Too many Entries? Don't panic! Stop the scaremongering!

[lemonwaterjoe]

Hi there,

 

I have to say the tons of posts here from people fearing they "won't let in" when entering Thailand because they are coming for the 5th time in the past 3 years etc. is making me crazy. There is really no need to do any kind of scaremongering!

 

Everybody who is coming here as a tourist several times per year staying 2-3 weeks on Visa Exempt (30 days stamp for most countries upon arrival) can do so without any issues and without having any kind of problems!

 

I posted it somewhere else already I guess:

I have been coming to Thailand on visa exempts (never used any visa) 7 times this year 2019 and stayed around 15-22 days per visit, around 110 days in 2019. No issues. Last year I had 8 stamps staying in total 122 days in Thailand, in 2017 I had 7 stamps and always stayed around 2 weeks....never had any issue. Always fly in via Suvarnabhumi airport, a few times also via Phuket and Krabi in the past years.

 

I got another mate with ths history (he posted it in another forum and gave me permission to share the details here) All entries on VE as well, no visa.

 

15 trips / 92 days in 2019:

Jan 1-7
Jan 31 - Feb 11
Feb 20-222
Mar 5-11
Mar 15-20
Mar 27-30
April 4-8
May 2-6
May 15-16
May 30 - Jun 8
Jun 24-27
Jun 29 - Jul 4
Aug 18-22
Sep 20-25
Nov 2-17

 

The sister of one of my very close Thai friends (girl) works at immigration at DMK airport and she shared some details with me when I did ask her 2 weeks ago a few questions by curiosity. I found that pretty interesting and wanted to share some extracts with you even most of them are already well known here. Of course this is not an official statement but maybe it helps for th one or the other to categorize his situation better:

 

- No need to use the Fast Track Line, it doesn't make any diffrence

- Nobody cares about how you are dressed. Since the fngerprint system is in use most IOs even don't compare your face with the passport photograph anymore. Much more they can't see anyway because they are sitting and most likely can only see the upper part of your body.

- Being targeted are people that seem to stay here longtime without leaving the country for several weeks or months, especially those who did use up their land entries as well and are coming and going back-and-forth to stay in the country for months

- People staying long time on ED visa but don't speak any Thai are suspicious

- Visitors from Middle East and Africa are in general suspicious

 

 

 

So to sum it up the "normal" holiday maker as well as these guys that maybe work part time (working 4-8 weeks outside Thailand, coming to Thailand for 2-3 weeks, working 6-8 weeks, coming to Thailand for 2-3 weeks... all year) and spend the rest of the year holidaying in Thailand won't have any issues and never had any issues. Those who had stayed (=LIVED) here long time before on wrong visas and tried to enter again on (another) wrong visa are those who most likely had or will have problems.

 

Cheers,

lemonwaterjoe

 

 

 

Edited November 20, 2019 by lemonwaterjoe

[Denim]

Touch wood.

 

Now get thee hence and hug a tree .

[Don Chance]

Thailand wants tourists. No secret there.

They just want people to have the right visa. If you are living in Thailand they want you to have a long term visa. etc.

 

If the situation gets really bad there will be problems with the airlines because they are on the hook for a return flight so they will require thai visa's for travelers. This would be seriously hurt tourism.

 

Edited November 20, 2019 by Don Chance

[mockingbird]

If you're coming and going all the time for 2/3 weeks then no problem.

If you're effectively living here all the time on various tv\ed visa's and exemptions then a problem.

 

If , like me, you come for 3 months, go home for 2 months, on a cycle, then who knows?

[lemonwaterjoe]

3 minutes ago, mockingbird said:

If , like me, you come for 3 months, go home for 2 months, on a cycle, then who knows?

Since when are you doing so and what kind of Visa you use if I may ask?

[lemonwaterjoe]

12 minutes ago, Don Chance said:

They just want people to have the right visa. If you are living in Thailand they want you to have a long term visa. etc.

Exactly!

 

12 minutes ago, Don Chance said:

If the situation gets really bad there will be problems with the airlines because they are on the hook for a return flight so they will require thai visa's for travelers. This would be seriously hurt tourism.

I guess so far the amount of people "not let in" must be far too small compared to the amount of people that are "let in". Training and checking employes for checking proper visas and/or installing software to look this up at hundreds of airports most likely cost a lot of more money than flying back the few that aren't let in. Beside that: if you are not let in you need to buy or pay for your return ticket anyway, so the airline is not losing any money here.

