Chances of denied entry at BKK

[Briggsy]

2 hours ago, GeraldB22 said:

 

 

Yes that is what I will be hoping.  It is my understanding that when they scan the passport upon it being handed to them, they see the previous entry and arrival data of the person regardless of whether the passport is new or not. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the previous poster says, they have to call up all the previous entries. It may well be only the supervisor can access all your history. So a new passport helps but there are no guarantees.

[Briggsy]

4 hours ago, MartiniMan said:

Buy the visa from hull immigration before you arrive - this gives you 3 months non-debatable entry you will get instant approval

Prepare 20k baht in your pocket incase asked for proof of cash

Learn some thai, smile and be friendly say you have fallen in love with the country - have a girlfriend - want to learn thai and you love the country

Their training is to look for poor and trouble makers, part of that is looking for people not smiling or in 'holiday mode' because this is a red flag that you are not what you say you are

There is absolutely no reason you cannot enter with tourist visa provided you have bought one before - if you wait for visa on arrival that is a bit iffy because it's like a last minute thing and really just use a 90 day visa before you arrive and you be all good

You can say you plan to do a education visa or open a business and are still doing research on your options - you can explain your girlfriends family plan to do a import export business or something be polite, wear a suit or dress well and be very friendly and open with nothing to hide you will have no problems my friend - manners go a very long way in thai culture

If you have a visa already you will be given entry as it is a legal status - so just buy one in hull its about £25 or so plus a signed envelope very quick and easy

Gosh, @MartiniMan your advice may have been true 10 years ago, but boy is it out of date now.

 

Not sure what your "visa from Hull" is but a single entry tourist visa gives you 60 days. This is certainly "debatable" if you have been following this forum. Many denied with SETV and previous visits.

 

The 20K cash doesn't work any more.

 

Neither does learning Thai. It actually may hinder you. "I love Thailand" doesn't work.

 

Their current training is to look for people staying a long time irrespective of how smiley or poor you look.

 

Clearly you haven't been following because numerous people with tourist visas have been denied entry under the "no appropriate means of supporting oneself" catch all denial.

 

There was a long thread just the other day where a guy with a suit was denied.

 

Again, a visa nowadays is certainly not a "given entry".

 

I am sure you are well-meaning but your advice is terrible. No offence.

[SpanishExpat]

8 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

As the previous poster says, they have to call up all the previous entries. It may well be only the supervisor can access all your history. So a new passport helps but there are no guarantees.

Nope..they can see it on their screen at the immigration booth. I saw the IO looking closely at the screen and counting with her fingers:) She then called the supervisor, who printed out the list in her office and went trough it on detail. It`s just a basic list with your name and dates/airport you entered/left in Thailand. However, I have no clue if that list appears automatically once they scan your passport at the immigration booth or it requires extra work (guess it`s automatically)

[Briggsy]

Just now, SpanishExpat said:

Nope..they can see it on their screen at the immigration booth. I saw the IO looking closely at the screen and counting with her fingers:) She then called the supervisor, who printed out the list in her office and went trough it on detail. It`s just a basic list with your name and dates/airport you entered/left in Thailand. However, I have no clue if that list appears automatically once they scan your passport at the immigration booth or it requires extra work (guess it`s automatically)

Going back 2 years, I flew in from Hong Kong. Passport was full of Thai tourist visas from the last 4 years. Female IO took me to a supervisor to pull up my history going back even further. So there are or were levels of history that could be viewed.

 

It could be their systems have got better recently or maybe it is an extra screen as you suggest. 

 

Either way, I am sure that a passport full of Thai stamps gains their interest. Ultimately the decision to escalate and ultimately deny is made on the spot and anything that draws their attention such as a full passport will make a denial more likely.

 

 

[Parker2100]

They will have your old passport in the database now.  Plus any notes they put in it.  The fact that you have a new passport is a minus because getting a new passport has been a tactic in the past to get around their bull umm...crap.

