Visa exempt stamps

[DanceAllNight]

When did the 6 visa exempt stamp counting start?  I keep reading 6 since 2015.  Right now, I have 4 stamps in my passport (visa exempt) .... i had a few more in an old passport.  Anyway, 3 are from 2014.  I left, stayed out a bit, and then returned.  My most recent arrival to Thailand was visa exempt.  So, did the 6 start from 2015 or earlier?  I would like to come back to Thailand on another visa exempt and that would make 2 since 2015 and maybe 5 since 2014.  Any problems?  And after I use an exempt when I return, next time, I'll get a visa.

[jackdd]

According to people here the IO will get a "warning" on his screen once you reach 6 Visa exempts since 2015 to question you about your stay.

I have 12 since end of 2015 and didn't get questioned yet.

There is no official limit for Visa exempts (just a 2 Visa exempt limit per calendar year at land borders)

Edited April 24, 2018 by jackdd

[Swimman]

Pure speculation but I suspect it is the manner in which 6 VE entries are acquired which determines an IO's reaction. Back to back VE's being more likely to spark interest. 

[DipStick]

Maybe these comments will throw some light, I have been into Bangkok airport probably eight times over the last two years, on visa exempt, never ever stay anywhere near the allowed thirty days, never had an issue, why because I am 70 years old, a business class traveller and using a mobility scooter.

on my last visit, I jokingly said to the lady immigration officer, “ do you want to see proof of my finances” she replied no Sir you do not fit the profile, enjoy your visit

[gk10002000]

5 hours ago, DipStick said:

Maybe these comments will throw some light, I have been into Bangkok airport probably eight times over the last two years, on visa exempt, never ever stay anywhere near the allowed thirty days, never had an issue, why because I am 70 years old, a business class traveller and using a mobility scooter.

on my last visit, I jokingly said to the lady immigration officer, “ do you want to see proof of my finances” she replied no Sir you do not fit the profile, enjoy your visit

And you hit the nail on the head.  They used to not care about the number of exempts.  Unfortunately some bad apples got the issue raised and now those with plenty of finances, time on their hands, ability and desire to travel and hop around the world, now sometimes have to deal with officials asking questions about exempts or even having issues with them, despite probably being tourists that are spending decent amounts of money in a country that has easy entry rules.  When I first chose Thailand to visit, the availablity of a visa exempt on arrival was crucial and a huge draw for me.  I never knew when my contracting jobs would end, or where I was traveling from.  I could be in Los Angeles or I could be in Florida or anyplace in between.  The ability to make a last minute travel reservation and not have to coordinate a Tourist visa with an airline reservation was and is a thing of beauty.  There were several times when I traveled to Thailand on less than 48 hour notice!  From Seattle one year, I got a phone call Friday at 8 PM and was told I was not needed at work on Monday!  I booked a flight for Sunday 1 AM, which  basically meant I had to be at SEATAC by 10 PM Saturday night!   one is not going to get Tourist visas in that short a time frame!

[onera1961]

11 hours ago, jackdd said:

According to people here the IO will get a "warning" on his screen once you reach 6 Visa exempts since 2015 to question you about your stay.

I have more than 6 since 2015. Two to three per year and a few TVs. Between 2011 and 2013, I had more than 6 and no TV. Never stayed more than 30 days and never extended. IO once stopped me and asked if I am working in Thailand and gave me a lecture about how working in Thailand without paying taxes harm Thai society but let me in. I was scared and enrolled in a Thai school and got an Ed visa in 2013. Late 2013, I  left Thailand for one year. And started coming again from 2105. And in 2018,  got an O-A visa good for one year. 

[Belzybob]

It's not just the number of stamps that are reviewed, the immigration officer will also be looking at the time you have spent in the country. If it appears to him/her that you are effectively living in Thailand on a tourist arrangement, then you will have problems. Its no different to a number of other countries, commonly staying a total of six months or more out of twelve rings the bell.

[PerkinsCuthbert]

16 hours ago, DipStick said:

Maybe these comments will throw some light, I have been into Bangkok airport probably eight times over the last two years, on visa exempt, never ever stay anywhere near the allowed thirty days, never had an issue, why because I am 70 years old, a business class traveller and using a mobility scooter.

on my last visit, I jokingly said to the lady immigration officer, “ do you want to see proof of my finances” she replied no Sir you do not fit the profile, enjoy your visit

Absolutely it's profiling, and with increasing use of IT it's only going to get more sophisticated. Like others here I have come and gone for years on a mixture of visa waivers and TVs, and have never been questioned. The principal reason for that is my age, I suspect. 

