NanaSomchai

5 hours ago, KhaoYai said:

No. When an embassy or consulate goes over to the E-visa system, visa applications are only allowed from that country's citizens or those who have legal residence there.

Only partially true. Bolded part is (used to be?) false or at least wrongly assumed.

Here as an example: Up until May 2018 one could acquire a Single Entry TR visa from the London Thai embassy using a passport from anywhere in the World without any links or ties or residence to the UK. A relative did this to visit me in Thailand. In this case, a Belgian passport was used, it is worth noting the Thai embassy in Brussels, Belgium takes a week to process a SE TR, while the Thai embassy in London used to do a next day pick up service for the same service.

Now mind you, 2018 is a long time ago, things have changed quite considerably and the pandemic blew over the planet, so in 2022 things might have changed a little.

But assuming that one may be eligible to apply for a visa only from that country's citizens or must hold legal residence there couldn't be furthest away from the truth.

5 hours ago, at15 said:

What is the deal with getting tourist visas now? I know pre-covid we had go apply at an embassy then pickup the next day, but now everything is all online? So does it even matter what city you do a visa run to?

As pretty much everything else that has been going on with the World, everything is more or less becoming onlne these days, following that logic it is only a matter of time until even the poorest nations across the globe embrace the full digital/online/virtual/cloud/e-visas route.

12 hours ago, Karma80 said:

Thailand is a laundromat for russian money. Now, why on earth would be want to go spoiling that?

The moral compass is calibrated only one way here - money.

Thailand?

Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money, Money...

32 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus 2 said:

Which Countries passports allow more than two land border entries on visa exempt per calendar year ?

A very few do. Myself I use my Brazilian passport. It bears no limitations or restrictions at all.

https://jonesyinthailand.com/visa/thailand-tourist-visa-exemption/#:~:text=90 Days Exemption (no visa,a visa for 90 days.

90 Days Exemption (no visa required):

Argentina, Brazil, Chile, South Korea and Peru have bilateral visa agreements with Thailand. Citizens of both countries (bilateral) can visit each other for 90 days without a visa for 90 days.

Also, out of these five countries, I know for a fact the Chilean passport is limited to one land entry per calendar year, while the Brazilian one bears no such restriction.

In my case what I do is:

Enter the Kingdom on a 90 days exemption, as it is about to end head to the local immigration office and pay 1,900 THB get a 60 days extension on the basis of being a parent of a Thai national (not 30 days, 60 days), that grants me a whopping 90+60 days a pop, 150 days (5 months) then do a border visa run quick hop and re-enter and get another 90+60 days, 300 days (10 months) out of 12, I then usually do my best to time it in a way that this is over the span of the 2 calendar years in case the I/O dares to complain, then I ask them to look up at their own rules and when they see the Brazilian passport has no restrictions or limits of entry per calendar year.

The I/O is left with accepting the bribe and stamping me, I get in, he gets a tip, 30 minutes later I'm out of his office and everyone is happy.

Document from 2016:

Also: https://bic.moe.go.th/images/stories/visa_TH_10-02-59_1.pdf

This document was originally hosted on the immigration.go.th websites but has been taken off, it is now mirrored on the MOE, Ministry of Education websites, notice the address is .go.th, officially endorsed/ran website of the Thai government, also exists a more recent revision of that document which mentions the border entries restrictions whereas applicable. I'm looking for it as we speak.

Document from 2022:

https://image.mfa.go.th/mfa/0/zE6021nSnu/เอกสาร/THA.pdf

Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It can't get any better than that, still hunting for the version I've seen before that has the entries restrictions details. It exists, I've had it in the past.

Here we go:

The current revision of the document is hidden somewhere in there:

https://www.immigration.go.th/?page_id=1447

Sadly the whole thing is available in Thai only.

2 minutes ago, itsari said:

After 10 years of visa runs you have learnt little . Must be your faith in God that got you through 

Two border runs was the limit before covid arrived .

Wrong. Again it all boils down to your passport's nationality/citizenship. Not every passport is equal to the Thai immigration.

12 minutes ago, audaciousnomad said:

Unpaid debts too?

No, unless there was a court order against you forcing you to pay your debts, this is also why they are introducing the ominous mandatory 300 THB tax upon entering the Kingdom, one could go to Thai hospitals, get surgery done or expensive quality dental healthcare (one of the few things this country still does right), leave the premises, skip the bills, be unreachable on purpose and fly home shortly after receiving healthcare, the Thai immigration wouldn't know about it unless a court sentence has been handed out against you or you're wanted by the Police for questioning, aka; a warrant for arrest is out.