 

25000 is a plus.  If questioned about anything, be sure to show the money whether they ask or not.

 

The fact that you returned to you home country for 3 months is also a plus.

 

Be careful of the 180-day bogus rule they use.  If you have been in thailand 180 days in a rolling 12 month period, they will hastle you.  Its suppose to be 180 days in a calendar year but they count any way they like (because its a made-up rule anyway).

 

In summary, these days I cannot say for sure.  I agree with someone above.  Its a 50/50 proposition.

[Briggsy]

I would say 65% straight in, 20% in with a couple of grumpy questions, 15% chance of denial. 

[Salerno]

5 hours ago, MartiniMan said:

... this gives you 3 months non-debatable entry ...

55555

[Parker2100]

4 hours ago, Briggsy said:

Gosh, @MartiniMan your advice may have been true 10 years ago, but boy is it out of date now.

 

Not sure what your "visa from Hull" is but a single entry tourist visa gives you 60 days. This is certainly "debatable" if you have been following this forum. Many denied with SETV and previous visits.

 

The 20K cash doesn't work any more.

 

Neither does learning Thai. It actually may hinder you. "I love Thailand" doesn't work.

 

Their current training is to look for people staying a long time irrespective of how smiley or poor you look.

 

Clearly you haven't been following because numerous people with tourist visas have been denied entry under the "no appropriate means of supporting oneself" catch all denial.

 

There was a long thread just the other day where a guy with a suit was denied.

 

Again, a visa nowadays is certainly not a "given entry".

 

I am sure you are well-meaning but your advice is terrible. No offence.

 

 

I agree 100%.   This gentleman is clearly in a time-warp.  No offense.  I know he means well.

[DrJack54]

2 hours ago, Parker2100 said:

 

 

I agree 100%.   This gentleman is clearly in a time-warp.  No offense.  I know he means well.

You are correct. Just add boring note to members. Recent reentry I past imm at DM inbound, called back by io because she realized she had made mistake re date. 

From behind I noticed two pics on her her screen. One my current entry picture and side by side my previous entry picture.

No big deal...just bit surprise.

[PingRoundTheWorld]

6 hours ago, Briggsy said:

I flew in from Hong Kong. Passport was full of Thai tourist visas from the last 4 years. Female IO took me to a supervisor to pull up my history going back even further.

There you go - what prompted the extra attention was the passport full of visas/stamps, not the computer. And female IO. Was this at DMK too? or BKK?

 

6 hours ago, Parker2100 said:

The fact that you have a new passport is a minus because getting a new passport has been a tactic in the past to get around their bull umm...crap.

That's just misinformation. From experience - a passport full of stamps = extra attention and questions. A new passport is not a minus - people get new passports all the time for valid reasons (expiry, passport damaged or lost, etc).

 

6 hours ago, Parker2100 said:

Be careful of the 180-day bogus rule they use.  If you have been in thailand 180 days in a rolling 12 month period, they will hastle you.  Its suppose to be 180 days in a calendar year but they count any way they like (because its a made-up rule anyway).

There is no such rule. Maybe they made it up in DMK, but I haven't heard of it being used in BKK or anywhere else. Just avoid DMK and you'll likely be OK unless your history is really bad i.e. back-to-back with almost no time out of the country.

 

I think that's the main things that draw their attention: passport full of Thailand stamps, and back-to-back with no time outside Thailand - which means you are more likely to work than someone who spends weeks or months at a time out.

[GeraldB22]

2 minutes ago, PingRoundTheWorld said:

There you go - what prompted the extra attention was the passport full of visas/stamps, not the computer. And female IO. Was this at DMK too? or BKK?

 

That's just misinformation. From experience - a passport full of stamps = extra attention and questions. A new passport is not a minus - people get new passports all the time for valid reasons (expiry, passport damaged or lost, etc).

