Denied tourist visa at Vientiane - new rule 1x per year

[justin case]

what about just going back to thailand, visa on arrival gives you 3O days unlimited, no ?

[BritTim]

9 minutes ago, justin case said:

what about just going back to thailand, visa on arrival gives you 3O days unlimited, no ?

A visa on arrival gives only a 15-day stay. However, the OP was eligible for a visa exempt entry instead that does, indeed, provide a 30-day permission to stay. As reported by the OP, he was almost denied a visa exempt entry at the airport on his arrival. (He did not have the option of entering by land as he had used his two visa exempt entries by land for 2019.)

[EricTh]

1 hour ago, Briggsy said:

3 months if a single entry tourist visa

9 months if a multi entry tourist visa.

By air, technically unlimited but you never know when you will lose the 'denial of entry lottery'.

By land, 2 per calendar year.

 

Well then, there's no point getting another tourist visa because you can have unlimited air visa-exempts.

 

[TSF]

15 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

And would she really be happy living in Au. A visit is fine. Leaving Thailand for many Thai is last resort. So many farang think Thai will be thrilled live in joint like au (I'm Australian) fact is Thai have country and family bonds that I'm quite jealous of.

Well taking her to live in Australia is totally out of the question, she's been several times for visits and enjoyed it very much, but I don't want to live there myself. And no way would I take on that immigration nightmare of trying to get her Aussie PR.

 

BTW: I know many Thai gals in Australia who you'd have to drag back screaming to Thailand. In Oz they have jobs, earning good money, own cars, have an independence and position they'd never have in Thailand. In fact most of these Thai women have husbands who are now semi or fully retired and who would love to retire in Thailand, but their wives won't have a bar of it.

[JAG]

15 hours ago, KneeDeep said:

 

I think that is the point. They are targeting people who don't appear to be going to their home country. Thereby assuming that they are living in Thailand on Tourist Visa.

 

Since the OP admits to 1 Tourist Visa and 3 visa exempt entries in succession, 9 months, that is perhaps not an unreasonable conclusion for Immigration to reach?

[ba ba]

18 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

You suggesting I leave my Thai partner for my Vietnam "friend". That's a big move. I'm a good guy why me out. Ha

i have already done it

[riclag]

Age ,old or young. Are you over 50? It sounds like your under 50 ! 

It appears many under 50 are being singled out

[Brad103]

1 hour ago, BritTim said:

Thanks. One other question: did you ever have the "travels frequently to Thailand on tourist visas" warning "red" stamp from Vientiane? I am wondering if they keep a list.

No, luckily I never did have that on my old passport. Never had any red stamps

from anywhere.

[ba ba]

1 minute ago, riclag said:

Age ,old or young. Are you over 50? It sounds like your under 50 ! 

It appears many under 50 are being singled out

70, 

[allen303]

13 hours ago, Leaver said:

If that's the case, make a rule, and enforce it, nation wide.

 

For example:  a foreigner is allowed 3 x 30 stamps in a calendar year.  Or, a 2 tourist visas in a calendar year.  Or 1 tourist visa and and 2 x 30 day stamps.  That's it.  Put it in writing.  Release it to the mediai.  Set a start date.  Inform EVERY boarder office.  

 

At least then, people can plan when, and for how long they can stay here, and when they can return.

 

At the moment, it's a very unstable system, open to interpretation by individuals, with so much uncertainty. 

 

 

There is an old saying in the military.

Be careful what you ask for, you may get it.

[riclag]

3 minutes ago, ba ba said:

70, 

Oh sorry, I must of missed that while reading through the thread! Maybe he was dressed like a backpacker

[riclag]

1 hour ago, watso63 said:

I wonder if the aim is for tourists to return to their home country and apply there. As the OP says, the Elite Visa is an option so the door hasn't been firmly closed.

That doesn't make sense . Once they come to a Thai airport ,IO's still refuse people with all the necessary requirements from thai embassies and consulates in their own countries 

Edited June 28, 2019 by riclag

[FritsSikkink]

19 hours ago, thequietman said:

Are you suggesting that they don't want foreigners here? surely not. ????

They DO want foreigners but they want them to follow the rules. They don't want "tourists" living here like in many other countries. get a proper visa.

[SteveK]

1 minute ago, FritsSikkink said:

They DO want foreigners but they want them to follow the rules. They don't want "tourists" living here like in many other countries. get a proper visa.

The days of people staying for years on tourist visas is well and truly over. I'm married to a Thai on a non-O multiple entry, I still get worried every time I have to go through immigration, I wonder how long it will be before I am forced to leave my wife due to new visa regulations.

[FritsSikkink]

7 minutes ago, SteveK said:

The days of people staying for years on tourist visas is well and truly over. I'm married to a Thai on a non-O multiple entry, I still get worried every time I have to go through immigration, I wonder how long it will be before I am forced to leave my wife due to new visa regulations.

