Travelling with Thai gf - can use the Thai line with her at airport or not?

[bbi1]

If travelling with a Thai gf into or out of Thailand, can we use the Thai line with her at airport or do we have to use the foreigner's 1 hour queue while she goes express through the Thai line?

[glegolo]

Many of my friends says that they do use the thai-line

 

glegolo

[cranki]

yes you can

[BLACKJACK2]

Yes

[damascase]

Last week at Suvarnabhumi I couldn’t use the Thai line with my partner because the Thai didn’t go through a manned station but through automated gates with passport scanning. 

Edited June 14, 2019 by damascase
Typo

[bbi1]

9 minutes ago, damascase said:

Last week at Suvarnabhumi I couldn’t use the Thai line with my partner because the Thai didn’t go through a manned station but through automated gates with passport scanning. 

At Suvarnabhumi & Don Muang, do all the Thai lines have automated gates or only some of them?

 

To the people that said "yes", would both of you present yourself at the immigration desk together when at the front of the queue, or separately?

Edited June 14, 2019 by bbi1

[DrJack54]

I'm surprised with replies. My tgf uses the e passport. 

I go in regular line. Sometimes it states foreign pp sometimes Asian.  Been through both many times. 

You telling me I can go through express Thai. Nup

[DrJack54]

5 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

At Suvarnabhumi & Don Muang, do all the Thai lines have automated gates or only some of them?

 

To the people that said "yes", would both of you present yourself at the immigration desk together when at the front of the queue, or separately?

I fly out DM every week. NEVER seen farang go through Thai gates you mention. When fly Japan etc with tgf she goes straight though her THAI e section. Waits for me past passport control

Edited June 14, 2019 by DrJack54

[fourpack]

Answer was yes I used to. Answer now no as she uses e gate 

[gamb00ler]

Last inbound trip to Swampy my wife (Thai) stood for a minute or two with me in the Thai passport line then left and used the e passport gate.  No problem.

[Scott]

Inflammatory post removed.  

 

[DrJack54]

16 minutes ago, gamb00ler said:

Last inbound trip to Swampy my wife (Thai) stood for a minute or two with me in the Thai passport line then left and used the e passport gate.  No problem.

The op stated girlfriend.

Edit. Just re read your post. Most often anyone can go Thai line. Depends on passport control traffic. You did not go through e line thai

Edited June 14, 2019 by DrJack54

[scorecard]

42 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

I fly out DM every week. NEVER seen farang go through Thai gates you mention. When fly Japan etc with tgf she goes straight though her THAI e section. Waits for me past passport control

I've been in and out of many many countries, I've always seen one person sent back if 2 present their passports at the same time to the passport imm. officer including husband and wife, friends travelling together or whatever. Only exception is smaller children, allowed to be with parent or guardian or if travelling with a very frail person.

 

Many times at Singapore Changi I've seen the supervisor come quickly if 2 or sometimes even more try to go to the desk together.

 

Why are they so serious about this? I've read before that 2 people have tried to go through together or a group in a deliberately attempt to confuse the imm. officer with 1 person slipping through without being stamped in or out.

 

In Pakistan and in India I saw imm. officers and supervisors get nasty with people who try to talk to other people waiting or people already gone through and also if the passenger is talking on their phone, instantly told strongly to turn it off.

Edited June 14, 2019 by scorecard

[scorecard]

7 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

The op stated girlfriend.

Edit. Just re read your post. Most often anyone can go Thai line. Depends on passport control traffic. You did not go through e line thai

Yes, in fact Thai immigration prefer foreigners who have PR to use the Thai line regardless of whether they are travelling alone or with a Thai or anybody.

 

[Almer]

Have always gone thro thai line at swampy, with a wife who politely asked first with the biggest smile, IO are not the a-- --les they are made out to be, well not all.

[DrJack54]

4 minutes ago, Almer said:

Have always gone thro thai line at swampy, with a wife who politely asked first with the biggest smile, IO are not the a-- --les they are made out to be, well not all.

Can you explain what occurred with YOU at passport control. Thai can just present their e passport. Any you? What is required. 

[DrJack54]

50 minutes ago, fourpack said:

Answer was yes I used to. Answer now no as she uses e gate 

The ONE sensible post. Anyone can use "Thai only".

I do it every second week. The E GATE . for Thai only is guess what...its for THAI

[Almer]

Dr Jack, stand with wife in Q, wife go to dest and ask politely if ok for me explaining husband living in Thai, IO calls me forward after wife, present passport with Retirement and multi entry pages open, a little smile and off we go.

[mikebell]

I use the over 70 priority lane; my GF sneaks in with me.

[theoldgit]

I use the over 70 priority lane; my GF sneaks in with me.

I’ve used that at BKK, do you know if there’s one at DMK?

[Jumbo1968]

We went through BKK a few weeks ago, the Thai Line was only for Thais with an E Passport, my Thai partner who doesn’t have an E Passport had too stand with me in the Farang line. 