 

There is no such rule. Maybe they made it up in DMK, but I haven't heard of it being used in BKK or anywhere else. Just avoid DMK and you'll likely be OK unless your history is really bad i.e. back-to-back with almost no time out of the country.

 

I think that's the main things that draw their attention: passport full of Thailand stamps, and back-to-back with no time outside Thailand - which means you are more likely to work than someone who spends weeks or months at a time out.

 

I can confirm this is the case. As i mentioned in my original post, I was previously stopped at the airport. 

I was only at the IO booth about 10 seconds before the IO mentioned all my previous entries, asking me why I had so many for one year, the IO then called over someone to escort me to the questioning area. On the flight I was on there were at least 3 others pulled aside. I had a tourist visa also. They didn't seem to listen to anything anyone was saying and seemed just repeated that this is not what a tourist visa is for. When you sit down they have a printout of your prior entry history ready
 

[mike787]

Yes, not only you but many of us will be rejected.  Male sure you have a plan B, C, D, etc...

[GeraldB22]

If in September I am denied entry on arrival, does the unused Tourist Visa remain valid? For me to return and enter through a land crossing?

[BritTim]

51 minutes ago, GeraldB22 said:

If in September I am denied entry on arrival, does the unused Tourist Visa remain valid? For me to return and enter through a land crossing?

It should remain valid, yes. The question will be where you are flown to by the airline that brought you to Thailand. Many airlines have limited flights out of your arrival airport in Thailand. If you have a return ticket already booked, they will likely grab that and use it.

 

If you believe you are at risk of denied entry, some points to bear in mind:

• Since the airline often prefers to return you to where you just came from, it can be useful if your can arrange for your last embarkation point before arrival in Thailand to be
  • convenient for your plan to eventually enter Thailand by land, and
  • in a country you will have no problem entering without a visa.
• if the airline you fly in on has an extensive flight network out of your arrival airport, you are more likely to be able to negotiate being flown to somewhere you want to go.
• If there are no unused flight sectors you have already purchased that the airline can grab you have leverage. The airline must fly you out of Thailand whether or not you can and will pay. While they can try to get reimbursement later, it is better for them if you pay up voluntarily. Make clear to the airline representative that you will immediately pay to go where you want (remember, it must be on that airline) but will resist attempts to be forced to pay for flights you do not want to take.

[donnacha]

1 hour ago, GeraldB22 said:

If in September I am denied entry on arrival, does the unused Tourist Visa remain valid? For me to return and enter through a land crossing?

Many people have done that and I have not yet heard of any IO cancel-stamping the visa when denying entry but, of course, they could start doing that, or you might just get a vindictive IO.

I can confirm that @MartiniMan's claim that visas give you "non-debatable entry" is long out-of-date. For at least a couple of years now, it has made no difference whatsoever to the IOs in either of the Bangkok airports, they will still cast a suspicious eye over your previous entries and you have to argue your case. They have an absolute right to refuse you entry. The only utility of the visa is that it allows you to stay longer.

Based on the history you have given, with a male IO I would say you have a 75% chance of entry without any questions at DMK, 85% at BKK, and 95% at any of the other airports (damn near 100% at some).

With a female IO, you have a 50% chance of no questions at DMK, 70% at BKK, and 90% at the other airports.

 

So, not worth getting too stressed, you will probably be fine. Of course, the above guesses presume you do not have visible tattoos, earrings, dreadlocked hair, or any other forms of attention-getting adornment. In that case, all bets are off, they are very familiar with the warning signs of lower-class westerners.

In recent years, I have also adopted the habit of not accepting any alcohol on the plane to Thailand, and I usually take the opportunity to splash some water on my face and generally freshen up in the toilet before landing. Your one and only goal is to have the IO decide you are not of interest before he even looks at your passport.