No need to worry at all, you have the right paper work.

[LivinLOS]

14 hours ago, BestB said:

Have you just come out of some cave?

 

Western countries do not give passports to Thai citizens and its hell to go through for Thai passport to get visa into any Western country,not to mention Thai passport requires visa to all western countries, while western countries passport holders get free 30 days visa exempt without having to go through any applications and even tourist visa applications are nothing in comparison to pages of paperwork needed for a thai to obtain visa abroad

Utter nonsense.. My wife has a 5 year UK tourist visa, simply for asking for it, we come and go as we please, no reporting, no 90 days, purchase land, just totally open and easy.. Paperwork comparable to getting a Thai tourist visa these days.. My brothers wife became a citizen after about 5 years, with government provided language schools and all kinds of integration assistance, she now can get a pension, free healthcare, unemployment if she stops working etc..Never has to leave no matter her relationship status etc.. In the years since she went to the UK she has purchased a 3 house compound and constantly sends money back.. 

In the last 2 decades I have taken 3 women to 10s of western countries, easy as pie, not a single one denied.. 

[LivinLOS]

13 hours ago, Leaver said:

Not paying into the system. How so?

 

Rent, food, drink, electric, transport, leisure activities, visa fees, VAT. communications.  Just to name a few.  They convert their foreign currency into local currency and create employment.

Income tax.. 

[BritTim]

16 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

They DO want foreigners but they want them to follow the rules. They don't want "tourists" living here like in many other countries. get a proper visa.

 

5 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

No need to worry at all, you have the right paper work.

The problem is that we do not know what those "rules" are. They are unpublished, and vary depending on where you are entering Thailand. There have been no official rule changes since "right paper work" for entering Thailand included only a valid passport and a correctly issued visa (including a tourist visa). At many Thai entry points, those are still the "right paper work". At others, your visa may not be honoured. Note that a multiple Non O also does not guarantee entry everywhere. In particular, Poipet/Aranyaprathet is a problematic crossing when using a multiple Non O to spend significant time in Thailand.

[LivinLOS]

13 hours ago, bbi1 said:

Actually, who says that's not allowed? On a SETV or METV the remarks say "Employment Prohibited". Being a digital nomad, playing stock market, etc. is not employment.

Playing the stock market (owning assets) has never needed a work permit.. confirmed many times.. 

 

Working for someone, online or off, for yourself even is what they consider work under the basis of the law.. It has been stated explicitly even collecting ad revenue when you are creating the content, is work in thier standard. 

[phuketrichard]

1 hour ago, trigpoint said:

My Cambodian g/f was told in Phnom Penh she will not get another tourist visa and no reason given. She has been coming to Thailand 3Times a year  8years on tourist visas, but she can do as many back to back visa runs as needed, a real pain as she only gets 14day exempt stamp. Guess they'll stopping that next. 

told by who?

[LivinLOS]

13 hours ago, jackdd said:

Would be very easy to solve for Thailand, but it looks like they don't want to.

Allow foreigners to register a personal business, with the limitation that all income has to come from abroad. Introduce an extension for people which run such a business, required income 65k per month.

It would be (and in fact can be done just like this via the BOI registered umbrella companies).. however they have chosen not to. 

 

The fact that they have not created a class like this, does imply that they have decided they do not want a class like this. No matter how much nomads (who dont go other places) cry and stamp thier feet. 

[ThomasThBKK]

10 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

Playing the stock market (owning assets) has never needed a work permit.. confirmed many times.. 

 

Working for someone, online or off, for yourself even is what they consider work under the basis of the law.. It has been stated explicitly even collecting ad revenue when you are creating the content, is work in thier standard. 

 

Indeed, it's just fearmongering. There's no way all this shit is real work, it's 2019 and everyone receives work emails during holidays etc.

 

This is an quite extreme case of ORGANIZED stocktraders all rounded up in a room that got PAID to do it and have been found NOT GUILTY: 

 

 

Should be applicable to other suck "online work". 

 

Quote

But it has emerged that no arrests were made - only witness statements were taken and everyone was let go.

 

The tourists were in Thailand legally and despite it being known that each was paid for their online work there was nothing the Thais could do to arrest them or have them deported.

 

They will leave when their visas expire.

 

Thaivisa notes that Labor Department officials were in the raiding party on Wednesday and the case is likely to be much discussed as it centers on the right of foreign nationals to work online in Thailand without a work permit.

 

The tourists - all aged between 20 and 40 - were pictured working on nearly 200 computers.

 

Earlier it was reported that the Zara Double Tree was a hotel and that fines totaling more than 250,000 baht would have to be paid for not reporting the whereabouts of guests.

 

This was not even mentioned in the follow-up Sanook report yesterday in which the building was termed a "mansion".

