raz0r21

It´s normal to have that feeling. I always feel very anxious about flying here. Everything would be so much easier if there were some clear rules.

lets summarize this then: There should be no problem entering visa exempt for OP after being out of Thailand for 4 months. Having a Tourist Visa would improve odds considerably. A new passport will probably not have any effect (but it could, since the IO would not have to scroll through several pages of stamps and start to get concerned). To guarantee entry, there are several services available (for a price). With any questions on arrival it's a good idea to have clear itinerary, accommodation, 20k baht cash etc. Airline at departure may/will require proof of onward flight. If denied entry, there is a chance that you could be sent to a neighboring country (if you are guaranteed entry in said country). In other cases, you will be sent home to your home country at your own expense.

From what I have read, you could be given the chance to fly to a nearby country rather than sent back to Finland. But to be honest OP, you have been out of Thailand for several months. I would not worry about that. Mostly denials happen when people live here back to back and never exit the country. Just prepare yourself to answer questions, 20k baht or equivalent in cash, flight out of Thailand during 60 days, and some hotel booking. Before you get denied you will most probably get a warning first, to switch to another type of visa. I have been coming and going to Thailand since 2015 (excluding covid years), and so far I have only been questioned why I am here so often during 2019, a time that was quite notorious for that. And that was with a visa exempt flying in. Best to have a tourist visa when you fly to Bangkok, it is much better than just an exempt.

But if you want to ease your mind OP, contact one of the visa companies in Bangkok. Next time I am entering with DTV, hopefully that will stop all the questioning. But who knows....

Nah, they can see all your passports. They even asked me to confirm my picture from one of my old passports from their monitor. But I have changed passports like every 2 years, since I travel a lot. That answer was sufficient.

OP, I have basically the same history of stays as you, and i got through without presenting any outbound ticket, hotel reservation or 20k baht in cash. I did bring it all with me though, just in case. However I was questioned. They asked who I came with, how long I am staying, and why I had changed my passport so often.

What I could observe at Suvarnabhumi last Saturday was that the immigration officers were asking alot of questions for people arriving, and they had 3 different buttons to press: green, yellow and red. I dont really know what their purpose is, but when I was getting questioned the yellow button was pushed, and a supervisor appeared. Red is probably not a fun time. Another thing I saw was that they took some people aside for further questioning. Also looked like there was a lot of new staff manning the booths. All I could see were young or middle aged women. If this is of interest to anyone.....

I think it will just get tougher tbh. The upcoming high season (the first proper one since covid), is surely going to affect things. And with all the reports of foreigners behaving badly in the media... not good.

I tried to find a booth with a male IO, but it was impossible. And it was so packed with people I couldnt see into all of them....

maybe it will go smoother next time if I say I want to see Moo Deng. From Khaosod English (I dont know if I am allowed to link): "The female immigration officer recounted that while she was on duty at the passenger checkpoint, Miss Molly approached with a smiling face. She asked Miss Molly the usual questions about the duration of her stay and the purpose of her visit. The passenger replied, “I came to Thailand to see Moo Deng.” She admitted that when she first heard it, she couldn’t believe it. So she asked again and got the confirmation that it was indeed “Moo Deng.” At that moment, she was stunned and thought of the famous hippo named Moo Deng, so she further inquired, “How do you know about Moo Deng?”.

The fastest option is to fly to bangkok and try to get a late landing around 01, 02 AM or so. Then take a grab to on nut where the visa service vans depart from around 04:30 AM. 10 hour round trip to cambodia and back. No 2 day stays etc. However this costs 4000 baht, but it is almost 100 % you get the visa exempt in your passport. You can also talk to them before you leave to check your status. In Bangkok there are many visa companies doing this, quickest option but not the cheapest....

I don't know how relaxed they are tbh. I had a weird encounter yesterday when entering with a tourist visa after 5 months stay back home in Sweden. I got questioned for 15 min at the booth by a female IO who seemed very new at the job, she even let me come and look at her screen to see if my old passport photo was indeed me. After a while the IO in question called over a supervisor. Then they asked how long I will be staying, I said 3 months. And because I had my girlfriends name on the luggage tag in my boarding card the IO asked if I came alone or not, so I said I came with my girlfriend, which I did. Then the senior IO told her something in thai and kind of gestured her to let me in. I have no idea what, but she stamped me in. But before handing over my passport she said "next time come with marriage visa". I said okay lets see, I am not married. That was it, if its of interest to anyone. ps. they were questioning alot of people yesterday at the booth. I saw one girl get taken away somewhere aswell.

