Entering Thailand multiple times short term. Red flags?

[soistalker]

My wife and I own a condo in Thailand. We live in different Asian country. I regularly escape to the condo for a week or two every couple of months. Typical pattern would look something like 10 days in Thailand, go to Cambodia, return to Thailand for a few days, then back to the other Asian country where we live. 

I have never extended my stay and dont think I have stayed anywhere close to 30 days in Thailand in one stint.

My question is if this is going to cause me trouble at immigration. Immigration officers always see multiple stamps, but I always get processed quickly, and never asked any questions. Going forward, I am concerned, though. Is this pattern raising red flags?

[JamJar]

Not likely. They fully expect tourists to just stay for short periods. It's the ones that stay for long periods continuously, with only a border run in between who come in for closer scrutiny.

 

Your total annually does not even exceed three months. 

 

So only an overzealous IO would draw attention to it, but a supervisor would likely overrule any spurious objection.

 

[MadMuhammad]

I had 30 VE entries in 7 years, some  extended, some full 30 days and some short term. I had 8 entries in 2016 and not once have I ever had any issue. The only words spoken to me were ‘passport please’ and ‘step back, picture’

You will be fine 

[BoBoTheClown]

Just look confident and pray. 

[aussieinphuket]

make the most of it, you will definitely get Red Flagged its just when, i know this because it has happened to 3 of my friends who own villas here and visa regularly from HKG and Singapore....

 

use my friend from HKG he owns 2 villas here.... he would visit for one to 2 weeks on each occasion and around ever few months.... i am not 100 pct sure how many times he had been in that year when stopped at Immigration but it may have been 4th or 5th visit in 12 months, they didn't want to let him in on a tourist visa they wanted to kick him out and told him get a 6 month visa not sure what is classed or called maybe someone else can explain this, he has money so he just opted to buy the Thai Elite card for thb 500k which gives him 5 years visa and he now doesnt have any issues..

 

the 2 others were both foreign girlfriends from HKG and Korea who would come and join partners here on a tourist visa but were put back on planes and set him the same day...

 

then there is another from of mine from the UK he also owns a nice villa here but he goes to the Thai Embassy/Consulate where he lives i think Northern part UK and he gets a 6 month visa each time for some silly cheap price and just comes and goes as he likes with no issues.. so there is a way maybe you need to investigate this option which obviously takes time and effort but gives you peace of mind and saves you paying for a Thai Elite card which is expensive but makes life so much easier (so get other benefits not just a 5 year visa also VIP in/out airports international flights and also limo transfers for free and some other services..)

 

just remembered has 2 mates who are offshore workers so something like 2 months on 1 month off both were reflagged and had to buy the Thai Elite as they never travelled back to there home countries and were too young to apply for Retirement Visa... if you over 50 maybe that's another solution to get as its much cheaper and for 12 months but you would need a thai back acct with thb 1.6 mill in it and maintained at this level to get this visa. with Thai Elite its a one of payment and no money in the bank account.

 

good luck..

 

[TigerandDog]

Based on recent reports, IO's are cracking down on visa's on arrival at airports and applying the maximum of 4 visits per calendar year. People are either being refused entry or forced to buy a tourist visa if they have reached this limit of 4 per year.

[ubonjoe]

17 minutes ago, TigerandDog said:

Based on recent reports, IO's are cracking down on visa's on arrival at airports and applying the maximum of 4 visits per calendar year. People are either being refused entry or forced to buy a tourist visa if they have reached this limit of 4 per year.

Perhaps for a 15 day visa on arrival that only those from certain countries can get.

Where would they buy a tourist visa if they were denied entry. Most that can get a visa on arrival can only apply for tourist visa in their home country.

Or are you writing about a 30 day visa exempt. There are no reports of them being limited to 4 a year. Sound like one of the usual rumors going around.

[jacko45k]

6 hours ago, TigerandDog said:

Based on recent reports, IO's are cracking down on visa's on arrival at airports and applying the maximum of 4 visits per calendar year. People are either being refused entry or forced to buy a tourist visa if they have reached this limit of 4 per year.

I guess you mean Visa Exempt and for that there is no official limit. I have heard the number of 4 / year as causing a flag at Immigration that might get a person scrutinized a little more. 

[soistalker]

Thanks for the responses. My passport looks like a kindergartener's notebook after having been given a new stamp set. So, everytime I walk up to the counter, I worry about getting denied entry.  I am always dressed casually, and I look clean and shaven. Maybe that helps.

[Salerno]

21 hours ago, aussieinphuket said:

if you over 50 maybe that's another solution to get as its much cheaper and for 12 months but you would need a thai back acct with thb 1.6 mill in it and maintained at this level to get this visa.

Say what? No such visa, no such requirement.

Obviously talking about extension of stay based on retirement, 800K Bht which can drop to 400K for 7 months.