[dimitriv]

I know someone who comes to Thailand 3 or 4 times a month on a VE. But each time he stays only 1 day. Sometimes 2. He never had a problem.  

 

Your examples are also below the 180 days a year.

 

 

[BritTim]

47 minutes ago, Don Chance said:

If the situation gets really bad there will be problems with the airlines because they are on the hook for a return flight so they will require thai visa's for travelers. This would be seriously hurt tourism.

A couple of years ago, only people trying to enter visa exempt were being denied entry. These days, some people with single entry and multiple entry tourist visa (as well as Non Ed visas if not speaking Thai) are being denied at certain airports. It is not clear that airlines refusing to carry people without visas (but with onward flight bookings which is already a requirement) would help. In practice, airlines are anyway usually reimbursed by those denied entry for the cost of their removal from Thailand. The hassle is probably irritating, but I doubt it represents a big financial hit.

[Tayaout]

Your post make sense. I was denied after 5 months of out-in at airport and border run. I was still able to come in via a land border for my wedding. 

[treetops]

The entries quoted for the OP and his mate of max 3 weeks (and as little as 2 days) with significant time out of the country do not appear to me to be the target of the "scaremongering", rather it is folk maxing out TV or Visa Exempt entries.  Different circumstances entirely.

[jackdd]

1 hour ago, lemonwaterjoe said:

I have been coming to Thailand on visa exempts (never used any visa) 7 times this year 2019 and stayed around 15-22 days per visit, around 110 days in 2019. No issues. Last year I had 8 stamps staying in total 122 days in Thailand, in 2017 I had 7 stamps and always stayed around 2 weeks....never had any issue.

Last year i spent about 10-11 months in Thailand, and this year about 10 months (it's only middle of November now), all on tourist entries. I never had any issue. So judging from my personal expecrience staying in Thailand on tourist visas / visa exempts is no problem.

But other than you, i take the problematic reports from other people which i've read here on Thaivisa into account and refrain from telling people that they can spend nearly all year round in Thailand with tourist visas, which i could do if i based my recommendations just on my personal experiences and a friend or two, like you do.

Edited November 20, 2019 by jackdd

[DeadFlagBlues]

3 hours ago, lemonwaterjoe said:

Since when are you doing so and what kind of Visa you use if I may ask?

.

Edited November 20, 2019 by DeadFlagBlues

[DeadFlagBlues]

3 hours ago, mockingbird said:

If you're coming and going all the time for 2/3 weeks then no problem.

If you're effectively living here all the time on various tv\ed visa's and exemptions then a problem.

 

If , like me, you come for 3 months, go home for 2 months, on a cycle, then who knows?

There's a definite risk if you continue to fly in through the bkk airports. It's obviously not back to back continuously living in Thailand, but a grumpy IO could take exception.

[sunnyboy2018]

Scaremongering is common on TV threads unfortunately.

[Don Chance]

With facial recognition they are probably already tracking you. If not, then soon in the future.

That means they can see where ever you go and what you are doing.

[natway09]

Their first alarm bells for Immigration are those that stay 28-29 days every time & then those that comeback in after 2 or 3 days & stay 28-29 days again.

I know a guy who comes in 3-4 times a month from Laos or Cambodia, stays 3 or 4 days 

never had a problem. (He does have a Laos work permit but never been asked to show it)

[acenase]

It’s not scaremongering for people who are living here on tourist visas. It’s 100% fact airport immigration wants us out!

 

But since there is no Thai law that says it is illegal to stay in Thailand for X amount of time. They won’t win.

 

There is so many options to enter thailand if you just do research.  

 

People can live in Thailand by doing their 2 land border runs and extending (4 months) and using 3 SETV’s from going to Yangon, Vientiane, Kuala lumpur, Savannakhet easily. And using a domestic flight to fly to BKK. Then get a new passport every year once you get a Remark stamp.

 

 

[atyclb]

21 hours ago, Tayaout said:

Your post make sense. I was denied after 5 months of out-in at airport and border run. I was still able to come in via a land border for my wedding. 

 

 

nice of them to let you in for your wedding

[Tayaout]

4 minutes ago, atyclb said:

 

 

nice of them to let you in for your wedding

They did not. I used a land border where they don't enforce the same rules it seems. 

