Turned away at Bangkok airport

[tryasimight]

2 minutes ago, gilo said:

Although there are no ATM machines airside at DMK, there are a number of Thai Bureau de Change. On arrival back into Thailand I was able to withdraw money from my Kasikorn savings account by providing my debit card to the cashier at their Bureau BEFORE immigration and get cash in hand. I saw that at least SCB also had a desk stationed there so potentially account holders could do similar. I am not absolutely certain but I do not think that there was any charge for the withdrawal. 

My apologies I was referring to swampy.  I've never travelled international into DMK.  There is also an money change facility before immigration at swampy but I don't recall ever seeing an ATM.  If you haven't got money to exchange them you are up the creek so to speak.  If you do have money to exchange and it's in a commonly used currency then there is no real need to change it there anyway. 

Edited August 1, 2018 by tryasimight

[ExpatDraco]

My apologies I was referring to swampy.  I've never travelled international into DMK.  There is also an money change facility before immigration at swampy but I don't recall ever seeing an ATM.  If you haven't got money to exchange them you are up the creek so to speak.  If you do have money to exchange and it's in a commonly used currency then there is no real need to change it there anyway. 

But there are some Kasikorn boots before immigration at swampy also... If you have a Kasikorn account it maybe is possible to withdraw money with your Kasikorn atm card.

 

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[tryasimight]

8 minutes ago, ExpatDraco said:

But there are some Kasikorn boots before immigration at swampy also... If you have a Kasikorn account it maybe is possible to withdraw money with your Kasikorn atm card.

 

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They are the ones I'm talking about.  I think they are only currency exchange.. Could be wrong.... Doesn't really concern me that much. I've never had a hassle with immigration... Touch wood. 

[sikishrory]

17 minutes ago, ExpatDraco said:

But there are some Kasikorn boots before immigration at swampy also... If you have a Kasikorn account it maybe is possible to withdraw money with your Kasikorn atm card.

 

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It's not. I remember reading on here about people getting asked to show cash. So on my next entry i looked all around swampy airside to see if you could get money out anywhere. Not a single ATM anywhere but there were booths. Being a kasikorn account holder myself I asked her if i could get money out and she said you can't.

[ExpatDraco]

It's not. I remember reading on here about people getting asked to show cash. So on my next entry i looked all around swampy airside to see if you could get money out anywhere. Not a single ATM anywhere but there were booths. Being a kasikorn account holder myself I asked her if i could get money out and she said you can't.

And with a foreign atm/visa/mastercard? Probably only cash...

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[Cletus]

1 hour ago, tryasimight said:

My apologies I was referring to swampy.  I've never travelled international into DMK.  There is also an money change facility before immigration at swampy but I don't recall ever seeing an ATM.  If you haven't got money to exchange them you are up the creek so to speak.  If you do have money to exchange and it's in a commonly used currency then there is no real need to change it there anyway. 

I think money exchange desk can provide you with baht by debiting your credit card.

[gilo]

1 hour ago, sikishrory said:

It's not. I remember reading on here about people getting asked to show cash. So on my next entry i looked all around swampy airside to see if you could get money out anywhere. Not a single ATM anywhere but there were booths. Being a kasikorn account holder myself I asked her if i could get money out and she said you can't.

I am surprised as I did exactly that at the Kasikorn Bureau de Change at DMK by handing my card and saying that I wanted Baht. This was in February this year.  

[gilo]

54 minutes ago, Cletus said:

I think money exchange desk can provide you with baht by debiting your credit card.

Yes. That has been my experience but off my debit rather than credit card. 

[ExpatDraco]

Yes. That has been my experience but off my debit rather than credit card. 

Good point, maybe there is a difference between debit and credit cards. Sounds logical, debit cards are much safer to accept than credit cards...

