Has Anyone Done A Border Run Since January 1st With Visa Exemption?

[jeebusjones]

The 90 day mark has come and gone since the new rules were implemented on October 1. Yet here on ThaiVisa, we are yet to hear a single report from a visa runner. We haven't even heard a story or rumor of a visa runner. What's going on?

Has everyone already gotten legitimate visas? Have the border runners all gone home? Or do border runners just not use thaivisa.com?

So my question... Has anyone done a border run since January 1? Has anyone heard of another visa runner being given only a 7 day stamp? Has anything changed at all?

The fact that we haven't heard any stories of rejection from the border, I think, may be a good sign. If the rules had actually been implemented, wouldn't thaivisa be flooded with tales of rejection? On the other hand, if it was business as usual, there wouldn't really be much to report.

Anyone have any thoughts on this? As a long time visa runner, the wait is killing me...

[wornoutcowboy]

The 90 day mark has come and gone since the new rules were implemented on October 1. Yet here on ThaiVisa, we are yet to hear a single report from a visa runner. We haven't even heard a story or rumor of a visa runner. What's going on?

Has everyone already gotten legitimate visas? Have the border runners all gone home? Or do border runners just not use thaivisa.com?

So my question... Has anyone done a border run since January 1? Has anyone heard of another visa runner being given only a 7 day stamp? Has anything changed at all?

The fact that we haven't heard any stories of rejection from the border, I think, may be a good sign. If the rules had actually been implemented, wouldn't thaivisa be flooded with tales of rejection? On the other hand, if it was business as usual, there wouldn't really be much to report.

Anyone have any thoughts on this? As a long time visa runner, the wait is killing me...

[JaiGuru]

You can say *that* again!

[tropo]

There have been a few reports already.

visa run

visa run

There was another report yesterday about a guy who has entered and exited more than 3 times and was told "last one" in Burma despite his day count being well under 90 days. I can't find that one right one.

Edited January 8, 2007 by tropo

[PattayaXpat]

The silence is deafening! I went to Penang on 28 Dec to get my Tourist visa. The agent I used said he had 20 guys coming on the 2nd of jan. So they are busy over there!

[jeebusjones]

There have been a few reports already.

visa run

visa run

There was another report yesterday about a guy who has entered and exited more than 3 times and was told "last one" in Burma despite his day count being well under 90 days. I can't find that one right one.

I guess I missed those. Interesting reports, though they don't provide a lot of details. The first one, for example, says:

4). NOTICE: At the Thai immigration entry I noticed one guy that had tried to make a visa run on a forth VOA by going to Lao early. (I saw a post on here about this where someone said they got there 4th because it was not over 90 days, I think he when to Cambodia). This will not work in Laos. The offical pulled him out of the line and they made him to go to the immigration office to pay a fine because he was trying to go over the 90 days by making a early run.

But what else happened to this person? Were they allowed to enter Thailand with another 30 day visa exemption? The information is very vague.

It would be nice to hear a concrete, detailed example.

[lopburi3]

Read this post

It answers both the question of tourist visa - easy to obtain as many other posts have mentioned - and the 90 day count being taken seriously - first report I have seen of limited remaining days being given rather than the full 30.

[PeaceBlondie]

Maybe I just posted this elsewhere (bad 'puter today), but the crackdown that started on 1 October may be accomplishing two things:

(1) The farang who couldn't do any more visa runs and can't get a proper visa, have left. They're gone, whether they were the ones who were supposed to go, or others.

(2) The farang who could get proper visas (as tourist, B, O, ED, whatever) got them.

Also, whilst ThaiVisa is the top forum in our area of expertise, some folks never read these forums and may be reaping the whirlwind because of their mistakes.

[jeebusjones]

Read this post

It answers both the question of tourist visa - easy to obtain as many other posts have mentioned - and the 90 day count being taken seriously - first report I have seen of limited remaining days being given rather than the full 30.

Another interesting report. But notice who had the problem:

she also learned that some filipinos who was on that trip had went first to cambodia to do a 4th visa run but unfortunately got only their few remaining days out of 90 days.

The rule was enforced for the Filipinos only. As others have speculated before, the new regulations may just be a sort of smoke screen, inconsistently enforced and only used to weed out specific "undesirables." Let's face it. Thais can be somewhat racist and they obviously prefer white-skinned Brits/Americans/Europeans over fellow South East Asians.

It will be interesting to hear any reports of a whitey from the West being given the same treatment.

PeaceBlondie also makes an interesting point.