On the way back there was a line for Thais with a non E Passport, I went through that gate with her.

Before the E Passports were introduced I always went though the Thai line with her.

[jimn]

My advice to anyone thinking of or currenty has a wife/girlfriend going to the UK is not to use the e gates and to get a stamp on exit/entry into Thailand. As the UK does not issue an exit stamp to anyone, the stamp into Thailand acts as definative proof that the person has left the UK and not breached any terms of her visa. It helps to build up a history for any future applications. Some may disagree with this but I am convinced it helps.

[Stevemercer]

8 hours ago, Matzzon said:

Mostly you can, but what is the problem for so many people to go in separate lines? You will se each other on the other side and can continue your trip to your final destination.

 

It is mostly to save time. If the foreigner lines has a few hundred people and the line for nationals only a few dozen. I always use the Thai gate with my wife. When flying to Australia she uses the Australian gate with me.

 

But electronic gating is changing this.

[scorecard]

16 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

Thais in my line at DMK some months back called officer over to kick foreigners out of their line... Told the 2 guys around me to move to the other one so the officer went after me to move... showed blue PR book... she smiled and told me to stay in that line.

 

DMK is often quite strict... Went to a foreign passport line before that and after 2 hours of waiting to get about 10 of us processed by 2 officers who kept talking to each other in heated debate and sent pretty much everyone off to supervisor, it was my turn... she looked at my blue book and said I must use Thai passport counter.... called supervisor to take me to the other counter and I was done in 20 seconds being the only one in the queue. The Thai counter lady was extremely friendly and we had a bit of chit chat after she was done.

 

Since then I always use Thai passport line. And why not register for eChannel? I know I can but gentle handling of my passport means that it'll soon fall apart and I'll need to change it, as well as blue book is about to be full, so I'll do that once both are replaced. Heard there's a problem if you apply eChannel and then change anything.

 

I have PR so I use the Thai line as requested by an Imm. officer 20+ years ago.

 

I've never seen Thais ask for foreigners to be 'kicked out of their line', nothing remotely like it.

 

A few times I've had Thai people near me in the line politely mention in Thai or in English 'this is the Thai line, foreigner line is over there' and point, always polite never aggressive or annoyed etc.

 

I show my Thai PR book with the Thai garuda symbol and instant shock, I guess because they have no idea what this book is, and it is roughly the same size / shape as a passport and it does have the garuda symbol, and once or twice I've flipped through the first couple of pages and they see my photo, always ensuring they can see the pages, they are a bit confused but also convinced he's actually on the correct line . 

 

Then all quiet or a polite continuation of the conversation 'where are you going' etc. 

 

 

Edited June 15, 2019 by scorecard

[alex8912]

22 minutes ago, scorecard said:

 

I have PR so I use the Thai line as requested by an Imm. officer 20+ years ago.

 

I've never seen Thais ask for foreigners to be 'kicked out of their line', nothing remotely like it.

 

A few times I've had Thai people near me in the line politely mention in Thai or in English 'this is the Thai line, foreigner line is over there' and point, always polite never aggressive or annoyed etc.

 

I show my Thai PR book with the Thai garuda symbol and instant shock, I guess because they have no idea what this book is, and it is roughly the same size / shape as a passport and it does have the garuda symbol, and once or twice I've flipped through the first couple of pages and they see my photo, always ensuring they can see the pages, they are a bit confused but also convinced he's actually on the correct line . 

 

Then all quiet or a polite continuation of the conversation 'where are you going' etc. 

 

 

Proving yourself in such detail to total strangers is weird I think. Not their business at all. 

[khunPer]

18 hours ago, bbi1 said:

If travelling with a Thai gf into or out of Thailand, can we use the Thai line with her at airport...

I've been doing that with both girlfriend, and alone with my Thai national child...????

[Bangkok Barry]

6 hours ago, theoldgit said:

I’ve used that at BKK, do you know if there’s one at DMK?
 

 

I asked that in a post a couple of weeks ago and received no definitive answer. That surprised me, as usually someone knows the answer to any question posed here. Most responses were about people who had paid for a fast-track service, which was partly my fault because of the way I posed the question.

It's possible that DM doesn't have an old farts gate, as the main purpose of it is for business class passengers and DM is mostly, if not all, a budget airlines airport. But I'd still love to know the answer - is there an immigration desk for business class/over 70s at DM or not.

[Matzzon]

39 minutes ago, Stevemercer said:

 

It is mostly to save time. If the foreigner lines has a few hundred people and the line for nationals only a few dozen. I always use the Thai gate with my wife. When flying to Australia she uses the Australian gate with me.

 

But electronic gating is changing this.

Ok, that might be a reason. On the other hand, it will only be about an hour or two, so not much to discuss anyway.

[ToddinChonburi]

Yes I use it at airports and hotels

[Captain 776]

Depends on the officer sitting there.   Some could care less and some won’t process u