Do not have earphones in your ears when you approach the IO, do not check your phone while you are in the part of the queue visible to IOs, and have your form filled out correctly with writing as neat as possible. Hand him your passport with the data page open, nod and smile slightly but do not speak any Thai - there are so many small things that can trip you up. If you are questioned, remain super-humanly calm, friendly in an understated way. Remember, will not understand that you might be tired after a long flight, and will not cut you any slack if you become tetchy.

If you cannot avoid a female IO, again, your goal is to not be noticed, to avoid giving her a hook to perceive you as a bad guy. Female IOs are worse because, if they do start questioning you, they find it so much easier to find something to be suspicious about, and are then more ruthless about proceeding to denial of entry.

Be friendly in an understated manner, polite smile rather than cheesy grin, even if you are American. Speak no Thai, not even sawasdee, resist the temptation to impress. Speak softly but clearly, and in a deep voice if possible. Do not speak in pigeon English, female IOs are hyper-sensitive to anything they deem to be patronizing.

 

Answer her questions politely but do not say too much. Do not babble nervously about how much you love Thailand. Never, ever raise your voice, no matter how provocative or dismissive she is of what you say.

Do not mention your girlfriend. At a push, say you are visiting your friend. If she asks if it is your girlfriend modestly reply that you "hope so", as if you are just at the start of your romance. Play it so, so carefully - Thai females generally have extreme ideas about why western men come to Thailand, and female IOs are the ultimate distillation of that.
 

AirAsia and the other regional carriers are a godsend, because you can now fly into countries that welcome foreigners, such as Malaysia or Hong Kong or Vietnam, and then catch a cheap flight to a regional airport in Thailand, bypassing Bangkok entirely. If you are still rejected, you can get a cheap ticket back to KL or HK or HCMC, rather than your home country, but it is very rare to get rejected from the smaller Thai airports, those IOs seem to be more aware of the importance of tourism for their region.

 

I agree with the comments about Thailand not really being worth the trouble unless you already have attachments or investments here. That may well change again in the future if there is a return to a business-oriented government, I would not be surprised to see an eventual return to the easy six-month multi-entry tourist visas we had before the coup, but not under the current gang.

 

 

Edited August 6, 2019 by donnacha

[BritTim]

@donnacha: Most of your post is an interesting point of view, worth taking into account. I disagree that smaller airports are necessarily better than larger ones. Chiang Mai (a fairly large airport) seems generally OK. The worst recent horror story on TV regarding denied entry was a report from Krabi.

[donnacha]

17 minutes ago, BritTim said:

The worst recent horror story on TV regarding denied entry was a report from Krabi.

That's interesting, had not heard about Krabi, thanks.

Chiang Mai and Udon are notable for rarely asking anything at all, in my experience never once during dozens of arrivals into each, even with a ridiculous number of previous entries in my passport.

The Bangkok airports become impossible for me at a certain point. My impression is that the ambitious IOs end up in the capital and compete to hit the highest numbers, whereas the regional IOs are under no particular pressure, they may even identify with the economic interests of their region.

One funny tip I heard was to arrive in Chiang Mai during the smog season (Jan - May) when non-Chinese tourism collapses, they will let almost anyone in. Just don't stick around there if you value your health ????

 

Edited August 6, 2019 by donnacha

[Parker2100]

21 hours ago, PingRoundTheWorld said:

That's just misinformation. From experience - a passport full of stamps = extra attention and questions. A new passport is not a minus - people get new passports all the time for valid reasons (expiry, passport damaged or lost, etc).

In his case, having a new passport when the old one is full of stamps is a minus.  The IO will see that on the screen and think he got the new passport to hide it.  That's the way they think.

 

And don't tell people not to worry about the 180 days.  I know it is bogus.  But people need to know the crap that could be thrown at them.  People have been denide for that (me). Not long ago they were not so harsh at the airports.  Look how fast that changed.

[PingRoundTheWorld]

On 8/7/2019 at 1:26 AM, donnacha said:

it is very rare to get rejected from the smaller Thai airports, those IOs seem to be more aware of the importance of tourism for their region.