12 minutes ago, MajorTom said:

I'm aware its "up to every officer". But to deny someone who has a qualifying passport a 30 day exempt arriving by air is in my experience extremely unlikely.

It happens more often than you would guess. Any futile reasons may be invoked, the most frequent one is "alien has no ways or funds to sustain himself in the Kingdom for 30 days" they stamp you with that, deny you entry in the Kingdom, flag you in their systems database and you're being sent back home.

Which is why the only sensible thing to do is to always carry 20,000 baht in cash on you. They do not care if you have bank assets, credit cards, debit cards, Thai book banks, Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency portfolio, they want to see hard cash.

When one lands to Suvarnabhumi airport, the first thing to do is to reach out to an ATM machine and withdraw 20,000 THB with you, then you carry on onto the immigration lane, not the other way around.

And yes, there a few ATM machines before the immigration desks.

12 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus 2 said:

 "A foreigner could also be accorded Cambodian citizenship if he donates 1 billion riels (about US$250,000) or more to the national budget."

 

A foreigner who invests 1.25 billion riels (around US$312,500) in Cambodia can be eligible for naturalization by investment. In this case, the seven-year residency is waived. However, other requirements for naturalization like language fluency still apply. The business project needs to be approved by the government:

 

Agent fees are estimated between US$75,000 – US$85,000 for the main applicant and US$5,000 per dependent.

 

https://globalresidenceindex.com/news-cambodia-citizenship-investment/#:~:text=Cambodian citizenship has also been,family members to get naturalized.

Getting married to a Cambodian citizen is free, you become eligible for the citizenship after 5 years of continuous life in Cambodia, no need to invest any funds and there is no language fluency requirement either. Easy way out.

Why would you even want to pay for something that you can get for free?

Having the Cambodian citizenship and it's passport is the best way to bounce back and forth between Thailand, however you will be allowed to stay in Thailand only 15 days at a time, so this might not be suitable to those in remote places like Phuket.

1 minute ago, arithai12 said:

About your last statement, a visa is issued by an Embassy abroad (or consulate), but Immigration has the last say whether you are allowed in or not. They may have reasons for refusing entry that the Embassy does not know about. I'd say this is the same for every country.

Absolutely accurate statement at 200%.

Embassies and consulates abroad are basically "branches" tied to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Meanwhile the Immigration Bureau is a fully fledged branch of the RTP (Royal Thai Police), as such they are under orders of the Prime Minister, a different "Ministry" to put it.

Here is a prime example; I know of a case of an Australian bloke who was deported from Thailand by the immigration, blacklisted and barred entry for the Kingdom for 15 years following a court case where he pleaded guilty, yet he was able to get another new TR visa from the Australian embassy again a month after being back in his home country while being on the immigration's blacklist. This is yet another case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.

What truly matters at the end is what they (the immigration bureau) has on file about you in their database and how far the immigration officer dealing with you is willing to push it and whether or not "tea money" can be used to round the edges.

To get back on the topic: Rest assured that (unless it gets wiped someday or you get a legal name change in your home country), the immigration bureau databases contains every addresses you have ever registered yourself to in Thailand, every time you have entered and exited the Kingdom and every time they have granted you an extension and on which grounds was it, including these COVID-19 extensions.

Also if you were blacklisted before, if you've been deported previously, if you have a court case pending in the Kingdom (like if you are on bail and are attempting to flee, skip court), if you have any sorts of criminal records (remember they are a branch of the RTP) and even if you have previously overstayed even if it's just for a day.

They know everything, they see everything.

Just now, Mac Mickmanus 2 said:

Just need to pay about US $ 350 000 for the donation and agency fees to get Cambodian citizenship 

Absolutely not. It's free. But yeah nice trolling, a new profile with 2 disruptive posts, I see you.

1 minute ago, MajorTom said:

If you meet one of these self important clowns don't get worked up about it. They like to intimidate, but have no legal grounds to deny you.

Excepted that they do, the immigration clowns (as you elegantly put it out) have every say and they always have the last word.

1 minute ago, JoseThailand said:

You took your wife to the border with you every month? That's quite an ordeal!

Not every month but I'd say on 80% of my visa runs, yes.

1 minute ago, Mac Mickmanus 2 said:

They will either go abroad and get a Visa and return  or go abroad and not come back . 

   Hardly "dearly paying the price" 

Until they get denied over other fallacious made up reasons.