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[sikishrory]

This was in september 2017. I just remember looking everywhere and being stunned there was no ATM. I asked the lady at kasikorn booth if there was an ATM and she said there wasn't. I thought I had my kasikorn card out showing her I can't remember exactly. It was some time ago now.

I wonder if in the shops there they can assist or advise of a way to do it.

 

[balo]

On 7/31/2018 at 10:17 PM, elviajero said:

You were denied entry under section 12.2. That goes beyond having cash in your pocket. They are effectively saying that you’ve stayed in the country a long time without demonstrating the means of living, like a job, income, cash in the bank. 

 

A bit weird this , if your income is outside of Thailand and you can show them money 25k cash and maybe a bank statement , what is the problem as long as you have the correct visa? 

 

Many people work as digital nomads these days. 

 

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, balo said:

A bit weird this , if your income is outside of Thailand and you can show them money 25k cash and maybe a bank statement , what is the problem as long as you have the correct visa? 

 

Many people work as digital nomads these days. 

If you have a visa, you will rarely be denied entry (though you may be subject to extra scrutiny if spending a lot of time in Thailand on tourist and education visas). The biggest risk is trying to enter visa exempt. It would be more comfortable, perhaps, if there were clear, consistently applied rules. There are not, which can be regarded as a feature by those who know how to weave their way around the system.

[RickG16]

I could, with a little travelling, get a tourist visa from the UK. But I'm reluctant to increase the SETV count in my passport when on the whole flying in on a visa exempt from Europe presents no problems. If that makes sense?.....

[elviajero]

2 hours ago, balo said:

On 7/31/2018 at 4:17 PM, elviajero said:

You were denied entry under section 12.2. That goes beyond having cash in your pocket. They are effectively saying that you’ve stayed in the country a long time without demonstrating the means of living, like a job, income, cash in the bank. 

A bit weird this , if your income is outside of Thailand and you can show them money 25k cash and maybe a bank statement , what is the problem as long as you have the correct visa? 

 

Many people work as digital nomads these days. 

Someone that has stayed in the country for months/years as a 'tourist' doesn't have the right visa.

 

To get the right visa/permit to stay long term you must show 'certified' income, cash in the bank, have a job in Thailand, or pay through the nose for the PE visa. 'Tourists' haven't done that. 10/20K cash in your pocket is simply considered pocket money. To sustain a long stay in a country you need a lot more than 20K. That isn't even enough to cover a 3 month stay.

[balo]

1 hour ago, elviajero said:

To sustain a long stay in a country you need a lot more than 20K. That isn't even enough to cover a 3 month stay.

I agree , but if the income is coming from outside of Thailand like so many of us , there should be no problem to show a bank account with 500k in it , if necessary . 

[BritTim]

4 hours ago, RickG16 said:

I could, with a little travelling, get a tourist visa from the UK. But I'm reluctant to increase the SETV count in my passport when on the whole flying in on a visa exempt from Europe presents no problems. If that makes sense?.....

Apart from the page taken up in your passport, there is no disadvantage to getting a tourist visa from home country. The biggest risk can come from entering visa exempt. As long as you only come to Thailand for, say, two to three months total each year, by all means use visa exempt entries. Otherwise, having an actual visa reduces the risk by a lot.

[Tanoshi]

4 hours ago, balo said:

I agree , but if the income is coming from outside of Thailand like so many of us , there should be no problem to show a bank account with 500k in it , if necessary . 

Except at entry,they don't accept bank statements.

[Caldera]

5 hours ago, elviajero said:

To sustain a long stay in a country you need a lot more than 20K. That isn't even enough to cover a 3 month stay.

The thing is that you don't really "sustain" a long stay if you're on a succession of tourist visa - you're stamped in for 60 days, maybe extend by another 30 days and need to exit and request permission to enter once again.

 

If they wanted to tackle this "problem" as a matter of proper policy, they could increase the required amount of pocket money to something more realistic. The fact that they haven't done that and that enforcement is very selective indicates that only particular groups of immigration officers dislike long-term tourists. It's not official policy, at least not yet.