Is this really true though? I recall reading reports of people denied in Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi... I have personally never been denied, and always come in via BKK, but I was questioned twice last year around this time of the year. I believe because my passport was full of exempt stamps and extensions. After changing passports and getting a METV I haven't received a single question since.

 

On 8/7/2019 at 1:26 AM, donnacha said:

I would not be surprised to see an eventual return to the easy six-month multi-entry tourist visas we had before the coup, but not under the current gang.

Technically the METV is pretty much the same - 6 months multi-entry - however there have been reports of people on METV being denied too so even that is not bullet proof with the current climate.

[donnacha]

1 hour ago, PingRoundTheWorld said:

Technically the METV is pretty much the same - 6 months multi-entry

Significant technical differences which discourage and, in some cases, effectively rule out most of the people actually in a position to stay for 6 - 9 months:
 

1. Letter from your employer as proof of employment, or your certified tax return + company registration certificate if you are self-employed.

2. Original bank statements showing a minimum of £5,000 in the account continuously for 6 months per person. If a joint account (two named account holders), the minimum amount is £10,000 continuously for 6 months.

3. Can only apply in your country of citizenship or residence (so, no longer possible to pop over to KL, Vientiane or HCMC).

4. Fee of £125 per person vs £40. No return of fee if your application is rejected.

5. These more complicated METV applications are now posted to the larger embassies within a region. For example, the London embassy now processes applications from Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England, rather than being handed back to you the same day in the small, friendly consulates in Glasgow, Hull, Dublin etc who were generally delighted to be getting £40. You often got to have a friendly chat with the clerk handling your application, and no-one got rejected unless they were on a black-list. Rejections under the new system are frequent, there are so many details they can get stuck on and the whole thing is depersonalized.

6. On arrival, holders of the new METV are denied entry far more often than the previous visa.

In the context of the sentence you quoted - my hope for a return to the easier, pre-coup system - it is bizarre to suggest the two systems are "pretty much the same". Everything that could be made more difficult was made more difficult.  I understand that the above factors may not be a problem for you but we know that the number of Western tourist visa applications dropped dramatically after the new system was introduced, so, presumably many people are not as fortunate as you.

 

1 hour ago, PingRoundTheWorld said:

Is this really true though? I recall reading reports of people denied in Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi... I have personally never been denied, and always come in via BKK, but I was questioned twice last year around this time of the year.

Well, most of us do not get denied. Most of the time, you answer their questions and are granted entry, but being at the mercy of an inexplicably cranky IO, even for a few minutes, is a reminder that it can always go the other way. Even if you have never been denied entry, the mere fact of being questioned is something to be wary of. For that reason, it is smarter to use airports where the percentage of Westerners getting questioned is dramatically lower.

When you are flying in and out of Thailand dozens of times per year, year after year, you notice that you are far more likely to be questioned in certain airports. Most of us here would agree that we are far more likely to be questioned in the Bangkok airports, just as you were. I have only ever been questioned in the Bangkok airports, and DMK is noticeably less friendly. I am surprised there is any argument about that, it strikes me as being abundantly clear.

 

1 hour ago, PingRoundTheWorld said:

After changing passports and getting a METV I haven't received a single question since.

 

Your problem is not how Immigration Officers respond to your brand new passport containing one visa. Unless you plan to get a new passport for every new METV, your problem is 2 or 3 years down the road when a 23-year old IO, who has never been outside her own country, flicks past your then 2 or 3 METVs and decides that you have been visiting Thailand too often. As you sit in a poxy holding room, waiting for the ridiculously expensive last-minute flight back to your home country, it will be too late to consider whether all the forum members saying the Bangkok airports are tougher than the smaller airports might have been right, and whether you might now, instead, be enjoying the fresh, immaculate air of Chiang Mai.



 

Edited August 12, 2019 by donnacha

[lamyai3]

2 hours ago, PingRoundTheWorld said:

On 8/7/2019 at 1:26 AM, donnacha said:

I would not be surprised to see an eventual return to the easy six-month multi-entry tourist visas we had before the coup, but not under the current gang.

