Back you go! Thirteen foreigners with no money denied entry to Thailand

[Just Weird]

2 hours ago, Lee65 said:

Joe:  And you know this how?

Just curious......

 

It's happened to friends of mine.

"It's happened to friends of mine".

Of course it has!  More Thaivisa poster hearsay.

[Just Weird]

2 hours ago, Sticky Wicket said:

Who on earth travels to another country with over 500 quid of foreign currency??

The exchange rates for changing currency in our home countries are beyond brutal!

People come here and then change at Super Rich or other places at their destination

Also why don't they notify all the embassies that this is a prerequisite to entering so they can update their pages.

Most people wouldn't have a scooby about it

GBP/USD/EUR, etc. are acceptable, doesn't have to be THB!

[david555]

1 minute ago, smedly said:

I have never heard of a tourist having a bank account in a country they travel too

you can be a tourist for long time , and also having re entry …., different categories as tourist are possible .

This only for the doubt tourist can not have a Thai bank account .

But understanding the requirement to have the value of 20 000 baht in any currencies as control measure 

[Lemonltr]

3 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I find it hard to believe that so many people in one day arrived without any money. As we all know the ATM machines are located AFTER immigration, and we have all heard of countless occasions when people with plenty of money have been denied before they got that far. As for being denied for no insurance, I wasn't aware that had become mandatory 

 

On the contrary. Not all of the millions of tourists know that ATM machines are AFTER immigration. I suspect also only a few are aware that they might have to carry 20.000 baht equiv in cash. Therefore I think it perverse that they don't put ATMs BEFORE immigration for those who have plenty of funds. 

[Just Weird]

2 hours ago, Sticky Wicket said:

They do it all the time. They even knock back people with 20k on them & won't even look at the cash.

They do not "do it all the time".

[Sticky Wicket]

1 minute ago, Lemonltr said:

On the contrary. Not all of the millions of tourists know that ATM machines are AFTER immigration. I suspect also only a few are aware that they might have to carry 20.000 baht equiv in cash. Therefore I think it perverse that they don't put ATMs BEFORE immigration for those who have plenty of funds. 

Really it should come up as a warning when you are about to book your flight!!

It should also be written on the arrival card .

[Sticky Wicket]

Just now, Just Weird said:

They do not "do it all the time".

struggling with comprehension again, oh dear

[smedly]

1 hour ago, Sticky Wicket said:

A few years ago I got to Victory Monument and I had no Thai cash. 

Trying to change a 20 quid note with Thais was like I was some kind of witch doctor. It was early in the morning and no exchanges were open. It took almost an hour before somebody could recognise the note and it's worth

sounds like a real sensible thing to do, wondering around in the early hours with no local currency or means to get it and here you are giving us all travel advice multiple times on this thread - seriously   ? 

[Just Weird]

1 hour ago, Sticky Wicket said:

They want to see baht, you don't think they are going to spend 5 minutes trying to calculate your currency do you!!

No, they don't, the equivalent in currency is acceptable.

[White Christmas13]

1 hour ago, Sticky Wicket said:

They want to see baht, you don't think they are going to spend 5 minutes trying to calculate your currency do you!!

And you expect us to change from our currency to Thai baht in our country

where we get stuff all we get more when we exchange in Thailand

[Traubert]

9 minutes ago, Sticky Wicket said:

You may well sigh.

You link a page from 2010 way before the country was taken over by the Junta

In 2010 you could travel at will without a question being asked on various visas

I think you will find things have changed drastically since then

Ok, here's one from 2017.

 

https://liveandletsfly.boardingarea.com/2017/07/20/thailand-tourist-cash-requirement/

 

When I travel in from China 4/5 times a year, on check in, Chinese travellers are advised that they will need to carry 3000CNY to get VOA.

 

Mate, just look it up. I'm not your secretary.

[Sticky Wicket]

Just now, smedly said:

sounds like a real sensible thing to do, wondering around in the early hours with no local currency or means to get it and here you are giving us all travel advice multiple times on this thread - seriously   ? 

It was about 7am.

The reason I couldn't get any cash out of the atm was because the card was denied as I forgot to tell my bank I was travelling on that date. 

I had returned to Thailand in a rush due to a family emergency 

 

[Sticky Wicket]

2 minutes ago, White Christmas13 said:

And you expect us to change from our currency to Thai baht in our country

where we get stuff all we get more when we exchange in Thailand

I agree with you, I was just stating what happens in reality

[shy coconut]

3 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I find it hard to believe that so many people in one day arrived without any money. As we all know the ATM machines are located AFTER immigration, and we have all heard of countless occasions when people with plenty of money have been denied before they got that far. As for being denied for no insurance, I wasn't aware that had become mandatory yet.

I always bring sterling with me, so no need for an ATM.

 

I have never been asked to show any cash on arrival but make sure I have enough just in case.

