Stopped 2hrs at bkk airport immigration + wrong stamp / feedback

[Pepper9187]

Hi,

 

Small feedback about the immigration at BKK airport yesterday ;

 

They stopped me for interrogation 2 hrs, almost did not let me through.

Last time i was in Thailand was April 2nd,  and yesterday i arrived without a visa but i had an outbound ticket BKK to KL on 29 August so that should have been more than enough to get a 29 days visa on arrival, right !?

 

For somehow it did not worked too well for me, they arrested me 2 hrs and questioned me about pretty much anything you could imagine, they also called my girlfriend 3 times (3 different officers) during almost 1 hour and asked all the same, what i was doing here, where i lived, how long we had been together, what kind of place we rented, if i ever worked in Thailand / when / where, what was my income, what was my savings, why i did not had a non O visa ...

 

At some point they started telling me they would not let me go through (really) ;

Last time i was in Thailand was 4 month ago and i had spent "only" 5 months in Thailand in 2017 (February till Jully), their whole point was just that i had too many visa on my passport, even if the most of them were from 2015 and 2016, they just did not care and could not really understand my departures / arrival dates in Thailand for 2017 and 2018.

 

After talking with my girlfriend, the 4th senior officer finally agreed to let me go with a 30 days VOA, nice right ?!

 

Guess what, when i left the airport i checked my passport (definitely should have done that before) and realized they stamped the wrong dates...

 

Date of arrival : 3 August (Correct date)

Valid until : 1 August ... (instead of 1 September).

 

Awful ... now i gotta try to go to changwatana to sort this out, not sure how it's gonna end but a friend of i had a similar issue and they did not wanted to correct his stamp, hopefully they'll figure out that it can't be right and give me another stamp, theoretically i'm overstaying ?

 

I kind of understand their point of view, but really, last time i was there was over 4 month ago and last year i had only 2 visas....

 

 

Anyway, it was just bad, anyone had similar issues recently ?

 

 

[Pepper9187]

Crap i think i posted the topic in the wrong forum, if someone can move it ? Thanks

[Crossy]

2 minutes ago, Pepper9187 said:

Crap i think i posted the topic in the wrong forum, if someone can move it ? Thanks

Done ?

 

[ubonjoe]

They will fix the stamping error at Chaeng Wattana immigration. There is a desk just for stamping errors there.

Not sure why you had such a problem on entry. It seems they randomly decide to harass some people when they enter the country.

[Pepper9187]

Another happy day at the immigration office on it's way !

 

The worst is that it was my first visa on arrival in years, the last one was somewhere in 2016 ....

[Lungstib]

Dont let it get you down Pepper. We spent 3 extra days getting a visa for my wife to enter Holland on our way to London and after just 2 mins at the immigration desk she was not just refused but told to go home. I was also denied entry to the USA despite having all what the US embassy in London said was the correct paperwork. Its a sad fact that any individual immigration officer can make your day a bad one. Its not just Thailand. But at least you are in. Good luck with the date issue.

Edited August 4, 2018 by Lungstib
addition

[BritTim]

Visa exempt entries by air are very risky when you have many previous such entries. The combination of that and some extended previous stays was enough that they wanted to use their discretion under 2014 orders to deny you entry. I am glad you made it in. Avoid visa exempt entry by air in the future.

[Thian]

They should make it clear and just write on the website how many VOA one can get in a year and how many visa's.

 

For the stamp i would just act like i hadn't seen the mistake...why would this have to cost another day at the immigration?

 

It seems they are tired of farang who come often, maybe they only want westerners who come ones on a holiday and not every year. I also am always stressed when i need a new visa even when i know i can easy jump all the hoops.

[Tanoshi]

17 minutes ago, BritTim said:

Visa exempt entries by air are very risky when you have many previous such entries. The combination of that and some extended previous stays was enough that they wanted to use their discretion under 2014 orders to deny you entry. I am glad you made it in. Avoid visa exempt entry by air in the future.

If it was simply a case of 'to many' Visa exempt entries, then why are more not stopped or questioned.

 

Funny enough, only last week I was discussing this issue with two 'oil industry' expats.

One been living here twenty years, the other 6 years. They both work an 8 week 'on', 4 week 'off' rota.

They both fly in to Swampy, Visa exempt entries and have never been stopped, questioned or refused entry.

[Pepper9187]

1 minute ago, Tanoshi said:

If it was simply a case of 'to many' Visa exempt entries, then why are more not stopped or questioned.

 

Wasn't really the case.

I had only 1 visa exempt entry within the last 3 years (maybe even 4 years) ?

 

5 minutes ago, Thian said:

They should make it clear and just write on the website how many VOA one can get in a year and how many visa's.

 

For the stamp i would just act like i hadn't seen the mistake...why would this have to cost another day at the immigration?

 

It seems they are tired of farang who come often, maybe they only want westerners who come ones on a holiday and not every year. I also am always stressed when i need a new visa even when i know i can easy jump all the hoops.

