SpanishExpat

33 minutes ago, uncleeagle said:

Last time I flew Thai airways business class into BKK and had an automatic fast track card, there was still a long queue, most of whom didnt look like business or first class travellers, with the usual shouting and rude behaviour. I had to wait about 45 minutes and it was quite chaotic. Admittedly it was about 1.30pm on a Wednesday, apparently a very busy time, but it seems to me things at BKK are getting worse and worse and there is no way to guarantee an easier time.

Well you didn`t know that TG C/F uses a different lane? There is a lane especially for TG premium passengers left of the normal immigration. (the east side one)

29 minutes ago, Farangwithaplan said:

So it sounds like you are a regular visitor to Thailand. So to put your other points into perspective, how many trips have you had here since 2015? What sort of visas? How long in total have you stayed in Thailand versus the time out of it?

 

All those points are extremely relevant to what you have stated earlier in this thread.

 

Sure I know it myself, got my 4th METV now (End 2015-Beginning 2017 I just had 4 visits a 15-20 days though), but I always fly home to Europe a few months per year. Will avoid airports this year for sure and apply for an ED Visa 2020. Told the IO every detail of why I won`t buy an Elite Visa for sure (planning to marry my gf in early 2021) and was able to prove several flights for extensive travel with my gf until November. 

Ah yes and data point : 34, living of passive income + work 3 months per year in the family company in Europe. So no visa for me apart from METV, ED oder EV.

2 minutes ago, Jackie66 said:

btw did anyone ever report about getting denied flying in Business or First class?

Not sure if that has anything to do with it but i always fly in biz and first and use fast track and only once i was asked a few questions and that was it.

I opened a thread about that 2 weeks ago:) Since 2015 I always flew in C/F to Thailand and never got any problems. The last time I wanted to pass Immigration was my first time in Economy. However, on the other hand I also flew quite often to DMK with Air Asia and never was questioned (the last time was in March). I guess your chances are much better when using the Premium Lane, but no one can prove it 100%.

46 minutes ago, pookondee said:

Why are people posting and allowing mis-truths to go on about this?

 

If they have valid METVS, granted from a Thai consulate in their home country,

obviously having been vetted and passed all the requirements,

then there is little or virtually NO chance of being knocked back.

 

You guys know very well, Its only the perpetual free "Visa on arrival" attempts that carry any risk.

Seems you are very naive , regardless of the actual trend. I fullfill all of the above criteria and I am quite sure I would have be denied, if my gf wouldn`t have talked to the IO on the phone and confirmed everything in detail, what I told the IO before. 

Some IO are obviously making their own rules, conflicting with the actual laws. That`s the only reason why people are stressed here and nothing else. 

Being Under 50 and NOT having an Elita Visa, nowadays I would always look to have 1-2 well-educated and studied Thai friends ready to call, when entering via an airport. Sad, but true. In the case of my gf I am quite happy the she is quite used to hold business meetings, so she stayed calm. Begging the IO to make an exception with no rational arguments won`t help, if they decided to deny you the entry.

200k aka 5000€ was always the requirement for a METV. It was the most important thing, where they always looked carefully at (talking about the Embassy in Germany). Even if you had 5000€, they were suspicious as some people just had a few Euro more over that minimum requirement. The were asked then to show the transactions from the last few weeks to see if a big amount was just transferred from another account for the sake of having 5000€. 

Seems the are implementing that rule now as well for SETV and it will be quite annoying. I fully understand that there are many people who can`t show 200K/5000€ for various reasons. After all it`s still a short-term tourism visa.

Let them destroy everything with non-sense stuff like that. It`s a typical Thai-thinking. Stuff like that will lead that less and less people buy condos, whether they are farangs or Chinese. And that`s where the fun begins, as it won`t just affect us, but the whole national economy. There are dozens of new condo complexes in BKK which recently have been built or are being built. Thai people won`t buy them fore sure and less and less foreigners will see it as an invest.

I support a government which has the aim to take the bad guys out, but it won`t work in a stu*** corrupt country like Thailand.

