hawker9000

I don't understand why it's so hard for so many to accept that successive Tourist Visas are NO LONGER a viable way of remaining in the country indefinitely.  Without offering any opinion as to whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, the worm has in fact turned, slowly, but it has turned.  Roll the dice if you want to; some definitely do; some will simple-mindedly assert that since they've been doing it for years & years with no problems that guarantees others will also never have a problem.  Incredibly thick-headed advice.  They're actually taking their chances just like you are.  Tourist Visas are NOT for the purpose of residence, and all it takes is for an IO somewhere, sometime, to up & decide to exercise his discretion and deny you another entry, probably when you least expect it and can least afford it.   If you have no objection to the expense - as many do - the Elite card is probably a better option (unless you have a spouse, children, are over 55, etc., as Tanoshi was mentioning above).  It's partly, but not entirely, about your working illegally, or deriving your income from within Thailand illegally.  If an IO believes you're living in Thailand on tourist visas, he certainly has the discretion to deny permission to enter; your fate is entirely in his hands at that point, and he doesn't have to prove to anyone that you're working illegally and doesn't even have to examine whatever documentation you might have to show him.

If you drop the dime on him, will he necessarily know it was you?  If he's doing you this way, I'm guessing his social skills aren't that winning generally and he might have a "fan club"...   Could he be sure it wasn't, say, your wife's family behind it?   (Or maybe you could even GET your wife's family behind it.)   Frankly, I think the better way is to confront him directly and then act if he doesn't bugger off, but if you're feeling intimidated, I'm not so sure you actually have to go face-to-face with him.   Surely he realizes that his immigration status is in play.

DO, however, be 100% CERTAIN that what you're saying about his being on a long overstay is true!   And you need to be equally sure of what you're saying about his financial status (that is, that he isn't in a position to buy his way out).

Since you've already been talking to police and lawyers, I have a question:  Is there such a thing as a technical restraining order in Thailand?    In issuing one, or even deliberating over one, his immigration status would probably be inspected automatically and you might not even have to be the one to bring it up.

17 hours ago, overherebc said:

I suppose it might be possible to 'buy' the 20,000 with a card at an exchange booth, never thought of that option.

Others might know.

Can somebody verify that there even ARE any exchange booths prior to immigration?  I seem to remember at least one in that main corridor just before the turn into one of the arrival halls, but am not at all sure.

On ‎11‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 11:05 PM, Jools said:

I will admit to not understanding the Thai attitude toward the law. Many apparently just ignore it without repercussions. Do police have no way of checking up on hotels and  landlords who do not report their tenants?? I can't imagine a similar disdain for the law in the USA or UK.

I actually think there was sort of a "crackdown" awhile back, but as I heard it, it was aimed at hotels & guesthouses that weren't "registered" and therefore not reporting guests as is required of them by law.  But to answer your question, if you're in the country on a tourist visa, renting a condo, and that's not the address you listed on your arrival card. and nobody does the TM-30, then how WOULD they know?   I doubt they have any capability for correlating foreign condo ownership and actual owner occupancy (rather than rental activity), let alone knowing when a condo is being temporarily occupied by a visitor.   I would think the most they could do was check their "database" for a particular foreigner (by name & passport no.) and determine that they do or they don't have a current address for him.

On ‎11‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 9:13 PM, Chivas said:

Beyond me how anyone wouldnt have at least 50,000 or equivalent as bare minumum when flying cross borders. Cards are all well and good until just maybe things go pear shaped as did with me in 1996. It happens believe me and fortunate I was carrying hard currency at that time

Well, it may be beyond you, but I'll bet only a very few have that much cash on them.   I've hardly ever had that much on me, but I do have a Thai bank account and travel with backup plans and backup backup plans for cash in case of problems or emergencies.   Passing through international airports as well as taxis and other public transportation getting to and from, and lots of loose cash just don't go safely together IMO.

On ‎11‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 8:28 AM, RichCor said:

On my KasikornBank account they said I'd need to apply for a new card. Haven't done it yet.

Happened to me once.  Kasikorn was NOT going to let me reset & change my forgotten PIN (forgotten after a long time away without using it) no matter how much ID I showed them.  But something funny happened.  During my conversation with the lady helping me she said something which caused me to remember the forgotten PIN.  Problem solved.

I wonder what the problem with the transit visa actually is.   Just curious.  That would seem the most logical way of dealing with your initial arrival, and although I've never so far had to do it myself, people must have to do the transfer between Suv. and DM all the time and it's not like Bangkok isn't sort of a regional hub.  Did you try inquiring with the airline about the "barcode" thing?  They might know what that's all about.  But I would have thought your confirmation showing itinerary & details & booking no. would've been enough.

