with not a year in between the two land entries as there is some rule about no more then two 30 day visa exemts in a calendar year.

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[smedly]

I think it is shameful that someone is even having to ask questions like this

 

 

In a country that relies on tourism to the tune of a quarter of their GDP - why are tourists having to jump through hoops to come here on holiday

 

My advise to the OP is give Thailand a wide birth until you don't have to ask reasonable stupid idiotic questions like this 

 

What are you doing Thailand ?

 

Pissing off tourists and pissing off retired people living here ? 

 

Lets get some education into Immigration - the stupidity is astounding 

[JackThompson]

3 hours ago, juice777 said:

There is no blue stamps or anything like that or any overstay would they really be able to advise what immigration at the airport would say or do?

No, the consulate would not.  Immigration at the Thai airports seems to have little but contempt for the MFA's Tourist visas and the "excessive" length of permitted stay they grant.

 

2 hours ago, lkv said:

It does not matter what you have done a long time ago. Many people had more than that spread out across the years in multiple passports.

They have made issues about past-years stays with others.  One fellow was let in only after showing his valid Vietnam work-permit.  Maybe the OP being in his "home country" will be enough since, in their minds, no other valid form of income other than a brick-and-mortar job exists for anyone but pensioners.

 

Quote

It would be quite ridiculous to dig back years in history, as they were encouraging visa runs themselves at the time.

Why would it be ridiculous?  In their revisonist imaginary-history, he was just "abusing a loophole."  Never mind that this activity was formerly encouraged because it benefited Thais and Thailand.  Removing as many longer-staying farangs as possible, regardless of the harm done to Thais, has become their top-priority.

 

Quote

With a fresh passport with one VE entry extended one year ago I don't see any issues.

I don't see a denial happening if he enters with a Tourist Visa, but should be prepared for an unlikely but possible interrogation, since he has a history of being a "farang who sticks around," which that clique of IOs is evidently trained to hate.

 

2 hours ago, juice777 said:

I mean all those vissas were back to back without returning to the UK.I thought that might be frowned upon my immigration if I land at a Thai airport again. 

Yes, exactly.  There are no rules or laws in force there, so your fate is all about how they "feel" about you. 

 

If there were a published set of their own non-legal, made-up rules, then travelers could find out what to do, to avoid problems.  But, immigration there seem to want to make problems / stoke-fear by creating horror-stories, instead.

 

Quote

Especially with not a year in between the two land entries as there is some rule about no more then two 30 day visa exemts in a calendar year.

Only if by land.  The limit is two "land border visa exempts" in a calendar-year - likely because, if denied, one can just walk back to the other country.  There is no set-limit on visa-exempts by air, likely because they have the fear-option of tricking/trapping visitors who cannot know what is ok or not, locking them in immigration-detention, and force-flying them on last-minute overpriced tickets back where they came from. 

 

Given your time-away plus a new passport, it would be a yet unseen threshold of absurdity if you were denied-entry with a Tourist Visa. 

I would not try visa-exempt out of an abundance of caution, though odds are you would get stamped-in visa-exempt without a word said given your time-away and a passport that will not "trigger" an IO with pages of past-visas.

Edited April 16, 2019 by JackThompson

[juice777]

Looks like I will give it a miss then not that bothered about going on a holiday in a place I lived for 4 years anyway. Its all going to be last minute anyway as I am waiting to compete on a sale of a flat and haven't got my tenants out of the other one yet and don't want to pay extortionate rental prices or live in a bedsit hence going to India where I can live for about £600 a month. And I don't want to spend to much time in Thailand with money in the bank as I need it to do up the other flat when I move in.If I got to apply for a visa for India and Thailand I might not have time so I will give Thailand a miss.I wanted a week of partying so maybe just go to goa instead.

Thanks, everyone

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[RAZZELL]

4 minutes ago, juice777 said:

Looks like I will give it a miss then not that bothered about going on a holiday in a place I lived for 4 years anyway. Its all going to be last minute anyway as I am waiting to compete on a sale of a flat and haven't got my tenants out of the other one yet and don't want to pay extortionate rental prices or live in a bedsit hence going to India where I can live for about £600 a month. And I don't want to spend to much time in Thailand with money in the bank as I need it to do up the other flat when I move in.If I got to apply for a visa for India and Thailand I might not have time so I will give Thailand a miss.I wanted a week of partying so maybe just go to goa instead.