16 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

From what has been said this airline only flies to KL 3 times a week. And perfectly possible flights are booked.

 

Op -- assuming you are not now on your way - can you call the airlines yourself and ask if they have you booked?

That route on RJ is a 5th freedom flight. I`ve taken it quite often in Economy/Business Class and it`s never full, as many travellers aren`t even aware of that flight. Same like the QR flight in the past, which came full from Doha, but departed nearly empty to Hanoi.

So if they say the flights are fully booked, I most probably a lie.

19 minutes ago, kmw said:

Just a recommendation if people don't want the hassle of metv back to back, you can easily get a boi work permit via iglu, cost is about 10k thb per year, and you don't even need to be working,

I know one person, who got his work permit via iglu, but in his case he really had a business in Thailand. ( and he told me it was around 50k/year and they helped him with tax-related issue. However, I never asked for more details). Isn`t the other case the same like the fake ED-Visas with some black-sheep language schools, where you never attend classes? After all what`s going on, who knows when that trick is cracked down .I don`t want to give the immigration even the slightest possibility to accuse me of operating in the grey-zone afterwards.

1 hour ago, Brad103 said:

When I made a thread about being denied a tourist visa at Vientiane last month I booked a VIP service at suvarnabhumi where a guy walked me from the gate through the fast track lane, and although the officer let me in, I had to beg her for about five minutes. 

 

Well so in your case you had no valid S/METV then and just entered with the normal 30 days stamp right? That topic is just giving me headache, as I still need 2 entries in 2019. 1 can be done by land-border at Padang Besar, but the 2nd is already fixed, as I am booked with my girlfriend on a Singapore Airlines F/C-Ticket from Japan. 

They always write next to the visa class on the stamp...in the METV case it`s TR. On the top of the stamp is the flight number. As you flew with Turkish Airlines (TK), it could be TK0068, as that is their BKK-Flight. TK0066 is DPS (Bali). So you should check where exactly they wrote it.@Wizzy

I am new to this forum, but it`s obvious that there is something weird going on at the Airports in the recent months. People get denied entry for whatever reason. I searched through the forum, but didn`t find an answer. So anyone ever got denied entry going trough the Premium Lane in BKK or using the VIP Services in other Airports (don`t know if they exist anymore). I am not talking to get a denied entry, because of waiting in the Premium Lane without a voucher. A mean getting denied for whatever reason when holding a valid visa.

Got the problem, that I was nearly denied entry a few days ago using the normal economy lane for the first time. The years before I used the Premium Lane like 20 times and never got a problem (even my passport was full of stamps), while the IO were talkative and friendly. 

My theory is that going trough the Premium Lane (which is also used by the Elite Visa holders) is more hassle-free and no one needs to even prove the 20k Baht. However, maybe there is a case in the forum, where the entry was denied? 

Just now, jackdd said:

Thailand Elite is also a tourist visa, and allows the person to stay in the country for however long he wants.

So staying in Thailand for an extended period of time doesn't make somebody not-a-tourist.

But that doesn`t interest the IO. I told the IO the exactly same thing 2 days ago and she obviously had no real argument. She kept telling me *but this is the immigration, this is Thailand*. It`s perfectly possible to live on a METV by earning passive money at home and they know it. But they won`t get 500k-2Mio like with the Elite visa. They are just narrow-minded. In my case after she called my gf and I proved I had flown several times Thai First Class= money for the country, she didn`t even bother to ask for the 20k Baht. 

1 hour ago, lkv said:

Seems to have worked for you, with all your 5 page entry list, so that's wonderful news.

 

Enjoy your stay.

 

Oh and by the way, welcome to the forum.

Thanks. Well ,I made it, but it opened my eyes. An ED Visa for lets say 2 consecutive years isn`t a problem as alternative right? I intend to go to a language school, to finally learn proper Thai, as I just know like 300 words.

If I had known that forum earlier I just would have sticked to the Elite Visa 2 yrs ago, but now it`s not worth anymore. And with 34 I am quite far away from the retirement visa.