4 hours ago, JimP said:

Are you referring to the legality of open container in Thailand?  It is legal to walk around with an open bottle of beer.  Sure, it's not the classiest thing to do, but you see it in the city as well as near the beaches.  What's your beef?  If they properly chuck the bottle or can in a bin, who gives a rat's ass?

IF the empties were consistently so discarded and IF all they did was walk around (instead of trying to enter restaurants, bars, & shops with it), I suppose not many would have anything but the odd comment about how lame it is.   Oh wait - that's all they ARE doing, and it actually IS pretty much on-topic.   So what and what's YOUR beef if you see someone mentioning it here - as you so eloquently put it, who gives a rat's ass?

19 hours ago, catman20 said:

i think your slightly off course a bit, i think money helps a lot all round sure but if one has all these assets but is grumpy smelly ugly bad tempered im sure the girl would rather be with a man who has a lot less money but is good looking good tempered clean and pride in his appearance i dont mean broke. also once youve been with a lady a few years im sure the man is not there for her pussy either after a few years we all know the same pussy becomes very boring.

"but is grumpy smelly ugly bad tempered im sure the girl would rather be with a man who has a lot less money "

Yeah, right, though she might very well take up with the poorer but better looking one on the side...

8 hours ago, Mansinthe said:

The company i work for usually has multiple people that are able to do a job. So if a team requires 3 people to do 100% of the workload there is usually a 4th and 5th person in that department that is able to replace someone even on short notice (sick.. accidents whatever). Skilled people will keept in the company no matter if there is work for them or not. (Skilled people mechanics for example. Not Your average Joe that carries object X to place Y)

 

Paid vaccation is 27+ per year.

In my case i have 32 days. 

 

I know in America its a different matter.. not much of paid vaccation. Health care is expensive.. peoples mind is set to “need to be useful to the company.. no matter what i cant dissapoint anyone ...“

 

People call a boss thats way above them.by the first name but once they reach not a certain level of sales or whatever they are fired and replaced. And everyone gets shamed in front of big crowds.. “oh Jeff you did great this year.. but jane over there just did perfect.. everyone applaud jane ...“

 

At least that's what i was told by a few americans that ended up with burnout or alcohism.

 

So far i have only seen 2 (young) Americans while in asia. Everyone else between 20 ~ 35 has been mostly from EU. 

 

Sorry for offtopic . 

 

Yes, I had 30 days paid vacation a year as well.  Plus paid holidays.   But we didn't have a lot of "employee redundancy".  We could request unpaid time off according to the employee guidance, but I never saw anybody do it.  Anybody going to be gone for six months or more would've required a new hire to replace them.  And we weren't exactly entry-level; most of us could well afford extended vacations if we so chose.

And I don't understand how anyone pays into Social Security in the states if they're not working or receiving compensation unless they file a completely fraudulent tax return declaring self-employment income and then paying the self-employment tax (which includes SS) on that.   Most people would consider doing that ridiculous in the first place since you're just creating a tax liability that doesn't actually exist.   From irs.gov, "You cannot make voluntary social security payments if no taxes are due."

47 minutes ago, Mansinthe said:

Sabaticals are up to a year. I could have gotten 6 months or more if i wanted to. 

Just google it if you feel like someone would have a reason to make that up. 

 

Even without unpaid time off from work someone could just stop working for a period of time. I pay the montly fees for retirement benefits myself so i dont even lose money there later. 

 

 

 

Well, as I said, German employers must be exceptionally understanding.  Sabaticals certainly aren't unheard of in the states, but not for most working class.  One can certainly leave one's job to travel, but depending on how hard it was to get it in the first place (and we're talking about jobs lucrative enough to pay for extended holidays abroad...), that, in the states at least, and I suspect a lot of places, especially for someone only a couple of years into his employment (23), isn't going to be practical and very much the exception rather than the rule.  (Oh, and the unemployed time would certainly not be creditable for Social Security purposes.)

What you're describing might make a lot of sense to you, but a Thai IO is quite likely to consider it questionable...

7 minutes ago, Mansinthe said:

Im from Germany . Im 30 years old. I got 3.5 months leave of absence no problem at all. Its called sabatical and many companies in Switzerland/Germany/austria do that . 

 

I work as Teamleader in a big U.S based company and it was not much of a problem for them . One of my bosses even did that himself in his younger days. ? 

 

Took me not more than 6 months to save up the Money for the trip as well. 

