Thai Immigration guidelines for inspection of foreigners on visa exempt entries.

[ubonjoe 35,431]

As topic states these are the guidelines that immigration has sent out to its officers.

(Royal Emblem) Urgent

Addendum

For official usePolice Tel. 0 2286 0814

No. 0029.171/2076 Date: 24 June 2014

Subject: Guideline for inspection of citizen from certain countries that are not required to obtain a visa when entering the Kingdom of Thailand

To keep permission of entering in compliance with immigration law and provision concerned, it is deemed expedient to impose additional procedures of inspecting and permitting ordinary passport holders from certain countries who are not required to obtain a visa when entering Thailand for tourism purposes,

1. Information checking

1.1 Purpose of entering the Kingdom

The alien must enter the Kingdom with the sole purpose of tourism, and not for work.

1.2 Record of entry and stay within the Kingdom

1.2.1 A number of entry into the Kingdom

1.2.2 The alien must not enter the Kingdom by exploiting 30­day visa exemptions undertaking method “in­out” or called by foreigners as “Visa run”. Aliens use the advantage of Tourist Visa Exemption by leaving Thailand and returning immediately for the purpose of extending their stay, which is considered from the tourism point of view to be longer than necessary and not in line with the purpose permitted while entering country.

2. Reason to believe that entry into Kingdom is not for the purpose of tourism

2.1 Alien will be interviewed and requested to show evidence of the purpose of tourism such as tickets, pocket money, booking slip, traveling plan.

2.2 The criterion as in 2.1 if deemed necessary to record as an evidence, the alien may be required to fill out the form as attached in the annex hereto.

3. Reason to reject or permit entry to Thailand

3.1 Upon complete evidence of entering the Kingdom for tourism purpose and not for working purpose, alien shall be granted for permission to stay for 15, 30 or 90 days as set out in the bilateral agreements.

3.2 Without valid reason compiled to lack of evidence required by the immigration officer, the alien shall be refused to enter the Kingdom, pursuant to immigration law provision.

For consideration of immigration officers

[strans][/strans]

Translated by Siam Translations for thaivisa.com. The translation of this document is for information purposes only

File download: ImmigratioNotice4-English_PDF.pdf

Form for denial of entry (annex) deny entry (1).pdf

[PREM-R 2,068]

As these guidelines are titled "Subject: Guideline for inspection of citizen from certain countries that are not required to obtain a visa

when entering the Kingdom of Thailand" it would seem that Ubon Joe was correct when he was telling anyone, who would listen, that the 'crackdown' was aimed at those leaving and immediately re-entering without a visa and not those who were able to procure a TR visa. We must now see if the IO's at the various borders interpret 'the rules' in the manner outlined above or if they include TR visa holders also.

Edited August 8, 2014 by PREM-R

[Bazle 44]

Could someone please explain the meaning of 1.2.1 please.

2.2 - "the alien may be required to fill out the form as attached in the annex hereto". Is there an English translation of this form available, please?

[paz 2,317]

Could someone please explain the meaning of 1.2.1 please.

2.2 - "the alien may be required to fill out the form as attached in the annex hereto". Is there an English translation of this form available, please?

These are the forms that advise of the ban penalties for overstayers and that foreigner have to acknowledge when dealing with immigration.

[TallGuyJohninBKK 17,768]

The OP translation above doesn't appear to answer the ongoing question as to the number or frequency of what visa-exempt entries will be allowed. No actual standard.

It seems to talk about the incoming visa-exempt passenger being required to provide various documentation.

But not much basis on which the Immigration staff are supposed to sort out when a visa-exempt is legitimately for tourism vs. when the traveler has crossed the invisible line into being a non-tourist who will be denied entry.

The only actual detail appears to be the reference to "leaving Thailand and returning immediately" as being something not to be permitted.

Also, in the translation of the guideline, I have no idea what "1.2.1 A number of entry into the Kingdom" is supposed to mean???

