is the free 30 days visa-exemption still limited to 2 per year ?

[easybullet3]

just checking (as I am out of touch with the latest thai visa rules).

 

ie:  a person can only have a maximum of TWO visa-exemptions per year.

 

and this includes arriving at Suvarnabumi airport from an international flight.  (just 2 per year).

 

so,, anyone wanting to have frequent trips to thailand must get a 60 days tourist visa,, (even if their holiday is a week or two, each time) ?

 

is this correct ?

 

Thank you

 

 

Edited November 16, 2017 by easybullet3

[BritTim]

There is a hard limit of two visa exempt entries by land in any one calendar year.

There is no explicit limit on visa exempt entries by air, but you may encounter problems if the immigration official believes you have used too many, and are abusing the visa exempt process. Whether you have problems will depend largely on the immigration officials you encounter.

[easybullet3]

2 hours ago, BritTim said:

There is a hard limit of two visa exempt entries by land in any one calendar year.

There is no explicit limit on visa exempt entries by air, but you may encounter problems if the immigration official believes you have used too many, and are abusing the visa exempt process. Whether you have problems will depend largely on the immigration officials you encounter.

 

  Thank you

[melcoe]

Easybullet and BritTim... I disagree. I have been a regular traveller to Thailand for more than a decade, have never overstayed, and always arrive via air. I was almost not allowed in one time about 18 months ago as they said I could not have more than 6 entries to Thailand using the 30-day visa free entry process in any 12 month period. It was my 6th entry in a 12 month period, and most had only be for 14 days at a time, and with up to 10 weeks in between entries so I clearly wasn't doing visa runs (I was either in Australia or in Thailand, nowhere else). They held me up for three hours, with my 9yo daughter, because I dared question them. I was simply trying to understand what I had done wrong and what I needed to do to avoid it. I have since had to go back to purchasing an annual multi-entry visa from the Thai embassy in Australia at a cost of $275 so they cannot deny me entry for coming "too many times" to Thailand.
For a bit of background info, In previous years I used to stay in Thailand for up to three months at a time, so yes, I always ensured I had either the annual multi trip visa (type O non immigrant as my daughter's father is Thai) or a 60-day tourist visa. However after we stopped splitting our time between countries, and my daughter started school in Australia, our visits dropped to me taking my daughter (who is only an official Australian citizen) to see her Thai family for usually 2-3 weeks at a time for her four school holidays a year, I didn't think I needed to worry. We ended up with two extra trips that year cause her Thai grandfather got sick, and then a few months later died. On neither of those trips did we stay longer than a week, but still they were going to deny us entry as they all claimed (and they got the bigwigs involved during the discussion) that I couldn't have more than 6 trips on the 30-day visa free entry in any one 12 month period. So be careful. None of my trips were back to back at any time in that 12 month period, with at least one month, up to three months in between visits and they were still going to deny me.

They said I had to get a visa even though I was never staying longer than 30 days, and that was that. Interestingly, my daughter doesn't have to, just me, and she does not have Thai citizenship or even a Thai passport. Apparently they will overlook kids till they're 15. So since then I am now back on the annual multi entry visas at $275 a pop and it will have to stay that way as I checked with another lot of officials earlier this year, and they said the 6 visits rule is still applicable. Hope this helps :)

[Mattd]

42 minutes ago, melcoe said:

I was almost not allowed in one time about 18 months ago as they said I could not have more than 6 entries to Thailand using the 30-day visa free entry process in any 12 month period. It was my 6th entry in a 12 month period

It sounds like you were really unfortunate to come across an immigration officer that doesn't know the up to date entry rules of the borders he is policing.

There used to be a rule that you could not enter Thailand for more than 90 days in 180 days from the date of the first entry using visa exempt entries, this rule was removed in 2008, when the land border visa exempt rule was changed to 15 days (since back to 30 days, but only 2 per calendar year).

There does seem to be something in the immigration database that triggers at 6 entries within a year of the first entry and will often mean more scrutiny than normal, probably based on the immigration guideline no. 0029.171/2076 issued in June 2014

In your instance, I am surprised they hassled you so much, as there were big gaps between the visits, so obviously not living here.