Sadly I need more sterling on every trip ????

[smedly]

57 minutes ago, scorecard said:

and there are plenty of ways to hide cash. 

as a rule I always wash my hands after handling a lot of cash you never know where its been 

[geronimo]

Just now, shy coconut said:

I always bring sterling with me, so no need for an ATM.

 

I have never been asked to show any cash on arrival but make sure I have enough just in case.

Sadly I need more sterling on every trip ????

Soon it will be much easier, when one GPB is equal to one baht!!!!

[shy coconut]

3 hours ago, Lee65 said:

And then they detain these people.  Put them in a room until their flight out - but only on the same airline, to the same origin - is available.  Sometimes for days.

 

No reason required.  No true justification.  Could & does happen to anyone - including wealthy farangs.  Just at the whim of an IO. 

 

Nice country, Thailand.    

 

Whereas every other country in the world rolls out the red carpet to anyone landing

at their airports. There are absolutely no rules or immigration procedures anywhere

other than Thailand....

[watcharacters]

25 minutes ago, geronimo said:

I doubt if any person with no funds could enter any country these days .....

 

Yep, and if they have too much cash they'll be arrested  as potential drug traffickers.

 

Sometimes it's just better to stay in bed.

 

 

[Don Mega]

Jeeez Bt.20k aint much at all... who goes on holiday with no money ?

[Just Weird]

1 hour ago, Sujo said:

I have never travelled with anything more than $50 cash to any country. I just use an atm at the airport to get local currency. 

 

I have also never had any kind of insurance at all, ever.

 

So I think Thailand is off the list more my long weekends away every month.

I'm sure you'll be missed.

[BurgerGung]

2 hours ago, Sticky Wicket said:

When will people start to get assessed at point of origin??

The carriers are going to get pissed off with this after a while

Why's that? Are you saying that they have to fly the rejected passengers back at their own expense?!?

 

Unlike when the airline overlooked an issue with their passports, travellers must pay for their one-way flight back

[Just Weird]

55 minutes ago, Sticky Wicket said:

The stupid thing is you aren't even allowed to go to a cash point and withdraw it ( if asked)

Nobody is "not allowed to go to an ATM", there aren't any before passing through Immigration.

[Sticky Wicket]

1 minute ago, BurgerGung said:

Why's that? Are you saying that they have to fly the rejected passengers back at their own expense?!?

 

Unlike when the airline overlooked an issue with their passports, travellers must pay for their one-way flight back

Yeh the airline have to pay if you don't sign the Thai document that they put in front of you

[Sticky Wicket]

1 minute ago, Just Weird said:

Nobody is "not allowed to go to an ATM", there aren't any before passing through Immigration.

You've missed my point.........again . Never mind

[Briggsy]

2 minutes ago, BurgerGung said:

Why's that? Are you saying that they have to fly the rejected passengers back at their own expense?!?

 

Unlike when the airline overlooked an issue with their passports, travellers must pay for their one-way flight back

Your first paragraph is wrong. The airline is responsible.

 

The second paragraph is wrong. The airline is responsible. I understand why you think that but the international travel regulations state it is the airline's responsibility.

 

However in reality, in Bangkok, the immigration liaison guy will put a lot of pressure on denied passengers to make them pay. This pressure includes holding them indefinitely in the airport detention centre.

[Just Weird]

36 minutes ago, geronimo said:

Spanish for "what"

I know.

[Chelseafan]

3 hours ago, darksidedog said:

. As for being denied for no insurance, I wasn't aware that had become mandatory yet.

I suppose in the eyes of the IO, if you have no money then how are you going to pay the hospital bills if things go wrong.

 

 

[Just Weird]

36 minutes ago, Sticky Wicket said:

You may well sigh.

You link a page from 2010 way before the country was taken over by the Junta

In 2010 you could travel at will without a question being asked on various visas

I think you will find things have changed drastically since then

The rule still applies, cash if required and it can be THB or any other acceptable currency.

 

"In 2010 you could travel at will without a question being asked on various visas"

What do you mean?  That's just nonsense, IOs have always been able to question visitors about their visas and always have done.

[smedly]

I think everyone has the basic understanding that it is always better to travel with cash and currency from your home country if you don't want to get stitched up with exchange rates...……………….travel 101

[Briggsy]

Just now, Chelseafan said:

I suppose in the eyes of the IO, if you have no money then how are you going to pay the hospital bills if things go wrong.

 

 

The overwhelming majority of these people denied for "no money" as you put it under section 12 (2) or (9) have means to support their stay. However, Immigration is denying them entry for other reasons, usually repeat visits, and then twisting the law and twisting the story to the press on this occasion to portray a different picture. 

 

Immigration should just state that they are arbitrarily denying passengers entry for repeat visits. It is mystifying why they publicly give one reason but inform passengers of a different reason.