 

 

 

Thais are just worried because non-thais would wipe the floor with them if they would be allowed to compete here.

 

 

If it was about the money then why bother me with tm30 and 90 day crap after i paid for an elite visa already, why not offer me a real investment visa, why not offer me a citizenship for a million squid like even the United States of America do and pretty much every country with some economic sense....Nah it's just xenophobia and protectionism, their cardhouse will fall together sooner or later anyway.

Look at Craftbeer, non thai cigaretts, vaping, non-thai weed, non thai manufactured cars, non thai wine... look at the taxes, it's not to earn money it's to skew the market and give rich thai hisos and edge because they couldn't compete in a fair market.

[FritsSikkink]

13 minutes ago, BritTim said:

 

The problem is that we do not know what those "rules" are. They are unpublished, and vary depending on where you are entering Thailand. There have been no official rule changes since "right paper work" for entering Thailand included only a valid passport and a correctly issued visa (including a tourist visa). At many Thai entry points, those are still the "right paper work". At others, your visa may not be honoured. Note that a multiple Non O also does not guarantee entry everywhere. In particular, Poipet/Aranyaprathet is a problematic crossing when using a multiple Non O to spend significant time in Thailand.

When you live here so long that you are a tax resident with your girlfriend, you are not a tourist. Then you are getting a tourist visa under false pretence.

[GeorgeCross]

10 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

Playing the stock market (owning assets) has never needed a work permit.. confirmed many times.. 

 

Working for someone, online or off, for yourself even is what they consider work under the basis of the law.. It has been stated explicitly even collecting ad revenue when you are creating the content, is work in thier standard. 

 

yeah can confirm the same. every year when i go to get my marriage extension my wife and i are asked what we do for income (even though i apply based on 400K).

its a low key question but i always state i'm an investor, uk property, stocks and bonds. never once has it been questioned, always been accepted and is clearly on record.

for the record i'm not a day trader but i do check my portfolios every now and again. i also check my bank statements, shop around for FTDs here and CDs back home. personally i do not see the difference, they also pay interest and involve my effort for a personal gain as does keeping an eye on exchange rates and deciding when to transfer money here at the best rate and in the cheapest way.

to suggest i'd need a work permit for any of these activities would be ludicrous.

 

[Isaanbiker]

15 hours ago, BestB said:

Have you just come out of some cave?

 

Western countries do not give passports to Thai citizens and its hell to go through for Thai passport to get visa into any Western country,not to mention Thai passport requires visa to all western countries, while western countries passport holders get free 30 days visa exempt without having to go through any applications and even tourist visa applications are nothing in comparison to pages of paperwork needed for a thai to obtain visa abroad

Thais who work in certain European countries can easily obtain a passport after a few years and paying tax. Especially when married to a European citizen.

 

  In Thailand, that's only possible for women who marry Thai men, not for men who marry Thai women. 

 

   I wasn't talking about how difficult it can be to receive a visa for a European country. 

 

  

[ThomasThBKK]

4 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

When you live here so long that you are a tax resident with your girlfriend, you are not a tourist. Then you are getting a tourist visa under false pretence.

<deleted>.

 

I have a tourist visa, a thai elite visa, which is well - just a tourist visa.

 

I also have a tax id and i pay millions of baht in taxes every year from dividends and other investments. 

 

You are making stuff up, both is totally not connected. and no i dont do any active work in this hole.

[Caldera]

7 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

When you live here so long that you are a tax resident with your girlfriend, you are not a tourist. Then you are getting a tourist visa under false pretence.

Where's the false pretense, since the consular officer who decides if the visa is issued can see your visa, entry and exit history in your passport?

[buick]

OP - you might consider going to HCMC/SGN for an SETV and returning via land border and then take a domestic flight within thailand to get to your desired location.  fly from SGN to VTE or PNH and get to the border from there.  figure out a land border entry/domestic flight program that you can deal with.  then, get an METV in USA after that and use the land border/domestic flight program you did before (fly to SGN/PNH from USA).  if you don't really need to visit the USA for any reason, the METV isn't a great option as the cost for your USA trip might add up to a number not all that far from what the elite visa costs per year.  but it makes some sense if you will be in the USA once a year for reasons other than getting a visa.

 

 

[NoshowJones]

19 hours ago, Briggsy said:

If anyone has not grasped the big picture yet, they are very slow on the uptake.

How right you are, there are so many deluded people who think they are being fairly treated with all this hoop jumping. If there was less and less tourists and retirees coming from western countries and was interfering with certain income streams, things would change very quickly.

[NoshowJones]

17 hours ago, darrendsd said:

Couldn't agree more - 1 unconfirmed report and the TV "they hate us" brigade are off and running ????????

You do have a point, but on the other hand, nothing that Thai immigration do should surprise anybody.