The mention was of 6mo or a year!  Not 3 1/2 months. (And the OP could've done 3 months on a single tourist visa and a single entry, so I think it's fairly obvious we're talking longer than 3 1/2 months.)    

4 minutes ago, Mansinthe said:

Should have gotten a multi entry tourist visa in Germany with 3 x 60 days. And extend that each time by 30 days for 1900 baht.

 

Maybe go back for a while. Get a new passport and do the METV thing or a education visa.

 

Its not that difficult to save up money to spend 6 month or a Year for S.E. with a decent job in Germany. Beeing 23 or 30/40 doesn't make that much of a difference. 

It's that easy to get a 6mo or year-long leave of absence from a "decent job" in Germany, simply for personal travel?  German employers must be very accommodating.

On ‎10‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 10:17 PM, KhunBENQ said:

Doesn't hurt to open the passport page with the re-entry permit stamp and pointing when handing over to the officer.

And as always: immediately after the checkpoint carefully check the ADMITTED UNTIL stamp.

Errors are made.

 

Good advice, which also applies to anyone with a regular tourist visa.  Even if on a visa-exempt entry, if I have a part-used page back from the most recently stamped page, I'll put my arrival form there, and the IO has always been accommodating enough to place his entry stamp there.

11 hours ago, natway09 said:

Whats a 23 year old doing wandering around anyway on extended holidays ? Not working?

If you are wealthy (& good on you if you are ) then you can get the elite card or the proper visa before 

leaving home., or is there some reason why you can't go home ?

All a bit fishy to me

And if it seems fishy to you, then there's certainly at least a possibility that it's going to seem so to an IO as well.  I'd be curious to know over what timespan those existing entries were actually made.   The OP says he's 23, but I'm guessing the entries occurred over a fairly compressed period of time, and this could be yet another case of simple refusal to accept the fact that tourist visas are NOT an appropriate means for indefinite or semi-permanent stays.   I'm sure IOs know all the tricks & gimmicks (like getting a new passport)...    IF (I need to emphasize "IF" since I don't pretend to know the OP's actual intentions) someone is going to skirt the rules on this point, Thailand at least wants you to pay the piper and throw down for the elite card.

13 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Since the first of the year visa exempt entries are limited to 2 per calendar year at land border crossings. The 15 day entry rule was also eliminated. Look at your entry stamps to see if the have a 1 or 2 beside them.

If from a country that gets their entries from a bilateral agreement the 2 entry limit does not apply.

Ya' learn something everyday.  I thought all visa exempt'ness was the result of bilateral agreements.

2 hours ago, dotpoom said:

I'm glad I was ignorent of all these things when I first came here 17 years ago. Whenever I wanted to go to a country, I simply learned if I needed a visa to enter that country, bought my air ticket and off I went....the rest I played by air.

     In many ways I havn't changed, I learn as I go along...."keep it simple" works for me. It never would have occured to me to worry about what a " landlord"  of the place where I am going to stay, has to do .

   Never a problem so far (touch wood).

 

 

And as long as you don't need to do any business at the Jomtien immigration office during your stay (e.g., requesting a 30d extension on a tourist visa), you probably won't have a problem.  But touch all the wood you want, if you rent a condo in the area served by the Jomtien Immigration Office, and the landlord there doesn't do the TM30 (and many of them DON'T want to do it and will claim they know nothing about it!), and you yourself fail to do it within 24hrs of arrival at the condo, you'll be on the wrong side of the law.  Show up at the Jomtien office to request something, and you can be fined. 

11 hours ago, BritTim said:

How many Thai visas do you have in your current passport? If you have none, or only one or two Thai tourist visas in your passport, you will not have a problem getting a single entry tourist visa in Phnom Penh. However, it may well take four business days, and you will likely be asked to show onward flight ticket out of Thailand plus hotel reservations in Thailand. You can usually reduce the time taken to get the visa, and have the agent fudge the other requirements, by using an agent to do the application on your behalf. Obviously, this costs you a few dollars.

 

The nearest consulate where you can pretty much guarantee being able to get a visa, regardless of your previous visa history is Savannakhet in Laos. There you apply in the morning and receive your passport back with visa early afternoon of the following day. In Savannakhet, you must do the application yourself, and will need onward flight and hotel reservation.

Maybe Vientiane?   'Haven't heard of too many people having problems there, and I know I never have (although I don't have that many in my passport).  'Have never requested one in Savannakhet and I'm sure it's as you say, but I would generally consider Vientiane a bit more accessible.

So in Phnom Penh, if you have more than, say, two Thai SETVs in your current passport, no matter from where or how far apart or how long ago, that's an issue there?   