[atyclb]

7 minutes ago, Tayaout said:

14 minutes ago, atyclb said:

 

 

nice of them to let you in for your wedding

They did not. I used a land border where they don't enforce the same rules it seems. 

 

sorry.  did you tell the first port of entry io that you wish to attend your own wedding?

 

amazing

Edited November 21, 2019 by atyclb

[Tayaout]

8 minutes ago, atyclb said:

 

sorry.  did you tell the first port of entry io that you wish to attend your own wedding?

 

amazing

No they questionned everyone that was put aside but in my case I think they forgot. After, I waited my turn to get grilled, I was sent directly to sign the denial of entry form and put in detention. They sent me back to Laos and I came back via the friendship bridge where the immigration officer did not even care about the denial stamp in my passport. 

Edited November 21, 2019 by Tayaout

[EricTh]

22 hours ago, dimitriv said:

I know someone who comes to Thailand 3 or 4 times a month on a VE. But each time he stays only 1 day. Sometimes 2. He never had a problem.  

 

Your examples are also below the 180 days a year.

 

 

 

I wonder whether immigration actually counts the number of days as in the first post. It must take quite a long time to count so many stamps that year.

 

[mockingbird]

2 hours ago, Tayaout said:

No they questionned everyone that was put aside but in my case I think they forgot. After, I waited my turn to get grilled, I was sent directly to sign the denial of entry form and put in detention. They sent me back to Laos and I came back via the friendship bridge where the immigration officer did not even care about the denial stamp in my passport. 

I assume you were denied at DMK?

[Tayaout]

10 minutes ago, mockingbird said:

I assume you were denied at DMK?

Yes

[Ireland32]

It is not Scaremongering, you have just been Extremely Lucky, I went to Lao for a wedding, stayed 3 days, no problem returning KKhai, I went to Philippines for one month and upon return to Thailand  , they said I’m working here, luckily I took GF, on return to Thailand  , they were not going to let me in , did not ask for funds or anything ,they let me go get my Gf who was at baggage claim , she told them please , we are getting Married, they let me in , so their is a basis to this problem, maybe not for you, but eventually it will happen,” a side note”, she had called her thai bf to meet her at airport, we fortunately broke up at airport, one of the only nice thing she ever did for me, we had discussed getting married in two weeks, lol, This happened at Suvanabum , sic, I now have Retirement Visa  

Edited November 21, 2019 by Ireland32

[Homburg]

2 hours ago, EricTh said:

 

I wonder whether immigration actually counts the number of days as in the first post. It must take quite a long time to count so many stamps that year.

 

I would expect that the IO's computer displays this information.

[SteveK]

3 minutes ago, Homburg said:

I would expect that the IO's computer displays this information.

And adds it up for them. Otherwise you could be there for quite a while.

[emptypockets]

4 hours ago, acenase said:

It’s not scaremongering for people who are living here on tourist visas. It’s 100% fact airport immigration wants us out!

 

But since there is no Thai law that says it is illegal to stay in Thailand for X amount of time. They won’t win.

 

There is so many options to enter thailand if you just do research.  

 

People can live in Thailand by doing their 2 land border runs and extending (4 months) and using 3 SETV’s from going to Yangon, Vientiane, Kuala lumpur, Savannakhet easily. And using a domestic flight to fly to BKK. Then get a new passport every year once you get a Remark stamp.

 

 

How many years,if,ever, have you been doing this?

Edited November 21, 2019 by emptypockets

[ericthai]

On 11/20/2019 at 5:43 AM, dimitriv said:

I know someone who comes to Thailand 3 or 4 times a month on a VE. But each time he stays only 1 day. Sometimes 2. He never had a problem.  

 

Your examples are also below the 180 days a year.

 

 

There is no 180 day thing. They did try that back around 2005-2007 but it didn't work as the IO took too much time trying to count days, so they stopped. However, some websites still post this and some IO's still use this excuse.  

[BritTim]

55 minutes ago, ericthai said:

There is no 180 day thing. They did try that back around 2005-2007 but it didn't work as the IO took too much time trying to count days, so they stopped. However, some websites still post this and some IO's still use this excuse.  

Just a couple of slight clarifications. There has never been an official 180-day rule. What there was for a period was a limit of 90 days in any six month period on visa exempt entries only.