 

I don't think i'm gonna play the "oops i did not see" card, the situation is already pretty bad, don't want to be stuck another 2 hrs at the immigration when i'll leave with everyone looking all the stamps / visas again ...

 

29 minutes ago, BritTim said:

Visa exempt entries by air are very risky when you have many previous such entries. The combination of that and some extended previous stays was enough that they wanted to use their discretion under 2014 orders to deny you entry. I am glad you made it in. Avoid visa exempt entry by air in the future.

Definitely gonna avoid any case of VOA in the future, that was the first in years, i usually always come with a tourist visa, did not had the time to get one (booked my flight last week), that's why i had a paid outbound ticket BKK to KL on August 29 ?

[Thian]

Maybe a new passport will also solve all problems...

 

I took a business passport because i get so many stamps each year but also that gave issues because they wanted to know why i took that and not a normal one. They asked me several times if i didn't work in Thailand because of that.

 

Having a new passport also saves time at the immigration on arrival, they always check all my stamps and travelhistory.

[Tanoshi]

7 minutes ago, Pepper9187 said:

I had only 1 visa exempt entry within the last 3 years (maybe even 4 years)

Yes but you were stopped and questioned because of your frequency and length of time spent in Thailand.

 

On the other hand there are those who frequently visit on Visa exempt entries and spend several months a year in Thailand and never get stopped or questioned. There appears to be no consistency with Immigrations policy of entry.

 

It could be the colour of your skin, your nationality, or your attire that draws more attention, not simply the amount of entries.

Many Thais do discriminate on grounds of ethnicity, religion etc.

[Tanoshi]

13 minutes ago, Thian said:

Maybe a new passport will also solve all problems...

 

I took a business passport because i get so many stamps each year but also that gave issues because they wanted to know why i took that and not a normal one. They asked me several times if i didn't work in Thailand because of that.

 

Having a new passport also saves time at the immigration on arrival, they always check all my stamps and travelhistory.

A new passport doesn't solve the problem.

A new passport would still link to your old passport and your history.

 

The computer will still link to an older passport via your name, DOB and nationality.

Edited August 4, 2018 by Tanoshi

[Pepper9187]

13 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

Yes but you were stopped and questioned because of your frequency and length of time spent in Thailand.

 

On the other hand there are those who frequently visit on Visa exempt entries and spend several months a year in Thailand and never get stopped or questioned. There appears to be no consistency with Immigrations policy of entry.

 

It could be the colour of your skin, your nationality, or your attire that draws more attention, not simply the amount of entries.

Many Thais do discriminate on grounds of ethnicity, religion etc.

Could have been !

 

No self flattering but i'm a "good looking" 33 yo farang + i was well dressed (no cheap charly backpacker), they could have thought i was illegally working in Thailand but they did not even asked me if i was a teacher or anything, really it was just about "too many visas" on your passport, we don't care about the dates, there's just too many end of discussion.

 

Between august 2017 and august 2018 i was in Thailand only :

14 December 2017 until 4 April 2018. (i said it was 2 April before, checked and it was 4th).

 

August 2017 until 14 December 2017 = France

April 4th until August 3rd = France

 

I admit, in 2016 i was in Thailand like 8 months ... but i mean that was 2 years ago !

 

Bloody hell, right !?

Edited August 4, 2018 by Pepper9187

[phuketrichard]

24 minutes ago, Thian said:

Maybe a new passport will also solve all problems...

 

I took a business passport because i get so many stamps each year but also that gave issues because they wanted to know why i took that and not a normal one. They asked me several times if i didn't work in Thailand because of that.

 

Having a new passport also saves time at the immigration on arrival, they always check all my stamps and travelhistory.

new passport is tied in the computer with ALL your old ones, so they can see ALL ur travel history

[jouec]

14 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

A new passport doesn't solve the problem.

A new passport would still link to your old passport and your history.

 

The computer will still link to an older passport via your name, DOB and nationality.

Yeh but it gives them nothing to gawp at but empty pages. They love to pour over every stamp in a full passport, preying they can find a discrepancy and in turn grill you.

[Maradona 10]

Sounds like an utter nightmare mate, the bottom line is you feel like a criminal even if you are not one. Don't worry about your 1st Aug stamp that will get sorted.

 

A few of these threads coming up now made me think a bit next time I come back in, thinking of taking marriage cert, bank book etc just as a back up. I've got 6 years stamps going back, although I do and will continue to have a non 'o'

[Briggsy]

@Pepper9187 Were you flying in from France?

[Tanoshi]

4 minutes ago, jouec said:

Yeh but it gives them nothing to gawp at but empty pages. They love to pour over every stamp in a full passport, preying they can find a discrepancy and in turn grill you.

I think the main reason for that is because of the indiscriminately placed entry/exit, Visas, Extension and re-entry permit stamps placed in your passport. There is rarely a continuous flow of stamps in page and date order.

[Pepper9187]

14 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

@Pepper9187 Were you flying in from France?

 

... Lyon, why !?

