Denied Entry - No more reports?

[G950]

I am in the process of moving to Thailand and have been carefully reading the forum for the last 6 months to make a final decision on which Visa to get. It seemed there was a "Denied Entry" report based on too much time spent in the Kingdom on short term  visas - every other day right up until the point where Big Joke left.

 

Since Big Joke left it seems the "Denied Entry" reports have stopped. I can't remember one since he left.  Is this the case or am I missing something? Is Thailand doing  a U Turn on its clamp down on "perpetual tourists"?

Edited May 20, 2019 by G950

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, G950 said:

It seemed there was a "Denied Entry" report based on too much time spent in the Kingdom on non immigrant visas -every other day 

Those were not non immigrant visa entries. The were all tourist visa or visa exempt entries.

It has been a long time since I have seen a report of somebody being denied entry when using a non immigrant visa.

[G950]

2 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Those were not non immigrant visa entries. The were all tourist visa or visa exempt entries.

It has been a long time since I have seen a report of somebody being denied entry when using a non immigrant visa.

I just edited my question to correct the type of visa as per your comments. Thanks

[elviajero]

It was not started by BJ so I doubt it’s the reason. 

 

Whenever immigration clampdown, historically, the long term tourists adapt and change their MO. 

 

Having switched from land crossings to the airport they are they are moving back to land crossings. And IMO it won’t be long (by year end) that we will start getting reports of entries denied at land crossings too.

[darrendsd]

42 minutes ago, elviajero said:

It was not started by BJ so I doubt it’s the reason. 

 

Whenever immigration clampdown, historically, the long term tourists adapt and change their MO. 

 

Having switched from land crossings to the airport they are they are moving back to land crossings. And IMO it won’t be long (by year end) that we will start getting reports of entries denied at land crossings too.

I can tell you from experience that a land crossing that tried to deny me entry last year was a absolute breeze 2 weeks ago and my driver that goes to that crossing every day told me that Immigration there had relaxed their attitude on visa runners

Edited May 20, 2019 by darrendsd

[Dmitry2222]

Low season bro ???? Wait 5-6 month and everything will repeat again

[silver sea]

An important thing to remember is that visas are issued by embassies and consulates, which come under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Entry into Thailand at land borders and airports is the responsibility of Immigration. You may have a valid visa in your passport, but it is at the discretion of the Immigration Officer whether you are granted permission to stay.

 

So, they are two different government departments, who operate independently of each other. The idea of ‘joined up government’ is just that: an idea; it has no basis in reality irrespective of whether it is Thailand, the UK, USA or wherever.

 

In my experience, repeat applications for tourist visas in your home country will not be a problem, so long as you provide all the relevant supporting documents. Your fee is an important  source of income for the embassies and consulates.

 

As you have been reading TVF for 6 months, you will have noticed that embassies and consulates in countries adjacent to Thailand have certain individual rules about how many tourist visas they will grant you.

 

Dealing with Immigration is ok, so long as you are reasonably polite and respectful; there is no need to be obsequious. If, however, you get their backs up by being rude or impatient then you only have yourself to blame if they find a reason, however obscure, to deny you entry.

 

This is a link to my post (#80) dated 21st January this year. 

 

 

In summary, I have been coming to Thailand since January 2012. In that time (January 2012 and June 2018), I have had 1 visa exempt; 10 single entry tourist visas; and 4 old style, no longer available, triple entry tourist visas. I am currently (since September 2018) on a multi entry O-A (long stay) visa.

 

When I first posted my comments, some TV members made the helpful comment that I probably gave too much information about background factors such as personal appearance. A fair point, so a good reason for not reproducing the original post here.

 

Another member in that thread kindly referred me to a post where someone, through no fault of his own, had had a very unpleasant experience with Immigration at DM airport.

 

So things can go wrong. I’m not denying it. We only hear about the things that go wrong on TVF; everyone else does not feel the need to post. That was why I decided, as a counterbalance, to post my positive experiences of dealing with the embassies and with Immigration.

 

Up to you whether you follow the link. 

 

Edited May 21, 2019 by silver sea

[The Theory]

21 hours ago, G950 said:

on short term  visas

Just make sure you to have all important belongings with you every time you exit Thailand. Other than that nothing to be worry about. 

 

 

Edited May 21, 2019 by The Theory

[Briggsy]

@G950

 

I think you would be wrong to assume that the denial of entry to foreigners attempting to enter using Visa exempt, Tourist visas and sometimes Education visas is over. And you would also be wrong to believe it was related to "Big Joke".

 

There is a long term trend which can be traced back at least 20 years to bring the long-term staying of foreigners to a more regularised process. This trend continues regardless. It began long before the rise of Police Lieutenant General Surachate. And it will continue long after his recent fall from grace.

 

The spate of denials of entry this year may be related to civil servants becoming very risk-averse due to the coronation. It could also be related to an education process in which foreigners living in Thailand on tourist visas are being "trained" to use them in a different way to avoid denial of entry.

Edited May 21, 2019 by Briggsy