First trip to Thailand. My twin brother is blacklisted. Should I worry?

[jeremy77]

Hi,

I've got a bit of a peculiar problem. I'm from Luxemburg and I'm about to visit Thailand for the first time on a tourist visa.

So far, so good. My issue is that my twin brother received a 3year ban from entering Thailand 2 years ago for overstaying.

Obviously, we share the same last name, dob and nationality. We also look alike (identical twins). Only my first names are different.

Should I be worried about being denied entry?

 

Sent from my ANE-LX1 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

[johnmell]

You could always take some photos of you and your brother together, to show you have a twin.

[BritTim]

I would suggest you take evidence that you have a twin, but are not him. If your brother was fingerprinted in Thailand (likely if he was deported and blacklisted) and you run into trouble at immigration, suggest they check your fingerprints.

[Ks45672]

You won't both have the same passport # 

[jeremy77]

You could always take some photos of you and your brother together, to show you have a twin.

Will do that. Thanks.

Sent from my ANE-LX1 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[OJAS]

48 minutes ago, jeremy77 said:

Will do that. Thanks.

Sent from my ANE-LX1 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Might also be a good idea to take with you copies of your twin brother's passport photopage + page containing the banning stamp.

[dbrenn]

5 hours ago, BritTim said:

I would suggest you take evidence that you have a twin, but are not him. If your brother was fingerprinted in Thailand (likely if he was deported and blacklisted) and you run into trouble at immigration, suggest they check your fingerprints.

Good point. Twins share the same DNA but not the same fingerprints. 

[harrycallahan]

You can always get the proper pre-arrival visa. There's a fee but you'll get longer than the tourist stamp. That _should_ leave less doubt as check already done. 

[Preacher]

Just take copies of the birth certificates of both you and your brother.

[ubonjoe]

21 minutes ago, harrycallahan said:

You can always get the proper pre-arrival visa. There's a fee but you'll get longer than the tourist stamp. That _should_ leave less doubt as check already done. 

Embassies and consulates do not check for blacklisting or anything else before issuing a visa. They have no direct link to immigration to do the check.

[Old Croc]

32 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Embassies and consulates do not check for blacklisting or anything else before issuing a visa. They have no direct link to immigration to do the check.

I find it rather astounding that any country wouldn't link their alert system with their visa system!

Perhaps Thailand doesn't have computerized visa processing?

[ubonjoe]

7 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

Perhaps Thailand doesn't have computerized visa processing?

Each embassy and consulate maintain their own records for visas they have issued. There is no link to the MFA or immigration here.

[Old Croc]

4 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Each embassy and consulate maintain their own records for visas they have issued. There is no link to the MFA or immigration here.

I guess all their records are stored on ring binders in a very large room.

Someone should form a committee to discuss a possible move to the 20th century as a starting point.

[Peasandmash]

just go to Cambodia or Malaysia.

[scorecard]

13 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

I guess all their records are stored on ring binders in a very large room.

Someone should form a committee to discuss a possible move to the 20th century as a starting point.

Are you brave enough to do that?

 

Why? My main university didn't have any computerized database of student records until about 18 months ago. Now exists but very simple and the migration of old record is incomplete and a mess.

 

About 5 years ago they invited a world recognized expert professor from Europe to present a course to the MBA students on Economics. Professor arrived and in a discussion with students learned that the university didn't have any computerized database of student records. 

 

The professor was also a software genius and he had one year earlier supervised the writing of a modern enterprise / comprehensive  software package for a university in Europe and part of the deal was that he owned the copyright.

 

He offered the whole system to the local university free.

 

Response, university governors and the director let the professor know clearly they were insulted by his gesture. The 'news' got to the Ed. ministry who made it clear the professors software was to be rejected.

 

He's never been invited again. 

 

 

Edited July 20, 2018 by scorecard

[baansgr]

35 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

I find it rather astounding that any country wouldn't link their alert system with their visa system!

Perhaps Thailand doesn't have computerized visa processing?

A classic case is Sandra Gregory,  she obtained a. visa about three years ago but was refused entry.