As it stands now, there is no official limitation to the number of visa exempt entries a person can make, just expect more scrutiny the more visa exempt entries, especially if deemed to be back to back type entries.

[MadMuhammad]

2 hours ago, Mattd said:

It sounds like you were really unfortunate to come across an immigration officer that doesn't know the up to date entry rules of the borders he is policing.

There used to be a rule that you could not enter Thailand for more than 90 days in 180 days from the date of the first entry using visa exempt entries, this rule was removed in 2008, when the land border visa exempt rule was changed to 15 days (since back to 30 days, but only 2 per calendar year).

There does seem to be something in the immigration database that triggers at 6 entries within a year of the first entry and will often mean more scrutiny than normal, probably based on the immigration guideline no. 0029.171/2076 issued in June 2014

In your instance, I am surprised they hassled you so much, as there were big gaps between the visits, so obviously not living here.

As it stands now, there is no official limitation to the number of visa exempt entries a person can make, just expect more scrutiny the more visa exempt entries, especially if deemed to be back to back type entries.

I had 8 entries in the 12 months of last year, one on an SETV and the others being visa exempt with no issues whatsoever. 

I’ve had a further 3 this year with 2 to go. 

As mentioned maybe just an IO having a bad day?

Edited November 17, 2017 by MadMuhammad

[BritTim]

4 hours ago, melcoe said:

I was almost not allowed in one time about 18 months ago as they said I could not have more than 6 entries to Thailand using the 30-day visa free entry process in any 12 month period.

Unlucky. Immigration get an alert after 6 visa exempt entries that you should be subject to greater scrutiny as a genuine tourist. This is not an instruction to deny entry. It appears you ran into over zealous officials. As I posted earlier, there is always a risk if using many visa exempt entries.

[yoga100]

Further to the above could someone confirm i can obtain a 2nd visa exempt entry into thailand
I arrived by air to bangkok 2 weeks ago and obtained a 30 day visa exempt stamp but in another 10 days will be travelling overland to penang but hope to return to thailand overland for a periord of about 15 days before returning to malaysia(kuala lumpur)to fly back to europe

 

                                           David

[ubonjoe]

7 minutes ago, yoga100 said:

Further to the above could someone confirm i can obtain a 2nd visa exempt entry into thailand
I arrived by air to bangkok 2 weeks ago and obtained a 30 day visa exempt stamp but in another 10 days will be travelling overland to penang but hope to return to thailand overland for a periord of about 15 days before returning to malaysia(kuala lumpur)to fly back to europe

Yes you can. You may be asked to show the equivalent of 10k baht when you enter Thailand from Malaysia.

[LeoTex]

Every calendar year I come to Thailand 4 times, last year made 5 visits with not  a problem. All my trips are for 16 nights.

 

Sometime the immigration office has a little trouble sorting through all the stamps, but nothing has every been said coming and going.

 

LeoTex

[bkk6060]

6 by air one year.

[overherebc]

2 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

6 by air one year.

Wrong.

[bkk6060]

1 hour ago, overherebc said:

Wrong.

Tell that to the Immigration commander at the airport.

Edited November 18, 2017 by bkk6060

[overherebc]

11 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Tell that to the Immigration commander at the airport.

That law was taken off the books in 2008.

[BritTim]

10 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

2 hours ago, overherebc said:

Wrong.

Tell that to the Immigration commander at the airport.

There is no annual limit on visa exempt entries by air, in fact no absolute limit by air at all.

 

After 6 visa exempt entries since 2015, the immigration official receives an alert to scrutinize the traveler more closely as a genuine tourist. What happens next depends on the official.

[bkk6060]

Just now, BritTim said:

There is no annual limit on visa exempt entries by air, in fact no absolute limit by air at all.

 

After 6 visa exempt entries since 2015, the immigration official receives an alert to scrutinize the traveler more closely as a genuine tourist. What happens next depends on the official.

Ok, thank you.

They pulled me in after 6 and told me not to come back without a Visa.

If someone wants to give it a try, good luck.

[overherebc]

4 minutes ago, BritTim said:

There is no annual limit on visa exempt entries by air, in fact no absolute limit by air at all.

 

After 6 visa exempt entries since 2015, the immigration official receives an alert to scrutinize the traveler more closely as a genuine tourist. What happens next depends on the official.