Also, if the linked "Denial of Entry form" is supposed related to visa-exempt entry people, then why does the form have fill-in spaces for type of visa and location of visa issuance???

Edited August 8, 2014 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[ubonjoe 35,431]

I added in the denial of entry form to the topic.

[tookwan cottage 147]

As these guidelines are titled "Subject: Guideline for inspection of citizen from certain countries that are not required to obtain a visa

when entering the Kingdom of Thailand" it would seem that Ubon Joe was correct when he was telling anyone, who would listen, that the 'crackdown' was aimed at those leaving and immediately re-entering without a visa and not those who were able to procure a TR visa. We must now see if the IO's at the various borders interpret 'the rules' in the manner outlined above or if they include TR visa holders also.

Thank you PREM-R—you have given me hope that human beings are still capable of reading and comprehension since the introduction of "smart"phones. Times to have a lie down, I think

[BestBitterPhuket 806]

So...if you have back to back business meetings in Thailand, what visa can you apply for?

[Bazle 44]

Could someone please explain the meaning of 1.2.1 please.

2.2 - "the alien may be required to fill out the form as attached in the annex hereto". Is there an English translation of this form available, please?

These are the forms that advise of the ban penalties for overstayers and that foreigner have to acknowledge when dealing with immigration.

Thanks, but that does not to fit in context.

What is said above is:

2.1 Alien will be interviewed and requested to show evidence of the purpose of tourism such as tickets, pocket money, booking slip, traveling plan.

2.2 The criterion as in 2.1 if deemed necessary to record as an evidence, the alien may be required to fill out the form as attached in the annex hereto.

To me, that reads as if the form is to establish whether the visit is for the purpose of tourism.

[ovenman 284]

Unfortunately this does nothing to clarify the question that many have pondered: what time-frame constitutes immediately within the quoted context of "leaving Thailand and returning immediately for the purpose of extending their stay"

[paz 2,317]

So...if you have back to back business meetings in Thailand, what visa can you apply for?

Please explain "back-to-back business meetings" ?

As when you meet in Bangkok, then fly back to sleep in Singapore, then fly back to Bangkok for another meeting the following day ?

[glegolo 2,449]

Unfortunately this does nothing to clarify the question that many have pondered: what time-frame constitutes immediately within the quoted context of "leaving Thailand and returning immediately for the purpose of extending their stay"

Yes Me too, I really would like to know when it comes to people like "off shore workers", entring Thailand on Tourist exempt each time....what is immediately.. or should 21 days be OK.... and do that every 21 day and fill up the passport with that...??

Glegolo

[darkian 98]

What's new here? I thought this has always been the case.

[isawasnake 448]

The way I see this playing out is it just gives the officers more options. So if you have an attitude when you deal with them, and don't have a fully planned and booked trip (which I find ridiculous personally, many people just don't plan things like that), then they could deny entry. I suppose we'll have to wait and see how much they will actually enforce all this. If thy enforce it to the letter, many legit tourists would be denied entry of course. Leaving things like this to the discretion of an officer is the scary aspect of all this to me.

[darkian 98]

When I first visited Thailand in 2011, the guidelines were that you might be asked for proof of onward travel, proof you have enough money, proof of itinerary. More often than not when I've flown from Europe or Australia to Thailand I've been made to provide proof of onward travel or to show a valid visa, since even in previous years the carriers have been mitigating the risk of foreigners being denied entry (since the carrier obliged to transport you out of Thailand again at their expense).

Also for a UK citizen the rules apparent have always been that you shouldn't spend more than 3 months of any 180 day period in the country, so I was surprised when I arrived in Thailand back then to find so many people doing back to back tourist visas. And indeed I stayed for a year doing an 'in out' visa exemption run every 30 days (although admittedly some were a week long). So my passport ended up with about 12 sets of stamps and no visas in a single 12 month period.

None of this affects me now, I a visa and no problems, but I wonder if in the past 'rules' haven't been observed, what the actual weight of these new announcements is? And also I wonder longer term how the Thai economy will be affected, but I know that's a separate issue.