Thanks, everyone

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You'll be fine.

 

Just go to the Thai Embassy and get a tourist visa job done.

 

RAZZ

[BritTim]

3 minutes ago, RAZZELL said:

You'll be fine.

 

Just go to the Thai Embassy and get a tourist visa job done.

 

RAZZ

A two or three day trip to London by someone trying to live on a budget is not a minor expense. Do not assume that everyone in the UK lives in London. Some are lucky enough to live close to an honorary consulate and can get tourist visas while they wait. For others, the best solution is usually application by mail to the embassy, but there is talk of ending that (and possibly honorary consulate applications) in the near future.

[juice777]

You'll be fine.
 
Just go to the Thai Embassy and get a tourist visa job done.
 
RAZZ

With the the completion of a sale a visa for India putting my stuff in storage and everything else I won't have time.

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[Suradit69]

12 hours ago, Isaanbiker said:

If there's anything noted that would cause any problems for you, they should have it in their system

Embassies/Consulates do not have access to the same data as Immigrations. Any particular embassy would probably have records of any "business" they've had with you, but not anything more global.

[Jingthing]

Embassies/Consulates do not have access to the same data as Immigrations. Any particular embassy would probably have records of any "business" they've had with you, but not anything more global.

I've heard that has recently changed at least somewhat. The trend is more coordination.

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[NoshowJones]

15 hours ago, Isaanbiker said:

  If I were you, I'd go to a Thai consulate in your country and ask the same question. If there's anything noted that would cause any problems for you, they should have it in their system. ????

 

          

      

In Thailand as far as immigration goes, what could cause a problem in some place, may not cause a 

problem in another, you just never know.

 

[NoshowJones]

12 hours ago, smedly said:

I think it is shameful that someone is even having to ask questions like this

 

 

In a country that relies on tourism to the tune of a quarter of their GDP - why are tourists having to jump through hoops to come here on holiday

 

My advise to the OP is give Thailand a wide birth until you don't have to ask reasonable stupid idiotic questions like this 

 

What are you doing Thailand ?

 

Pissing off tourists and pissing off retired people living here ? 

 

Lets get some education into Immigration - the stupidity is astounding 

This is the post of the month.

[marcusarelus]

Just now, possum1931 said:

This is the post of the month.

If you are trying to lower the Thailand's GDP which is I guess your agenda.  

[Monkeyrobot]

You will not have a problem being away for 10 months and a new passport. 

[BritTim]

3 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

3 hours ago, possum1931 said:

This is the post of the month.

If you are trying to lower the Thailand's GDP which is I guess your agenda.  

I guess the debatable claim is that Thai immigration is doing its best to lower Thailand's GDP. If they have a vendetta against snowbirds and fly-in/fly-out oil and gas workers, immigration is certainly not helping.

[marcusarelus]

43 minutes ago, BritTim said:

I guess the debatable claim is that Thai immigration is doing its best to lower Thailand's GDP. If they have a vendetta against snowbirds and fly-in/fly-out oil and gas workers, immigration is certainly not helping.

I would say they are cooperating with a lot of posters towards the same goal. 

[DaRoadrunner]

If they don't let you back in then the rest of us may as well just pack up and leave.

 

 

[MARK74]

19 hours ago, BritTim said:

A two or three day trip to London by someone trying to live on a budget is not a minor expense. Do not assume that everyone in the UK lives in London. Some are lucky enough to live close to an honorary consulate and can get tourist visas while they wait. For others, the best solution is usually application by mail to the embassy, but there is talk of ending that (and possibly honorary consulate applications) in the near future.

getting visas from London by mail is easy and quick, usually only a week. i have a friend living in south london who does his by mail just to save time going up to victoria. Could you let me know where you found the information of the 'talk' of these being ended, i can't see that happening.

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, MARK74 said:

Could you let me know where you found the information of the 'talk' of these being ended, i can't see that happening.

It is due to them stating at first the you would have to apply online for the visa starting on April 1st but that has been changed to May now without a date. It is mentioned here on the page for applications by post. http://www.thaiembassy.org/london/en/services/7742/84397-How-to-apply-visa-by-post.html  It is assumed that they might let you mail in your passport and supporting documents after the approval but that has not been stated yet.