True.

If anyone is/has been refused entry to reason quoted will be 'suspicion of working' impossible almost to argue with as it's classed as a legimate reason.

Stating refused entry because of more than 6 entries would not be a legitimate reason and could be argued with.

[overherebc]

24 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Ok, thank you.

They pulled me in after 6 and told me not to come back without a Visa.

If someone wants to give it a try, good luck.

Simply because the 30 day VE is intended to allow easy entry for tourists arriving for 1/2/3 or 4 weeks holiday.I would reckon that covers the vast majority of tourists. If the tourist wishes to stay for longer they can extend it by another 30 days at their nearest Imm' office.

If the holiday is going to be longer then they 'should' get a visa to cover the period.

It all goes back to Imm' maybe correctly looking at a series of VE entries as being a way to stay in Thailand long term.

That's why they tell people 'get a visa next time.'

Just to add, if they refused entry after 6 VE's and quoted that, they would also have to add what particular rule or law is being applied.

As the law/rule does not exist now it would not be an applicable reason.

Edited November 18, 2017 by overherebc

[Anagon]

What about this situation?

Entry #1: by air

Entry #2: by land

Entry #3: by air

Entry #4: by land....???

 

Can Entry #4 be by land or is the quota already used up?

[ubonjoe]

44 minutes ago, Anagon said:

Can Entry #4 be by land or is the quota already used up?

Yes it can be done by land. After that you would have to do them by air until the 1st of January.

[Anagon]

Thanks ubonjoe.

 

I should mention I'm not visa running to stay in Thailand, I'm visa running to stay in Malaysia. I rarely stay more than a week in Thailand but I just had to confirm that I don't get a problem because of some new rule that no one told me about

[JackThompson]

 

On 11/18/2017 at 8:09 AM, overherebc said:

On 11/18/2017 at 5:59 AM, bkk6060 said:

6 by air one year.

Wrong.

On 11/18/2017 at 10:55 AM, bkk6060 said:

Tell that to the Immigration commander at the airport.

The OP appears to have made the mistake of believing she was dealing with honest people who respect their country's laws - which was not the case, here.  The people concerned don't appear to care what "the law" is.  It would be like telling an armed robber what the law is, while standing at gunpoint, thinking he would say, "Oh golly, I didn't know that - sorry." 

 

Any time you are dealing with a govt-official in any country, you are at virtual-gunpoint - you must obey, "or else..."  What separates civilized countries from the rest, are clear, published-laws which are followed and enforced through a chain-of-command, so that all parties know exactly where they stand at all times. 

People who don't respect the law are unlikely to respond to reasoned appeals to the law.  The only question is, can they "get caught" for breaking the law.  They do care about that.  A rejection-stamp in a passport leaves hard-evidence - and like any lawbreaker, they wish to avoid consequences for violating the law. 

 

Ordinarily, "no money" or "working illegally" are used as the "official" rationale (stamped in the passport) for denying entry.  In this instance, the "6 entries in 12-mo" statements demonstrate the non-legal intent to deny entry.  But, this foreigner (melcoe) could not be "working illegally" and wasn't "visa-running" (per a ministerial order which applies only to Visa Exempt entries).  Because the "officials" could not figure out how to hide their openly-stated, non-legal rationale for denial behind a legal cause-for-rejection, they eventually relented.

 

We have many reports of lies being told as if they were actual laws/rules, so it is clear this is not just "an odd IO having a bad day."  Supervisors got involved, and yet this ordeal, based on a lie, continued.  Honest officials who respect the laws of their country and chain of command don't behave this way.  I hope the 9-yo child was not traumatized by the experience of seeing her mother put through this 3-hour long, cruel and pointless exercise. 

[Anagon]

Update: ubonjoe was right. No problems at all getting 30 days visa free at Sadao border. They didn't ask to see my cash and didn't ask about my travel plans.

 

In other news, both sides of the border are moving over to new buildings and it's a bit of a mess. The new system involves taking a ticket and then sitting around for a very long time on yellow plastic chairs for your number to be called, whereupon you may enter the relatively short queue inside the brand new air con building. But they didn't seem to mind me going 7/11 while I waited so I guess it's not so bad