raz0r21

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.

Not with a visa company. Most people use them for land border crossings. Its also possible to sort out visa services when entering by air. But right now it seems Thailand is having a more relaxeded view on people staying longer as tourists / digital nomads. I think its a step in the right direction, and finally a way to convince the officials that you are not "staying too long" in Thailand. But only time will tell.

Is it required? yes. Is it enforced? sometimes. You just never know! When I was extending my visa exempt at Lak Si IT-Square one of the guys sitting next to me got sent out because he didnt have it. In my case, I had it with me, but they never asked for it. Weird experience, but thats just how it is. Depends completely on the IO you get.

Yes. A tourist visa is stronger than an exempt. Many times Immigration officials ask you to get a tourist visa when you have "too many" exempts. It is also a way for the IO to see that you have been vetted by a thai embassy, so they dont have to do it. Btw, 300 dollars is absolute madness. I paid 35 euro for mine.

Every time I do a land crossing with a visa service group, they have dedicated vans for people from the philippines. Out of those I am almost certain some work illegally in Thailand. This might be the reason for the intense questioning. I remember when they were questioning me, whatever I said didnt matter... they just kept saying "no no, we dont believe you". This went on for at least 1 hour. So, I am not surprised. Also now is low season which means they have more time to question incoming arrivals.

Yeah, I remember pre-covid when I got pulled over and grilled for an hour, during early September 2019. The time was around 7pm and not a single person was walking through the booths... so they had all the time in the world to scroll through my travel history. The thing is that I was coming from a 1 month trip to Vietnam which was something they did not seem to like. I dont know what the problem is with Vietnam specifically. Was just staying a short while before my flight back home, so I entered with a visa exempt. I tried showing my ticket out but no dice.

July is low season for tourism, so there is more time to stop people and question them. Most people dont go to Thailand during this time of year for tourism either, so it might raise some flags for the IO.

There are services for "Safe entry" to Thailand available. Not sure if they are allowed to be published here on the forum, but I am sure you can find it online.