Loophole For Holders Of Multiple Passports...please?

[lkjh]

Hi,

I'm in Thailand now on the final entry of a tourist visa and have dual nationality - Swedish/ English.

What i'm angling to know, is whether a tourist visa can be obtained by post if you are not in the countries duristriction for the application?

Also, presuming it can be, is there an easy way to use that new visa once issued and sent back to said perennial tourist in Thailand?

am probably in the minority with this question/ situation, but was just reading that people have multiple UK passports, so maybe am not.

Does anyone have any experience of doing this? Know anyone who does?

Cheers

[LivinLOS]

It is possible from a 3rd country (if you have 2 passports) but it cannot be applied for while in thailand.

Also some consuls will accept applications while not in thier jurisdiction but I am told others will not.

You need to leave the country to get a new visa however you slice it.

[lkjh]

Thanks a lot for the reply,

....some consuls will accept applications while not in thier jurisdiction but I am told others will not.

looks like a possibility then

You need to leave the country to get a new visa however you slice it.

yep - no way round this one but,

It is possible from a 3rd country (if you have 2 passports) but it cannot be applied for while in thailand.

supposing I was crazy enough to do this. I worked it through in my head and it still seems problematic.

Here in my mind is why

1 exit Thailand...stamped out

2 enter Malaysia...stamped in

switch to other passport and nationality after I have recived by post, the new TV.

3 exit Malaysia to return to Thailand......no entry stamp for Malaysia in this passport though....so surely a problem leaving the country.

Other than that there seems to be potential.......also, this rule about having to apply from a third country, is that a legality or technicality?

Cheers again

Edited April 15, 2007 by lkjh

[Mahout Angrit]

1 exit Thailand...stamped out

2 enter Malaysia...stamped in

switch to other passport and nationality after I have recived by post, the new TV.

3 exit Malaysia to return to Thailand......no entry stamp for Malaysia in this passport though....so surely a problem leaving the country.

You fly out and in and swop passports in flight so you enter and leave Malaysia on the same passport. It can't be done by land.

[LivinLOS]

However if your already in Malaysia.. Why wait to post it around.. Just get your TV there..

[lkjh]

However if your already in Malaysia.. Why wait to post it around.. Just get your TV there..

Basically, the postal service visa could save me having to wait around in the neighbouring country. The new TV would be on already so wouldn't even have to leave the airport. Lazy, I know. Call me a couch potato or whatever you want.

My paspport is maxed out with Thailand too, so i'm always nervous of catching an immigration officer in a bad mood. I know its almost certain that youll get the visa a penang the mo, but things can change.

About juristricion.

If the visa sent for, went via an address registered to me in another country, it should get issued no probs. If i'm in Thailand at the time though, do you know if I'm actually breaking the law by doing this? If so this would probably swing it for me, and i'd just apply in person, in country C.

Edited April 16, 2007 by lkjh

[LivinLOS]

However if your already in Malaysia.. Why wait to post it around.. Just get your TV there..

Basically, the postal service visa could save me having to wait around in the neighbouring country. The new TV would be on already so wouldn't even have to leave the airport. Lazy, I know. Call me a couch potato or whatever you want.

My paspport is maxed out with Thailand too, so i'm always nervous of catching an immigration officer in a bad mood. I know its almost certain that youll get the visa a penang the mo, but things can change.

About juristricion.

If the visa sent for, went via an address registered to me in another country, it should get issued no probs. If i'm in Thailand at the time though, do you know if I'm actually breaking the law by doing this? If so this would probably swing it for me, and i'd just apply in person, in country C.

What your suggesting is, I am told, highly illegal..

You can apply while you are in a 3rd country.. you cannot apply while in Thailand.

You need to leave Thialand.. Post your passport.. Wait for processing.. recieve it back.. Then re-enter Thailand.. The whole process must happen outside of Thailand.

If your going to Malaysia and getting a tourist visa there really is no time or cost saving.. Its actually slower.

[lkjh]

What your suggesting is, I am told, highly illegal..