[Swimman]

40 minutes ago, PerkinsCuthbert said:

Absolutely it's profiling, and with increasing use of IT it's only going to get more sophisticated. Like others here I have come and gone for years on a mixture of visa waivers and TVs, and have never been questioned. The principal reason for that is my age, I suspect. 

All countries use "profiling" as a means of identifying potential undesirables. 

[terryofcrete]

16 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

And you hit the nail on the head.  They used to not care about the number of exempts.  Unfortunately some bad apples got the issue raised and now those with plenty of finances, time on their hands, ability and desire to travel and hop around the world, now sometimes have to deal with officials asking questions about exempts or even having issues with them, despite probably being tourists that are spending decent amounts of money in a country that has easy entry rules.  When I first chose Thailand to visit, the availablity of a visa exempt on arrival was crucial and a huge draw for me.  I never knew when my contracting jobs would end, or where I was traveling from.  I could be in Los Angeles or I could be in Florida or anyplace in between.  The ability to make a last minute travel reservation and not have to coordinate a Tourist visa with an airline reservation was and is a thing of beauty.  There were several times when I traveled to Thailand on less than 48 hour notice!  From Seattle one year, I got a phone call Friday at 8 PM and was told I was not needed at work on Monday!  I booked a flight for Sunday 1 AM, which  basically meant I had to be at SEATAC by 10 PM Saturday night!   one is not going to get Tourist visas in that short a time frame!

I’m over 65, go to Thailand 4 times every year for 30 days or just under. I haven’t been stopped , but it sat in my head and worries me a bit but I am not stressed about it . Life is too short now . If it happens I will argue my case . That’s all I can do. I spend a lot of money in the Kingdom every year... . 

[Two Plus Two]

I'm sitting on 120 VEs over the the last nine years and the one and only time I've had more than a second glance was at Poipet, where they kept me waiting 20 minutes.

All other entries were arriving by air at BKK.

Working FIFO in Aus and my usual stay is around 12 - 13 days.

[oldskoolbeatz]

I have been doing visa exempts, back to back with tourist visas for years (almost 12). The longest I stayed out was 1 year and a half, did the student visa for 6 months, then went back to doing tourist visas and visa exempts. Went home to Australia a few times for christmas holidays and came back after a few weeks. Still never questioned  at the airport, except at Poipet border once, (not questioned but told next time will get only 7 days). I personally think some I/O might just not be bothered to question you. I could be wrong. But do people get re-fused entry every day in Thailand for using back to back visa exempts? I do have two passports though, duel nationality and have been rotating with them a few times over the years, not that it made a difference. Just saying.

[jspill]

More like 6 per calendar year, not lifetime. Assuming you stay 30 days each time, so 180 days. 

 

At that point you're in Thailand more often than you're not, so they'd prefer you to be on some more appropriate visa. You become a tax resident too (>183 days).

 

If you don't stay the whole 30 days of course, you could likely do more than 6, e.g. FIFO workers on 2 week rotations. Or if you extended every exemption to 60 days, you could do 3 per year, same 180 days. Not set in stone, and comes with profiling, the mood of the IO on the day, etc.

 

Edited April 26, 2018 by jspill

[JackThompson]

20 hours ago, oldskoolbeatz said:

But do people get re-fused entry every day in Thailand for using back to back visa exempts?

Yes, they have.  And not only "back to back."  In some reported cases, "guilty" of having stayed "too long" in a previous year, even if returning after months out of Thailand.  Most often, the refusal is "justified" by the person not carrying a wad of cash (like it was 1970), and not allowed to get it from the ATM machine a few feet away to show.  But in some cases, even those with the cash were denied entry.

Edited April 26, 2018 by JackThompson

[biggles45]

My understanding, from personal observation and from other posts, is that there are no atm machines BEFORE you pass thru immigration. 

[JackThompson]

On 4/26/2018 at 10:15 PM, biggles45 said:

My understanding, from personal observation and from other posts, is that there are no atm machines BEFORE you pass thru immigration. 

Correct - on the way "in" ATMs are conspicuously absent - only present after the checkpoint.  But on the way out of the country, they have ATMs in the departure area. 

 

Some who have been denied entry for "not having the cash" have withdrawn the cash while being escorted to their departing flight, so they could use it for their next entry (the next day or two after this pointless procedure).