[MARK74]

52 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

It is due to them stating at first the you would have to apply online for the visa starting on April 1st but that has been changed to May now without a date. It is mentioned here on the page for applications by post. http://www.thaiembassy.org/london/en/services/7742/84397-How-to-apply-visa-by-post.html  It is assumed that they might let you mail in your passport and supporting documents after the approval but that has not been stated yet.

thanks Joe. seems to me like they are just modernizing the application process. i suspect once it is fully up and running it will be just as easy as doing it all by post. maybe once someone is registered and have used the service once, their details are stored and subsequent applications will be easier. it looks like they are ending postal applications to introduce a more modern system and are trying to make it easier as far as i can see. the post i replied to didn't point out that they were introducing a possibly better alternative.

[JackThompson]

16 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

I would say they are cooperating with a lot of posters towards the same goal. 

Leading foreigners into a potential-trap with dishonest / law-breaking immigration entry-points is not a reasonable way to help Thailand's GDP.  In my view, the tragedy is more about the Thais losing their jobs due to immigration's bad policies/actions, than the impact on total-GDP from Westerners staying away.  

 

Immigration's ongoing and spiteful harm of Thai people's opportunities is horrible; they are literally burning down ladders or economic opportunity with their policy changes.  We do our best to mitigate this by offering workarounds to avoid the bad entry-points and bad-offices, but that's about all we can do until Thailand immigration is cleaned up.  That may never happen, given the corruption-rewards which the entrenched cronies reap from the status-quo, and the fact that those rewards increase with each so-called "crackdown." 

[BritTim]

6 hours ago, MARK74 said:

thanks Joe. seems to me like they are just modernizing the application process. i suspect once it is fully up and running it will be just as easy as doing it all by post. maybe once someone is registered and have used the service once, their details are stored and subsequent applications will be easier. it looks like they are ending postal applications to introduce a more modern system and are trying to make it easier as far as i can see. the post i replied to didn't point out that they were introducing a possibly better alternative.

The system they threaten to introduce may be "more modern", but what we have been told of the implementation does not suggest it is "better" for most applicants. It specifically implies that you will no longer be allowed to apply through the honorary consulates, and that you must attend the embassy in person to have the visa affixed to your passport. Certainly, the demonstration system they have made available has no suggestion that the more convenient methods of the past will be possible. The delay in implementation gives me hope that it may be redesigned to take account of practical realities. However, as things stand, it is a demonstration of the fact that newer is not always better.

[juice777]

I have changed my mind and I am thinking of going without a Visa. I don't see what difference a visa will make when I am only going for a week and any IO can turn his nose up at anytime.Is this a bad ideal? I simply won't have time when I find out I'm completing it will be a mad rush to book flights, work, pack, find a storage place, move out,do the garden and 100 other things. I won't have time to go to London to get a Visa even if I live in London.

Is this a stupid idea will they send me on a flight home which will mess up my second trip now Nepal not India.

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[CommunalVisaMoney]

42 minutes ago, juice777 said:

I have changed my mind and I am thinking of going without a Visa. I don't see what difference a visa will make when I am only going for a week and any IO can turn his nose up at anytime.Is this a bad ideal? I simply won't have time when I find out I'm completing it will be a mad rush to book flights, work, pack, find a storage place, move out,do the garden and 100 other things. I won't have time to go to London to get a Visa even if I live in London.

Is this a stupid idea will they send me on a flight home which will mess up my second trip now Nepal not India.

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Maybe you should fly via Kuala Lumpur.  That way, if you are denied, you are sent back to Kuala Lumpur and can least continue on with some holiday plans. 

[BritTim]

49 minutes ago, juice777 said:

I have changed my mind and I am thinking of going without a Visa. I don't see what difference a visa will make when I am only going for a week and any IO can turn his nose up at anytime.Is this a bad ideal? I simply won't have time when I find out I'm completing it will be a mad rush to book flights, work, pack, find a storage place, move out,do the garden and 100 other things. I won't have time to go to London to get a Visa even if I live in London.

Is this a stupid idea will they send me on a flight home which will mess up my second trip now Nepal not India.

The main difference between having a visa and entering visa exempt is the legal powers the officials have. With visa exempt entries, they were given the discretion back in 2014 to deny entry. When you have a visa, in theory you have already been qualified by the embassy to enter as a tourist. Some officials may ignore that, and abrogate your visa anyway, but a denied entry is significantly less likely.

 

Is there no chance of applying for a visa by mail, or visiting one of the honorary consulates for a visa while you wait?