You can apply while you are in a 3rd country.. you cannot apply while in Thailand.

Thanks again Livin

Do you think it's worth me getting in touch with hull for confirmation? Or is your source 100% already?

[LivinLOS]

PM me your email.. I am not allowed to show private emails on the forum..

Not all consuls it seems accept this.. But UK Passport agency wrote back just this week and I have email from Thai also..

[lkjh]

Do you think it's worth me getting in touch with hull for confirmation? Or is your source 100% already?

Infact, no worries about it. My minds made up

At the end of the day, I feel like checking out Penang suddenly, as have never been there, (did go to kota baru once though, which was a dump). Just read a visa penang post now and and it sounds a nice "holiday" place.

Me, I just hope Thailand doesn't go tits up (again) while out of the country, giving them a justified reason to temporarily deny......negative thoughts, eh.... but that would be bad, for me at least

indefinite VOA's for the dual citizenship holder, possible, but sketchy IMO. Reckon you would need nerves of steal to do that long term, plus a good back up plan for when/ if they....

Edited April 16, 2007 by lkjh

[LivinLOS]

Not only nerves of steel but when you look at international flights each 29 days its cheaper and easier to just get a TV..

[Badbanker]

I have 2 passports! One from heaven and one from hel_l! I have used them alternately to live as a tourist for a number of years and find certain countries have a better view of one than the other. I once made the mistake of trying to swap them in view of a Thai immigration officer.

I was hauled over the coals and I had to explain that my Heaven and hel_l passports have the same Queen and so my feality was not misplaced. I was warned in no uncertain terms that using 2 passports, both having the same details was akin to trying to subvert the system and would cause me a problem staying in Thailand.

Back in the good (READ BAD) old days of 1988 having to get a tax clearance involved going down the the lovely building near Kao Sarn Rd (now fortunately burnt to the ground in 1992) and have some one decide how much tax I had to pay, I by accident also dropped both passports on the desk and was nearly hung drawn and quartered on the spot. I had paid tax religiously and that was evident from the tax stamps in both passports but they where sure I had somehow diddpled them!

If you do change passports, do it by air and you will be fine. Land borders are a no go as they want see where you have just come from although Poi Phet seem to be happy if you give the book and 1000 baht they will stamp you a visa is a food stamp book. In particular do not try this at the Malaysian border as they are adamant that you cannot change passports.

I think the problem with this all comes from many Asian countries have a very dim view of dual nationality.

Becareful;)

Badbanker

[samran]

I've had bad experiences trying the passport swap when crossing over land borders. Singapore and Malayasia hate it. Malaysia, as far as I understand, more than just not allowing it for their own citizens, don't even recognise the concept of dual nationality - for anyone.

Everywhere you go (Laos, Cambo, Singapore, Malaysia etc), they want to see that you checked out of the last place properly when crossing by land.

[LivinLOS]

Air Asia, Tiger air, jetstar or Silk air have made that issue moot for me..

I can leave Phuket at 11 and be back by 4 on Silk..

[Axel]

I you are denied entry into the country you go back to where you came from. Problem, if there is no chop from previous country while trying to enter at a land border.

Not an issue at the airports. Back to the airline who has to fly you out or home.

[permanent_disorder]

all my entry stamps via airport, the friendly immigration officers always make a note of the flight number next to the stamp. also on this immigration form i have to state where i come from, what was my last destination. could that not lead to problems, if my last destination was a neighbouring country, which usually issue a exit stamp?

same is for the exit stamp on thai airport, comes with flight number. so it's easy to track down your travel history. if you swapping passports, maybe then there are some question why you never arrived, or seems to come out of the blue.

[LivinLOS]

I always put last country the truth.. No one has ever queried it.. Whose to say you didnt stay airside ??

Just looked in my passport and never had my flight number written in the passport either..

[permanent_disorder]

I always put last country the truth.. No one has ever queried it.. Whose to say you didnt stay airside ??