[lopburi3]

The past says no such thing in my reading. The Filipinos from every indication in post were provided the same tourist visa as the subjects friend. As an aside the reason they made the trip was that on a 30 day entry attempt earlier from Cambodia were provided only the remainder of there 90 day limit so were on the tourist visa bus trip to obtain longer stays. There is no indication others were not subject to the same treatment.

[sua yai]

I was down in Ranong 4 days ago for my 90 day stamp.

I asked imm if they'd been busy. The answer was yes - very.

Going back on the bus, was talking to "an islander". When he gave me his passport it was marked with luminous yellow for the first 2. The third that he'd just done was written "3".

I swear he didn't even know about the 3x3 etc. Just chilling out on the islands.

Hopefully he'll sort himself out.

[Tod Daniels]

Truly, the silence is deafening. .. ...

Given the HUGE hype & publicity in the news, as well as the endless mindless and meaningless conjecture on the TV Forum concerning the changes in enforcement of the 30-day visa exempt stamps, I would have thought by now horror stories would abound.

Are there holding pens in the no-man's land between Cambodia & the glorious "Land 'O Thais" where people are being held who are denied entry? Are there any first hand, not anecdotal, second hand or third person accounts of anyone being flatly denied a 4th stamp after 90 continuous days in the glorious "Land 'O Thais"? Did all the seemingly hundreds of posters on the TV Forum; formerly using 30-day visa exempt stamps, suddenly run out and get proper visas?

The posts which mention people on their 4th stamp are all too few and contain little in way of first hand hard evidence. "She also learned that some filipinos who was on that trip had went first to cambodia to do a 4th visa run but unfortunately got only their few remaining days out of 90 days." While I am far from an english major when it comes to typing/posting, I find the engrish in the post does little to lend credibility to its content. It is also second hand; "my friend" "she learned" "some filipinos", and not posted by the person who was there or experienced the situation.

The enforcement of the visa laws like all the knee-jerk reactions which happen in the glorious "Land 'O Thais" when they are thrust onto the world news stage in a less than positive light are sure to be poorly thought out, poorly executed, and selectively enforced. The Thai Border Control has not the infrastructure, the staffing, the capability, nor the inclination to make this enforcement happen other than haphazardly at best. It is the 'typical thai way' of doing things in the "magical kingdom".

I await concrete, first hand evidence of someone (from a first world country, not another piss-ant third world one like the Philippines), being denied entry because they have 3 consecutive visa exempt stamps totaling 90 days already in their passport.

I am on the edge of my seat, with bated breath. .. ..

[LivinLOS]

Not even those denied stamps..

But concrete first hand I got my 4th stamp (for 30 not 7 days) is also info..

The fact no one can confirm much of anything first hand is a bit odd by now..

[cashe]

Read this post

It answers both the question of tourist visa - easy to obtain as many other posts have mentioned - and the 90 day count being taken seriously - first report I have seen of limited remaining days being given rather than the full 30.

Another interesting report. But notice who had the problem:

she also learned that some filipinos who was on that trip had went first to cambodia to do a 4th visa run but unfortunately got only their few remaining days out of 90 days.

The rule was enforced for the Filipinos only. As others have speculated before, the new regulations may just be a sort of smoke screen, inconsistently enforced and only used to weed out specific "undesirables." Let's face it. Thais can be somewhat racist and they obviously prefer white-skinned Brits/Americans/Europeans over fellow South East Asians.

It will be interesting to hear any reports of a whitey from the West being given the same treatment.

PeaceBlondie also makes an interesting point.

i dunno about racism, but my friend said those filipinos whom i've mentioned earlier also had gotten a tourist visa in laos with no hassles, no questions asked, even if they already have notes in their passports which says they've been to cambodia 4 times since the new rule.

[tropo]

Let's face it. Thais can be somewhat racist and they obviously prefer white-skinned Brits/Americans/Europeans over fellow South East Asians.

How about white-skinned SE Asians? There are plenty around. My girl has very white skin and guess where she comes from....Philippines.

It's not obvious to us that Thais prefer white-skinned Brits/Americans/Europeans. Time will tell....so far she gets exactly the same treatment as I do, a white-skinned Australian (tanned somewhat).

Edited January 8, 2007 by tropo

[jeebusjones]

The enforcement of the visa laws like all the knee-jerk reactions which happen in the glorious "Land 'O Thais" when they are thrust onto the world news stage in a less than positive light are sure to be poorly thought out, poorly executed, and selectively enforced. The Thai Border Control has not the infrastructure, the staffing, the capability, nor the inclination to make this enforcement happen other than haphazardly at best. It is the 'typical thai way' of doing things in the "magical kingdom".

This is funny and true. It would not be beneficial for anyone to enforce these rules 100%. I suspect there was never any intention to fully enforce them.