 

9 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

I think the main reason for that is because of the indiscriminately placed entry/exit, Visas, Extension and re-entry permit stamps placed in your passport. There is rarely a continuous flow of stamps in page and date order.

 

Yep, there was no discussion possible :

Me : I hadn't been in Thailand within the last 4 months : Him : too many stamps

But i just stayed in Thailand 4 months within the last 14 months !: Too many stamps !

 

But, but .... TOO MANY STAMPS !!

 

Edited August 4, 2018 by Pepper9187

[Tanoshi]

16 minutes ago, Pepper9187 said:

No self flattering but i'm a "good looking" 33 yo farang + i was well dressed (no cheap charly backpacker), they could have thought i was illegally working in Thailand but they did not even asked me if i was a teacher or anything, really it was just about "too many visas" on your passport, we don't care about the dates, there's just too many end of discussion.

Your age could be the reason for questioning.

 

They have a hard time figuring out how someone so young could be financially independent to make so many trips and spend so much time in Thailand. There own system works on the basis that only those over 50 are in a position to retire and be financially independent.

 

[Briggsy]

2 minutes ago, Pepper9187 said:

... Lyon, why !?

The vast majority of people in similar situations to you who are stopped and interrogated and eventually denied and sent back, unlike you who eventually gained permission to enter, seem to be those flying in from nearby countries such as Laos, Malaysia or Cambodia.

 

I wonder if the fact that you had flown in from Europe worked in your favour in that :-

1. It shows you do go back to your home country

2. you did not do a quick turnaround with just 1 or days outside of Thailand and

3. Thai immigration may get more pushback off airlines if they are arbitrarily sending people back onto long haul flights at the airline's expense or at least last minute booking/seating inconvenience.

 

This is my theory.

[Thian]

27 minutes ago, phuketrichard said:

new passport is tied in the computer with ALL your old ones, so they can see ALL ur travel history

Then why do they always search back in my passport and check all the stamps? Much easyier to read that info in the computer me thinks?

[Pepper9187]

2 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

The vast majority of people in similar situations to you who are stopped and interrogated and eventually denied and sent back, unlike you who eventually gained permission to enter, seem to be those flying in from nearby countries such as Laos, Malaysia or Cambodia.

 

I wonder if the fact that you had flown in from Europe worked in your favour in that :-

1. It shows you do go back to your home country

2. you did not do a quick turnaround with just 1 or days outside of Thailand and

3. Thai immigration may get more pushback off airlines if they are arbitrarily sending people back onto long haul flights at the airline's expense or at least last minute booking/seating inconvenience.

 

This is my theory.

Agreed.

But again, i only spent 4 month in Thailand within the last 14 months !!

 

Really !?!?!?!

[Briggsy]

1 minute ago, Pepper9187 said:

Agreed.

But again, i only spent 4 month in Thailand within the last 14 months !!

 

Really !?!?!?!

You fit the profile.

 

33 years old. (Big negative)

4 months in Thailand last year (Big negative)

Coming in on a visa exempt (Big negative)

Previous long stays in Thailand in earlier years (Big negative).

 

This is the new normal.

 

In future, the only one you can change is the visa you come in on. If you plan any airport entries in the future, have a visa.

[MekkOne]

17 minutes ago, Pepper9187 said:

 

... Lyon, why !?

 

 

Yep, there was no discussion possible :

Me : I hadn't been in Thailand within the last 4 months : Him : too many stamps

But i just stayed in Thailand 4 months within the last 14 months !: Too many stamps !

 

But, but .... TOO MANY STAMPS !!

 

you arrived in the middle of the night?

[Tanoshi]

15 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

3. Thai immigration may get more pushback off airlines if they are arbitrarily sending people back onto long haul flights at the airline's expense or at least last minute booking/seating inconvenience.

It wouldn't be at the airlines expense if denied entry under these circumstances.

The foreign would have to arrange and pay for his own return flight.

The airline isn't responsible because Immigration don't have any policy on the numbers of entries allowed within any set period by air. 

Edited August 4, 2018 by Tanoshi

[Pepper9187]

1 minute ago, MekkOne said:

you arrived in the middle of the night?

I was stuck there between like 7:30 PM until 9:30 PM

[Pepper9187]

5 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

You fit the profile.

 

33 years old. (Big negative)

4 months in Thailand last year (Big negative)

Coming in on a visa exempt (Big negative)

Previous long stays in Thailand in earlier years (Big negative).

 

This is the new normal.

 

In future, the only one you can change is the visa you come in on. If you plan any airport entries in the future, have a visa.

I don't know ;

 

I don't find that 4 months on tourist visa within the last 14 months to be excessive, but that's just my opinion...

[Briggsy]

Just now, Pepper9187 said:

I don't know ;

 

I don't find that 4 months on tourist visa within the last 14 months to be excessive, but that's just my opinion...

How many months (cumulative total) in Thailand since August 2015 (3 years ago)? For me it is around 31 (out of a maximum of 36).

 

Of course, it is not important what you or I think is a long time, the only people that matter are immigration officers.