[Rich8483]

OP here. I appreciate all the feedback and discussion my situation has generated. I knew at some point that the bill was going to come due. In fact on the original flight in from PP I was telling my Thai gf that I was going to have to start spending time outside the country in the not-too-distant future. I just didn't expect the not-too-distant-future was now. Live and learn.

I'm prepared to mend my ways and stop living in Thailand full time on TVs and VEs. My plan going forward is to spend 1 or 2 months elsewhere, then 1 or 2 months in Thailand etc etc..

But I need to get back soon to clear up some personal business, grab some things from my room and the like.

So, I plan on going to Vientiane next week to try and get a tourist visa. And then do a border entry through Nong Khai. I have a ticket that shows I'm going from Bangkok to France on Sept 11 and I'll bring as much cash as I safely can with me.

Anyone think that's not going to be enough?

[RickG16]

4 hours ago, BritTim said:

Apart from the page taken up in your passport, there is no disadvantage to getting a tourist visa from home country. The biggest risk can come from entering visa exempt. As long as you only come to Thailand for, say, two to three months total each year, by all means use visa exempt entries. Otherwise, having an actual visa reduces the risk by a lot.

True... but then there is the fact a visa exempt is free, so seems a shame not to take advantage. And as said... it is at least an hour's travelling to the Thai Consul, and maybe an overnight stay to wait for visa.

 

What do you honestly think the chances are of them putting me on a plane back to UK, just because I have 3 tourist visas already in my passport?! 

Edited August 2, 2018 by RickG16

[Mattd]

1 hour ago, Tanoshi said:

Except at entry, they don't accept bank statements.

This is probably because in this day and age they are very easily modified, so cannot be considered really hard evidence of funds to support a person during their stay.

 

At the end of the day, if the IO and / or supervisor decide they don't want a person to enter, then that is that, they tend to use 12.2 as a reason because it is the easiest one for them and the most difficult to prove for the person being denied entry.

[Briggsy]

47 minutes ago, Rich8483 said:

But I need to get back soon to clear up some personal business, grab some things from my room and the like.

So, I plan on going to Vientiane next week to try and get a tourist visa. And then do a border entry through Nong Khai. I have a ticket that shows I'm going from Bangkok to France on Sept 11 and I'll bring as much cash as I safely can with me.

Anyone think that's not going to be enough?

That should work fine. I doubt you will be asked to show cash.

[seancbk]

14 hours ago, gilo said:

Although there are no ATM machines airside at DMK, there are a number of Thai Bureau de Change. On arrival back into Thailand I was able to withdraw money from my Kasikorn savings account by providing my debit card to the cashier at their Bureau BEFORE immigration and get cash in hand. I saw that at least SCB also had a desk stationed there so potentially account holders could do similar. I am not absolutely certain but I do not think that there was any charge for the withdrawal. 

I don't expect many tourists have Kasikorn bank accounts.  Nor would I expect many people are aware that the Money Change kiosks offer that service.  I've been flying in and out of DMK for many years and was unaware they do that.   Thanks for the info.

 

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, RickG16 said:

True... but then there is the fact a visa exempt is free, so seems a shame not to take advantage. And as said... it is at least an hour's travelling to the Thai Consul, and maybe an overnight stay to wait for visa.

 

What do you honestly think the chances are of them putting me on a plane back to UK, just because I have 3 tourist visas already in my passport?! 

I do not know about your history of visits to Thailand (especially over the last 12 months) and how many times you have entered Thailand visa exempt since 2015. Given that, I cannot assess the risks. I would just caution you that you run a risk if entering visa exempt when you have already spent, perhaps, over half of the last year in Thailand, and especially if you have several previous visa exempt entries. Visa exempt entries are fine for occasional trips.