Technically the METV is pretty much the same - 6 months multi-entry - however there have been reports of people on METV being denied too so even that is not bullet proof with the current climate.

Before the METV was introduced in November 2015 there were single, double or triple entry tourist visas. The triple was only available from home country, though doubles could be obtained elsewhere - I got one in Hong Kong. A triple entry visa in the UK circa 2015 was good for up to nine months, not dissimilar to a METV now, except:

- It was available by post with zero supporting documentation 

- it cost £75 as opposed to £150 under the new e-visa system

- getting the visa via either post or in-person application was pretty much guaranteed, irrespective of visa history, and years of back to back visas were no obstacle

- denial of entry at a Thai airport was not a risk in any way

 

As I recall the introduction of the METV was heralded as a great success, rolled out after meetings with (Chiang Mai?) expat groups and immigration, yet it quickly revealed itself to be a dog's breakfast in relation to it's predecessors (as did the Non O-X retirement visa option - both being proof that no good deed in attempted immigration reform goes unpunished). 

 

Worth adding here that a few years earlier in 2012, the triple entry tourist visa itself felt like a considerable downgrade in the wake of the scrapping of Non O-A multiple entry one year visas on the basis of visiting friends and family. These were good for up to 15 months each, and had no age restriction, available by post without supporting documentation from several regional consulates in the UK and also in some European countries for their own nationals. The extent of how much things have changed in a few short years is quite mind blowing. 

[BritTim]

On 8/7/2019 at 2:28 AM, donnacha said:

Chiang Mai and Udon are notable for rarely asking anything at all, in my experience never once during dozens of arrivals into each, even with a ridiculous number of previous entries in my passport.

I assume you were only using Udon for domestic flights (no immigration formalities) right? While Udon Thani is officially an international airport, I am not aware of any scheduled international flights that use that airport.

[donnacha]

7 hours ago, BritTim said:

I assume you were only using Udon for domestic flights (no immigration formalities) right? While Udon Thani is officially an international airport, I am not aware of any scheduled international flights that use that airport.

 

My memory could be faulty, but didn't they allow you to handle your immigration formalities in Udon for some flights connecting via BKK? That certainly happens in Chiang Mai.

And didn't some small Vietnamese airline (VietJet? JetStar?) run a short-lived direct route between Udon and Dong Hoi or somewhere daft like that?

[donnacha]

9 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

a few years earlier in 2012, the triple entry tourist visa itself felt like a considerable downgrade in the wake of the scrapping of Non O-A multiple entry one year visas on the basis of visiting friends and family. These were good for up to 15 months each

Ah, right. That, or whatever similar visa was available in the 90's, is what entrenched my connection with Thailand in the first place. Under the current system, I simply would not bother with Thailand for anything more than short visits and connecting flights. I suppose, if starting out today, I would spend most of my time in the Philippines.

 

9 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

The extent of how much things have changed in a few short years is quite mind blowing.

It really is. I doubt any real information will ever leak out, but I would be curious to learn why elite Thai sentiment turned against the idea of having farangs spend more time in the country. I understand that high-spending short-term visitors are a more attractive proposition, particularly if you have shares in the big hotels, but I always thought that having westerners with relatively high spending power spread out around the country, often supporting entire, otherwise destitute families, was a neat trick.

I mean, yes, beyond Pattaya, farangs generally did not throw money around with wild abandon, but I often observed that local businesses were propped up by our spending - the few farangs in a village might represent a small restaurant's profit margin. My income may not have been particularly high, but it certainly got spent, mostly in small businesses, and usually on things that the Thais around me needed.

I do not kid myself that this was type of spending was important to the economy as a whole, but it strikes me as having been at least a small positive, replicated throughout the country, and not something that stopped them simultaneously developing whatever form of high-end tourism they thought might be better. I do not understand how getting rid of a business and reputation built up organically over half a century - and, therefore, relatively resistant to trends and economic cycles -  helps them.

