Pathetic Immigration Service for Arriving Foreigners

[Banana7]

Horrendous slow immigration processing service for foreigners when entering Thailand at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Many immigration booths are unmanned and foreigners are experiencing the longest wait times in history. Immigration Department managers provide pathetic excuses as to why people have to wait at least an hour to get into Thailand.

 

Wait until the last quarter of this year or winter, Oct.-Mar.., when the northern hemisphere wintering snow birds come to Thailand. Expect multiple hour wait times if no changes are made quickly, to expedite immigration  processing.

 

Thai Immigration Officers have been unresponsive to complaints.

 

Edited July 20, 2019 by Banana7

[sirineou]

 Sorry you had a bad experience.Not fun to have to wait for an hour especially after a long journey.

I have not being there for a few months but last I used the airport I breezed through.

Perhaps things have changed since then or perhaps you hit the place at a bad day or wrong time, Or maybe I was there at the right time. but i travel in and out of Thailand a couple of times a year and I never had a wait experience bad enough to register in my memory.  Perhaps I have being lucky.

Let's see what other who have used the service recently also have to say.  

I certainly hope  it was a glitch.

 

PS: I have a worst experience going through immigration in the US, New York, at newark airport they have this automated machines that people self process themselves, and last I was there it was pure confusion. 

 

Edited July 20, 2019 by sirineou

[RoadWarrior371]

They could learn some things from Singapore.  Multiple YouTubers need to blast this out on the internet (after they leave Thailand of course), and let the TAT scramble.... Time for Thailand to join the new century.....

[Pilotman]

31 minutes ago, RoadWarrior371 said:

They could learn some things from Singapore.  Multiple YouTubers need to blast this out on the internet (after they leave Thailand of course), and let the TAT scramble.... Time for Thailand to join the new century.....

Send it to UK and US immigration while you are at it, they are just as bad. 

[ezzra]

Foreigners both tourists and expats in this country are measured in what they have in their wallets to enrich the coffers and nothing else, no clout, no representations, no power, no voice to protest and complain, as if we're all thin air, dare to complain and you'll be shown the door,  and so far it's just fine with the Thai government and even more so with Thais themselves, what to do? nothing much, it's like take it or leave proposition, you no like? you go home...

[poohy]

1 hour ago, Pilotman said:

Send it to UK and US immigration while you are at it, they are just as bad. 

Entering BHX a few months you dont see a IO, its all automated you are through in about 5 mins why cant they use automated machines here they do for Thais

[sirineou]

3 minutes ago, poohy said:

Entering BHX a few months you dont see a IO, its all automated you are through in about 5 mins why cant they use automated machines here they do for Thais

 Try going to JFK , 

[Salerno]

2 hours ago, sirineou said:

Let's see what other who have used the service recently also have to say.  

I certainly hope  it was a glitch.

There's numerous recent threads on here, with pics, to show it's stuffed at the moment.

 

Like you I have always breezed through but in my case probably due to landing at 6 am but it's pretty obvious its kinda stuffed at normal times and not just a "glitch" when the OP arrived.

Edited July 20, 2019 by Salerno

[Pilotman]

40 minutes ago, poohy said:

Entering BHX a few months you dont see a IO, its all automated you are through in about 5 mins why cant they use automated machines here they do for Thais

I have never been able to get one of those things to work.  Even the IOs at LHR, T5 were fuming about them. 

[KhunBENQ]

48 minutes ago, poohy said:

Entering BHX a few months you dont see a IO, its all automated you are through in about 5 mins why cant they use automated machines here they do for Thais

Entering Birmingham with a UK passport?

Not comparable at all.

Of course citizens of the arrival country or open border zones (Schengen) are privileged.

Would love to see an Afghan using automated gate arriving at UK airport.

And as you refer, Thai people can use automated gates.

 

Edited July 20, 2019 by KhunBENQ

[sirineou]

14 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

I have never been able to get one of those things to work.  Even the IOs at LHR, T5 were fuming about them. 

 They installed them at Newark NJ (EWR), a  couple of months ago we flew there, It was total bedlam, everyone was having problems , total confusion, I thought we were going to miss our connecting flight. there were more people assisting everyone trying to make these things work than if they had officers handling everything like they used to do. 

  Perhaps they will get the bugs aut, but for now these things are more trouble than they are worth.

I suspect the best thing would be to post more officers at Suvarnabhumi .  especially in a place like Thailand where wages are low, They could hire a hundred people for 10 years for what they will pay for an automated system. All this technology creates problems IMO.

Edited July 20, 2019 by sirineou
corrected airport acronym

[Pilotman]

well we all have Islamic terrorism to thank for a good deal of the long immigration queues at almost every large international port of entry in the World and for the constant rule changes and checks.  They have made living in the modern world irritating, time consuming, uncomfortable for the traveller and costly.  

[ericdiam]

few weeks ago I went phnom penh. Had to queu at immigration over A hour when was leaving And on my return nearly 1.30h. Both times only around 60% was open. Real scandal. Like I read it still going on today. No change. We are in low season now. Impossible this can go on like that in high season. Thousands of tourists will miss their flights

[SammyT]

The most grating thing is seeing the Chinese passport queues sitting comparatively empty while the rest of us paupers wait in enormously long queues. While I understand the "Thai only" queues, there is no rational explanation as to why Chinese deserve preferential treatment at the airport. 

[poohy]

1 hour ago, KhunBENQ said:

Entering Birmingham with a UK passport?

Not comparable at all.

Of course citizens of the arrival country or open border zones (Schengen) are privileged.

Would love to see an Afghan using automated gate arriving at UK airport.

And as you refer, Thai people can use automated gates.

 

Ok then i travel Bangkok to Sydney regularly 

Its all the same automated machines you are through in less than 20 minutes and no contact with IO ...so British passport into Australia? so why cant it work here?

[KhunBENQ]

10 minutes ago, poohy said:

so British passport into Australia? so why cant it work here?

I am not an expert on travel for UK citizens but isn't that due to bilateral rules or Commonwealth rules?

 

EDIT: just found about this "eVisitor" status. But really there is nothing comparable for Thailand.

Edited July 20, 2019 by KhunBENQ

[KhunBENQ]

No "eVisitor" status for Thailand but:

Re-Entry Permit, TM6, TM30, TM47, TM7 ...

[poohy]

3 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

I am not an expert on travel for UK citizens but isn't that due to bilateral rules or Commonwealth rules?

Dont know

I do know when you (whichever countries or nationalities it applies to) book a ticket it generates an electronic visa or acceptance of stay  for i think 6 months so this is on file so i am sure that helps. But in Thailand  there must be solutions if hi tech wont work maybe building more gates for IM and pro active queue monitoring but in reality it seems nothing will be done

And no one wants to queue for 2 hours after a 13 hour flight its going and is going to P**S people off big time

[scubascuba3]

I don't think you can complain in Thailand about anything

[HLover]

1 hour ago, SammyT said:

there is no rational explanation as to why Chinese deserve preferential treatment at the airport.

Safe to assume it rhymes with money.

[OJAS]

On 7/20/2019 at 10:50 AM, RoadWarrior371 said:

They could learn some things from Singapore.

But definitely not Paris (CDG) in my experience. Lengthy immigration queues (much worse than any which I've seen at BKK) are the strict order of the day at that particular dump of an airport, with only half/two-thirds of the booths manned generally speaking.