I strongly suggest using a tourist visa (not a VE) when entering by air, especially if you have an extensive history of stays.

Just be prepared with proof to back up that you are not working in Thailand, like income from abroad, bank statements, 20k baht cash or equivalent, hotel booking, flight out of thailand. The more you push VE entries, the more proof I would suggest to bring. Best to get a tourist visa if you stay for longer periods, they will start to ask for it after a while.

This whole thing is just so strange. There is already a system that checks your fingerprints and photo for criminal records/Interpol records. Its called AFIS (Automated Biometric Identification System). As far as I know it has been rolled out to almost every country already. So what is it exactly that they want to know with this new ETA system? And if people who have valid visas dont need to do an ETA, what kind of information is submitted in the visa application that is impossible to access through your passport, flight tickets and travel bookings? All the immigration officers need to do is ask you to present them, which they already do.

The malaysian version lets you enter through some automated gate on your second entry. The first one requires you register at the booth. And they are calling it an "digital arrival card", kind of like the paper version that Thailand used before (TM6). I am hoping that the Thailand ETA will be something similar to this. On this forum there is actually a thread about a member who explained how a visa run to malaysia is possible even with their own version of the ETA (MDAC). Apparently its enough to show that you have registered on the website and applied for one. You can read more here: (Update: apparently the MDAC / ETA requirement has now been lifted from the land border.)

there is no limit, officially. Unofficially.... after 2 or 3 times, expect to be questioned.

Hey OP, I have been bouncing 50/50 between Thailand and my home country since 2016 (not counting the covid years). This is how I do it: 1) I get a SETV (Single entry tourist visa) through the thai e-visa website during august/september and fly in during october. This is just to make sure I dont exceed the "2 entry per year" rule for visa exempt. I know there is no hard rule for air entries, but I do it this way to minimize the risk of being questioned. 2) After 60 days + 30 day extension I go on a border bounce with one of the visa run companies from Bangkok to Cambodia. Before I had to do this two times per stay in Thailand, but now its 60 days for exempts so this time I will probably just need one. 3) I fly home around march/april and stay until october again.

OP if he is in his 70s i am almost certain the IO wanted him to get a retirement visa. My guess is he did not listen and then got denied on the second try.

with the new ETA requirements for visa exempt entry I am sure the tourist visas will get real popular again

The big deal is that it could take 24 hours (or more) to get an approval of the ETA. This would make same day border bounces obsolete.

so your friend stayed in Thailand from dec 2023 to june 2024? that should not result in a refusal of entry. What does his history of stays look like? I am guessing he has been in Thailand many times during several years staying for long stretches? Did he get warned before the denial? Usually the IO will tell you to get a visa, and if you still try your chances with an exempt after that... then thats on you.

Hey, What is the reason you fly in/out so many times? If you like Thailand so much, you should stay in country and use visa run companies to stay there. If you have to fly in so often, look into some options for "safe entry". I dont know if its allowed to show links here, so my suggestion is to contact some of the big visa agencies in Bangkok (Thaivisaservice, Bangkok Buddy). Good luck.

Thai Visa Service has update their web page with the following: "We confirmed that these runs are possible Unlimited times for some of the 93 Countries covered under this agreement. Even you had two runs this year already. We keep updating information as soon they become avalaible." They dont state which countries however, so its all very much up in the air at the moment. Just have to wait and see how it all unfolds. It does seem like they are loosening up the rules, but if something bad happens with tourists abusing exempts etc - i am sure they will put some limits again. And it seems as they already have for some countries.

There is some conflicting information in this thread. I will try my best to summarize: Some Visa Run companies are acting as glorified taxis for land border runs, and not "full service" packages. Please check what you get for the amount you pay. In Bangkok there are two big ones: Bangkok Buddy & Thai Visa Service. Afaik they are offering legit runs that basically guarantee your stamp, otherwise you will not even be let on the bus. Some news outlets (Like TNT) are reporting that only two visa exempts per land are allowed still. They/He is using thai embassies as a guideline, who often have old or wrong information. The webpage of Thai Visa Service says "Unlimited" for 60 day stamps, and I trust them more than any YouTube channel.