Thailand will be fine, but it does seem to be unnecessary slap to the poorest Thais with no obvious upside for the elites. Was our presence really so embarrassing?

[GeraldB22]

An update to this:

 

I was allowed entry however it did seem 50/50. 

 

I think that is the last time I come to Thailand through an airport.

 

Edited September 8, 2019 by GeraldB22

[pantsonfire]

On 9/8/2019 at 1:59 PM, GeraldB22 said:

An update to this:

 

I was allowed entry however it did seem 50/50. 

 

I think that is the last time I come to Thailand through an airport.

 

 

Hi

 

I am doing the exact same as you, however i've been in Thai on Back to back SETV since Dec 2018  and one land crossing and only just left in Aug.  Each visa had a Re-Entry as i left to HK/UK in each visa.  Prior to that i have about 4-5 VE stamps from 2015-2017 on my British passport.  I will be out of Thailand for almost 2 months and plan to return end of Sept.  Currently in the USA applying for an SETV before returning to UK for a few days and travelling to Thailand.  Any tips ?  why did you say it was 50/50

[farangzy]

Hi,

 

After reading here about recent denied entries, even on METV, i decided to extend my flight into BKK to BKK-Vientiane and try to enter over land instead of BKK Suvarnabuhmi airport later this month.

- I have been on 2 METV's so far in the last 2,5 years, always with extentions, but with some months back in my home country every time in between apllied now for my 3th METV in my home country..

- End 2016 i came in on some Visa exempts, even overstayed for some days, little did i know back then..

 

My question: since i have an international transfer at BKK-Vientiane, will I be clear from immigration at the airport? Will i have no problem to enter via land border with my METV?

Thanks for your replies!

Regards!

Edited September 10, 2019 by farangzy

[GeraldB22]

On 9/10/2019 at 7:51 AM, pantsonfire said:

 

Hi

 

I am doing the exact same as you, however i've been in Thai on Back to back SETV since Dec 2018  and one land crossing and only just left in Aug.  Each visa had a Re-Entry as i left to HK/UK in each visa.  Prior to that i have about 4-5 VE stamps from 2015-2017 on my British passport.  I will be out of Thailand for almost 2 months and plan to return end of Sept.  Currently in the USA applying for an SETV before returning to UK for a few days and travelling to Thailand.  Any tips ?  why did you say it was 50/50

 

One of the officers didn't want to let me in, the other had more of a "whatever" attitude and agreed to allow it.

 

If you go in via airport with your history it is all down to luck depending on which officer you get at the desk. The best thing it seems to do is make the best possible case for being a real tourist. This was my 2nd time being questioned. The ones in the interrogation queue that get the hardest time seem to be the ones who begin talking in Thai, showing apartment contracts in Thailand or telling the officer they can phone their wife to chat with them if they like. Doing that seems to just give them an excuse to tell you that you should not be on a tourist visa because it is not for living in Thailand. 

 

I think you should be okay if you have a return ticket to your home country and also an itinerary of where you are going, hotel bookings and such.  

 

[GeraldB22]

15 hours ago, farangzy said:

Hi,

 

After reading here about recent denied entries, even on METV, i decided to extend my flight into BKK to BKK-Vientiane and try to enter over land instead of BKK Suvarnabuhmi airport later this month.

- I have been on 2 METV's so far in the last 2,5 years, always with extentions, but with some months back in my home country every time in between apllied now for my 3th METV in my home country..

- End 2016 i came in on some Visa exempts, even overstayed for some days, little did i know back then..

 

My question: since i have an international transfer at BKK-Vientiane, will I be clear from immigration at the airport? Will i have no problem to enter via land border with my METV?

Thanks for your replies!

Regards!

 

 

This is what I plan to do next time.  I don't think you will have any problems given you are only transferring.