The odds are very probably (95-99%) with you, but to an extent and statistically speaking they're usually going to be.  But no one here can give you any guarantees, and don't get too comfortable with what happened this year vs last; the IO can see your entire history, even if you've got a new passport.  DON'T be misled by someone saying HE'S never had any problems - 'purely anecdotal and proves absolutely nothing.   If an IO up & decides to take an interest in you, all bets are off.  I think the B20,000 cash to show (doesn't have to be baht BTW but does have to be cash in SOME currency) and the flight out are good advice.   Stuff on your phone like digital copies of utility bills, bank statements, etc. (in your home country) can't hurt, although there's no guarantee they'll look at them.

5 hours ago, AliasJohn said:

As you said. I must be just you. I have lived here over ten years and taken countless taxi journeys and may have had one or two that got lost. If you get a taxi from the airport there is a 50 baht surcharge. Try getting a taxi in your country for a 30 km trip for about $12.00. I thing mostly it is a great service.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Well I'll see your 10 and raise you 20 more (ten years, BTW, is nothing!).  I long ago lost count of the number of times I simply could NOT get a taxi that would use the meter, the exception being the airport (where they know you've got their number on a ticket); I once DID have a taxi at the airport who tried his hardest to get me to hand OVER my ticket to him before setting out (I politely but steadfastly refused - driver didn't say another word all the way to my hotel, and I had made sure ahead of time - as I usually do - to not need change...).   Don't even get me started on taxis in Pattaya.   Also FPS don't deflect with lame & irrelevant discussions about how much taxis cost elsewhere; this isn't elsewhere, and if I wanted to be in "elsewhere" I wouldn't be here.  

Some good & honest drivers out there; mostly a problematic service to be avoided as much as possible.

'Never thought the 7-days-in-advance rule was actually written in stone, but I didn't think they would process anywhere near 30days ahead, anywhere.

5 minutes ago, BritTim said:

Flights from Bangkok to Siem Reap right now are very cheap. That said, I am not sure we can assume they will be going directly from Bangkok. Even if they are, they may prefer to travel overland to see more of Thailand and Cambodia during the journey.

Understood.  Well, flexibility will have its price unless they want to take a chance on the airline check-in.  If the person at the counter requires the onward ticketing, I guess they could always ask to see a supervisor and explain the part about either taking an overland trip out of Thailand or obtaining the 30d extensions.  Airline check-in is all this really comes down to if I understand correctly.

Based on what the OP wrote about their plans, I would advise simply formalizing the Angkor visit, make it around the end of their 1st 30 days, and buy the plane tickets to Siem Reap to show at the airline check-in counter.   No extra money or footwork for an SETV, no re-entry permit fees, and probably some discount on the airfare for reserving ahead.  The only fly in the ointment might be where the holidays fall WRT their planned December arrival.

14 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

When the ship is in Thai waters you are in Thailand. They only have your word that you won't leave the ship, I wouldn't be so sure nothing would happen and ask a lawyer.

I'm not so sure about this.  Unless the ship is Thai-flagged, as long as you remain on it, you have not I don't believe technically "entered Thailand" regardless of the fact that the ship itself is in Thai waters.  Do all passengers' passports automatically receive entry stamps when the ship in which they're embarked enter different national waters, or when that ship docks or drops anchor in a foreign port?  I really don't know - do they?

And I guess another caveat would be the fine print in the terms of carriage that accompany your cruise ticketing.  You probably "agree" to lots of stuff you're not aware of, including something that might well cover and obligate you in situations like this.  

All that notwithstanding, I personally wouldn't take the cruise to begin with, but if I found myself in the situation, I would refuse to go ashore with Thai immigration or at the request of ship's authority and specifically and repeatedly and loudly state "I do not wish to enter Thailand", and make them physically force me ashore, with as many people recording the process on their cellphones as possible.  (I would also have filed a written statement with the purser that I had no intention of going ashore in Thailand for any reason whatsoever).  I guess you could try refusing to allow your passport to be handed over to Thai authorities - at which point the cruise line itself might refuse to board you unless already underway.  Anyway, under those circumstances, and assuming you're not actually wanted in Thailand for anything, I would think that the Thai immigration party would decide to leave well enough alone, blow some smoke to save face, and in the end leave you unmolested.  But I doubt doing this would exactly ingratiate you with the cruise line, which probably has procedural agreements and memoranda of understanding with the Thai authorities that your actions would infringe upon.

But I'm NOT an international lawyer and would definitely NOT recommend your reliance on the above.  See a real lawyer or don't go on the cruise is my on-the-record advice.