[JackThompson]

On 8/1/2018 at 7:14 AM, RickG16 said:

I have 3 tourist visas in my passport going back to May 2017 + a couple of visa exempt land entries.....

It depends entirely on the mood of the IO and supervisor in that situation.  The less time you have spent in Thailand - going back years - the better.  Any previous "long stays" could irk an IO who doesn't want foreigners to "stick around" in Thailand.

 

At those locations (airports and poipet), IOs have been reported to "invent the law" as they see fit at the moment - citing non-existent laws, and insisting they are true.  As they do not operate under any set up published rules, so no one can know if you will be safe or not.  Therefore, you could be denied for a factually-unsupported reason, with no recourse. 

 

Keep in mind, this is an agency with a deep infestation of corruption which supports a public/open black-market extension system and an exorbitant "buy a visa" program.  Expecting "honest service" and an IO who really cares if you can support yourself, etc would be foolish, in such a context.

Having a Tourist Visa would help reduce your chances of a problem, but even with that, I would not risk a long journey for nothing.  I would fly to somewhere safe and civilized, like Penang, where you know the rules will be followed, and then enter Thailand by land, at a checkpoint that is not reported to make up non-existent rules, such as Padang Besar (accessible by frequent modern Train service from Butterworth - near the Penang-ferry point).  Just remember to have 20K Baht worth of cash (can be another currency) when you enter - as that is a "real rule" which has been reported to be periodically-enforced at that location.

[gilo]

1 hour ago, seancbk said:

I don't expect many tourists have Kasikorn bank accounts.  Nor would I expect many people are aware that the Money Change kiosks offer that service.  I've been flying in and out of DMK for many years and was unaware they do that.   Thanks for the info.

 

 

Neither was I - I first discovered it on my way out of Thailand as had forgotten to withdraw cash from the ATM before security and wanted some dollars before I landed in PP so asked at the Kasikorn BdC if I could use my KBank card to get dollars and that was no problem. On another trip this time on landing I again used my card to obtain the 20kThai Baht just in case it was requested to be shown  (in the event it was not). It is just before immigration. I had intended to post on this as many have cited the lack of ATM machines airside so this is an option at least for those with accounts.

[Mattd]

6 minutes ago, gilo said:

I had intended to post on this as many have cited the lack of ATM machines airside so this is an option at least for those with accounts.

It will be an option for anybody who has a debit or credit card that were issued anywhere, so long as they are Mastercard or Visa, they will sell Thai Baht or Foreign currency via those means.

[bkk6060]

Debit cards, credit cards, travelers checks, blah blah blah.  I suppose some want to use bitcoin?

Is it so difficult for some people to board a plane with 600 bucks in their pocket??

Oh, lets see, it might get stolen in flight?

Give me a break..

[tifino]

they'd want you have the cash in pocket, because it is the easiest thing to take from you, on the spot

 

 

but it's a bit rude, as it costs one to cop the extra ATM transaction fees, for no good reason!

 

 

I'm thinking that one could, on the spot; log in to one's online bank account, and display Statement Standing, and Transaction History; which would reveal consistent Income deposits etc

 

Then reach deeper into one's bag, and come out with a home country Gov't letter; which details one is on a lifetime Gov't Veterans Pension...a Lifetime Income

 

 

[elviajero]

10 hours ago, balo said:

11 hours ago, elviajero said:

To sustain a long stay in a country you need a lot more than 20K. That isn't even enough to cover a 3 month stay.

I agree , but if the income is coming from outside of Thailand like so many of us , there should be no problem to show a bank account with 500k in it , if necessary . 

I don’t know of any country that will allow you to waive a bank statement at an immigration officer at the border to prove financial status.

 

And based on your suggestion retirees/spouses should be able to do the same when applying for their long term stay permits instead of having to provide certified income etc.

 

The reality is that a Thailand doesn’t want long term tourists. If they did they would have a method for people to properly prove their income/cash, and would issue visas/permits allowing long term continuous stays.