2 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

Becoming more and more difficult to get though unless you return to your home country. If Laos and Vietnam go over to E-visa that'll be them out of the picture too.

Which is why I would recommend anyone acquiring the Cambodian citizenship, very easily doable if you're not already married and are under 50.

5 minutes ago, JoseThailand said:

You did visa-runs with an agency or by yourself? Which border crossing did you use? How didn't they ban you in the system?

By myself, always. Well dressed, well groomed, perfume on, with the girlfriend/wife, sometimes accompanied with my Thai kid as well, always smile on all occasions, do a wai salute at the I/O, include anything between 1,000 and 3,000 THB between the first 3 pages of your passport and very importantly; let the wife do all the talking for you, let the wife take the passport from your hand to give it to the I/O, never hand out your own passport yourself (when there is money in it so you can't be accused of attempting to bribe an officer, your Thai wife is the one handing out the passport, so if things go REALLY pear shaped you can pretend it wasn't you and it was a misunderstanding) also pretend you don't understand Thai and your English is nearly non existent, that way you can't answer any questions the I/O may have, your wife will do the talking for you.

14 minutes ago, JoseThailand said:

A lot of people get education visas just to stay in Thailand long-term, without actually studying. Isn't that abuse?

I would say it is.

I have personally abused this visa myself in the past, however to cover myself in case we'd end up in court of immigration charges, I have attended Thai language courses for a whopping one hour just to cover my bases. So I could argue that I have actually "studied" while under that visa.

As long as you've done at least one hour of class, you technically have broken no laws, not done any wrongdoings and have used the education visa for its intended purpose.

Unless things have changed (this was a very long time ago), there isn't a hard requirement set in law of how many hours of classes/courses one must engage with in order to retain the visa's validity.

But then again I could be wrong, do your own research.

3 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

The limit to visa exempt entries via land is 2 per calendar year. 

For who?

31 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

There is not limit on visa exempt entries via Air.

There is also no limit on visa exempt entries via land either if you happen to be a passport holder of specific nations. Unlike on these forums not everything revolves around the Brits (thank God).

21 minutes ago, EricTh said:

The problem is abusing the system by doing multiple visa-runs/Covid extensions and not whether one can get a tourist visa.

You can count me on being probably in the top 1000th abusers when it came to doing visa-runs as I have managed to maintain myself over 10 years in the Kingdom just using back to back visa-runs so I know what I'm saying, but then again this was back then, before the pandemic, it was a different time, a wholly different era.

These days I wouldn't advocate anyone doing more than one visa-run per calendar year and even then (unless you are very lucky or very well connected) you might not make it the next year, the I/O would very likely give you the dirty looks.

Abuse things and you might be the one being abused next time.

26 minutes ago, EricTh said:

I would say that these people were misusing the Covid extension for long-term stay in Thailand and misusing it by doing a visa-run right after the multiple Covid extension. 

What I've been saying for months and months on these forums, but people rarely ever listen.

Thai immigration caught early on these extensions were going to be misused, but they could only act as per regulations aka, what was published in the official gazette so their discretionary powers of action were somewhat limited the what the law allows them to do, they could only push it only so far.

Now that Thailand is entering the endemic stage, the COVID-19 extensions are a thing of the past, situation might be returning to some sort of "normality" by the summer, and the Thai immigration are back in full force regaining their powers, those who misused these extensions as a way to maintain themselves in the Kingdom much longer than they should have are going to dearly pay the price for it.

Hate it so say it again but here we are yet again; Told you so.

2 minutes ago, desert dueller said:

If you cough, sneeze and yawn at the same time, you get a Green Card and stand for Congress.

Only if you somehow successfully pass the spanish speaking test though.

12 minutes ago, hioctane said:

Sure there are many illegals working. However, if you get caught, you get deported. If you are working without a working permit, you get deported.

If you cough and get caught, you get deported. If you sneeze and get caught, you get deported. If you yawn and get caught, you get deported.

Welcome to the United States of America. Land of the Free Deported.

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

Thailand just wants money, not people.

And we have a winner!

/thread

37 minutes ago, KanchanaburiGuy said:

Yeah, I just can't see how giving the US Treasury my Thai banking information so they can do a direct deposit in Thailand benefits me. Sure, $12 in ATM related charges saved, but still.

 

Dunno.... $12 so they DON'T have my Thai banking information? Sounds like a bargain! 555

Totally, don't lose sleep over the $12.

Also goes the ole saying "Don't fix what isn't broken".