Just looked in my passport and never had my flight number written in the passport either..

airside means transit, right? okay, in singapore it's possible or more likeable to catch a connection flight to europe p.E. but i'm not sure if it's the same when you come from penang or phnom phen or where ever you go to make your swapping passport trip. and there have been reports here that immigration in bangkok was asking for the boarding card when you arrived. and a lot of reports that your passport and older stamps inside get investigated. in case they ask questions, what would you say - ohh from iceland and go airside over bahamas, brunei, kuala lumpur, penang?

could you lie in that situation?

sure you have no flight number written next to the stamps? it's small handwritten and not always clearly readable. top left of the triangular departed stamp and on top over the entry stamp.

if you are on a type of visa that could lead to some questions, for example back to back tourist visas for years, because you feel not old enough to get married, are to young for retirement, but smart enough not have to work anymore. yes than maybe swap your passport on your christmas trip back home in europe, or mums birthday in australia. so that the stamps in your passport looking like you have taking are gap year and not like a tourist who is in reality a resident. and come back with your other passport you didn't use since a while. and you can avoid some annoying question, because immigration don't have to know that you just write a book here in thailand or sold daddys factory.

but would not swap my passport if i am just travelling to a neighbouring country and think it's okay because it's done by air.

[LivinLOS]

So do your passport flip on the outbound flight leaving Thailand.. The other countries are not all so stamp happy paranoid and you are guaranteed to have the inbound and outbound stamps of the country your just visiting and then return to Thailand from, in the passport you use when you fly back in.. This isnt rocket science.

I would always tell the officer where I last boarded from.. But were did I origionally come from ?? Well lets see.. I was born in Scotland.. Then moved to Ireland.. Then moved to.. This could take a while...

Some people seem to have a 'home country' mentality and 'visitor of' set of thought processes.. I left the UK in my teens.. Ever since then I have been travelling and living in countries mobile and bouncing around.. I have been back in the UK (my passport issuer) for 2 weeks in last decade.. Where have I come from is not a simple question.

[permanent_disorder]

just found this picture on german wikipedia. it shows a passport page with exit and entry stamps on immigration control points in bangkok and in siam reap (cambodia) so the passport holder was obviously travelling by air.

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild:Visa_kh2...th2001-2002.jpg

next to the stamps you will always see, small handwritten letters and numbers - thats the flight number. cambodian immigration do it as well as the thai immigration. okay on one (the last) departure stamp it is missing. maybe because it was not inner asia travelling. i don't know.

so in thailand and cambodia they do trace where you come from and where you go. but i don't know why they do it.

my singapore stamps and malaysia stamps don't have something like this. so switch your passport on outbond flight leaving thailand, seems like easy. but then there is still the chance that the officer ask you where is your thailand exit stamp, and then you have to admit you switch the passport. but why? maybe i am just ubercareful.

[samran]

having done passport swapsies (Thai/OZ) for the past 2 decades in and out of LOS, Thai immigration don't really care where you have come from if you have flown in. ie no passport stamps checked. As others have said, many have only transited from their last deistination, and many places in the world, NZ,Aus, EU, US either don't have exit controls or don't stamp out their own nationals. So for Thai immigration, checking stamps are pretty pointless.

Coming in overland, they always check, as most visa runners will tell you.

As for non-thai dual nationals (eg Aus/UK) doing the passport swapsie to get around the 180 rule, I don't think at TV we've had a report yet on whether or not you'll get caught out. But it wouldn't suprise me that the immigration system would be able to match up dual nationals, especially if most of their vital stats (excluding nationality) are identical in both passports.

[Juzrelax]

I might give this a crack if the need arises (Aus/Swiss). Surely the people at immigration don't have time to go over every passport with a fine tooth comb. When your country of origin does not stamp your pasport for leaving it who is going to know. Is it difficult to get a non B in a neighbouring country?

[libya 115]

Beware, sending your passport out of Thailand by courier (DHL, FEDEX, UPS) etc.

Because, even if you are sending your passport out for a non-Thai visa, the customs manage to spot a return passport on the way back into the country and sting you for a 6000-7000 baht fine!

Edited May 24, 2007 by libya 115