[Old Croc]

Just read her story.

Why on earth would she try to re-enter a country where she had previously received a death sentence for heroin smuggling! Perhaps her lengthy jail stays didn't result in her gaining even a modicum of common sense.

It's a furphy that many believe a visa will give automatic entry to a country. There are many reasons why someone could be refused entry at the border. 

[ubonjoe]

23 minutes ago, baansgr said:

A classic case is Sandra Gregory,  she obtained a. visa about three years ago but was refused entry.

Now she probably would not be allowed to board a flight here since they are doing pre screening now. Those that are blacklisted will be denied at check in now.

[Colabamumbai]

Don't use his passport.

[Peterw42]

8 hours ago, BritTim said:

I would suggest you take evidence that you have a twin, but are not him. If your brother was fingerprinted in Thailand (likely if he was deported and blacklisted) and you run into trouble at immigration, suggest they check your fingerprints.

Sound great in Theory but do you really think immigration would have that facility available at the airport immigration, fingerprint scanner, connection to a nation wide central online database of blacklist fingerprints, matching software etc. Reality would probably be a paper copy of the twins fingerprints archived in a paper file somewhere.

[bbi1]

8 hours ago, johnmell said:

You could always take some photos of you and your brother together, to show you have a twin.

 

5 hours ago, OJAS said:

Might also be a good idea to take with you copies of your twin brother's passport photopage + page containing the banning stamp.

Even better, bring along your twin brother with you so immigration can see in person that you and your twin bro are different people lol ??

[mike324]

they don't take finger prints for visitors, so you should be fine. But to be extra cautious, just do what others have suggested.

[NoshowJones]

2 hours ago, Old Croc said:

I find it rather astounding that any country wouldn't link their alert system with their visa system!

Perhaps Thailand doesn't have computerized visa processing?

Don't have the brains more like.?

[BritTim]

9 hours ago, Ks45672 said:

You won't both have the same passport # 

That is true, but immigration's system tries to link an individual's old and new passports when you enter. There have been occasions when two different individuals are erroneously linked in immigration's system. The chances of this might be greater in this situation.

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, Peterw42 said:

Sound great in Theory but do you really think immigration would have that facility available at the airport immigration, fingerprint scanner, connection to a nation wide central online database of blacklist fingerprints, matching software etc. Reality would probably be a paper copy of the twins fingerprints archived in a paper file somewhere.

Although Thailand is backward in some respects technologically, they have fingerprinting facilities at the airport, email, and a central fingerprint archive. Given a name, they can find an individual's fingerprints (if on record) pretty quickly. There is a plan to scan the fingerprints of all arriving foreigners by the end of this year (http://www.samuitimes.com/thai-immigration-plan-on-installing-fingerprint-scanners-at-all-points-of-entry-into-thailand/) though, based on prior experience, the system will likely not work properly for a long time.

[oldrunner]

Good try twin. I have the same problem but my twin is my Sister.

[The manic]

Great thread!

[The manic]

2 hours ago, possum1931 said:

Don't have the brains more like.?

The UK has no central record of who enters and leaves the UK. And whatever records they have are not circulated to every outpost in the world! At LHR planes arrive and take off every 3 minutes! So the racist insult about brains is brainless. Even in KSA which is highly regulated there are thousands of undocumented aliens. Anybody who truly believes that all immigration departments and police and border authorities and embassies all orchestrate and exchange information about travellers really is bonkers. 

[tifino]

3 hours ago, BritTim said:

That is true, but immigration's system tries to link an individual's old and new passports when you enter. There have been occasions when two different individuals are erroneously linked in immigration's system. The chances of this might be greater in this situation.

 

yeah! creating something out of nothing is an easy way out for old fashioned datamatching on paperchases, when the 'cuple of' starangely similar loose ends, are tied together

Edited July 20, 2018 by tifino

[Wake Up]

OP

 

Please post what happens when you arrive in Thailand with immigration.  May help some others that have a twin or similar circumstances in the future.  Best to you. 

Edited July 20, 2018 by Wake Up