Will I be denied entry at Suvarnabhumi?

[Tsm12345]

Hey,

I've been back to back in Thailand on ED and Tourist Visas since 2015 with three 3-4 month stays in Europe in between. I'm in my home country at the moment and got a fresh passport and a METV and am looking to fly back to BKK next week. I'm surprised to read of all the denied entries also from people with fresh passports and some with METV so this has me worrying. I've spent most of this year in Thailand on ED Visa (Thai language) and I wouldn't pass any extensive testing by an IO. I've had one denied entry from December 2017, where I was on ED visa with re-entry permit from Indonesia and had to fly back home. Back then IO who tried to help me through told me to get new passport and come back next week, which I did. Haven't had any issues since. I was trying to get the Elite Visa two or three months ago and was told by TE to wait until early next year as I had a 3-4 day overstay end of 2016.

 

Anyways, I've been out of touch with immigration process and now realize that IOs have become even more strict. I already have my flight booked for next week, non-refundable unfortunately, but thinking about flying to Vietnam - Laos - Udon - BKK to avoid BKK immigration. This kinda makes me feel like a criminal and it's a stupid amount of extra money + time to spend travelling, but might be worth the effort, if I'm switching to TE after METV anyways right?

So fresh passport; flying from homecountry; METV. Am I overthinking this and I should be fine at immi or cancel flightplans for next week?

[Matzzon]

First if if you have been on back-to-back ED visa and can´t pass a test by a general conversation for an IO, what have you been doing in Thailand. Not learning Yhai, anyway it seems.

However, there is not many people beeing refused entry with METV. Those you read about is mostly the ones that wanted to show money on a card or by bank papers. Ok, it exists, but it must be some reason for the denial that we don´t hear about.

I believe that your chances are quite good if you dress casual to the lower proper level. have all they might ask you to provide as trevel plan, hotel bookings, minimum 20k baht or equivalent in cash as well as a return ticket or a ticket to another country.

If you still feel it´s a to big risk to take, your option with a land border entry is optimal for your chances. 

What can be said is that nobody knows if they let you in or not. It depends totally on which IO you get and the decision he/she make within a timeframe of 30 seconds.

[Tsm12345]

Alright thank you for the response. I'll make a decision later today. But given how stressful this is I might just avoid BKK. Would hate to have a new PP with denial stamp and having to fly back to home country because of IO having a bad day.

[Briggsy]

9 hours ago, Matzzon said:

However, there is not many people beeing refused entry with METV. Those you read about is mostly the ones that wanted to show money on a card or by bank papers. Ok, it exists, but it must be some reason for the denial that we don´t hear about.

This is very poor advice. The is just ONE reason for denial and that is staying in Thailand a long time on visa exempt / ED / SETV / METV. There is nothing else you don't hear about. It is simply a numbers game. How long have you been here? If it is over 50% of the time in any year, you are in danger of denial.

 

Dressing nicely, carrying 20,000 Baht equivalent in cash, return ticket will not help you any more. They are not interested. They don't ask. Foreigners are simply processed and stamped denied. That's it. 

[Matzzon]

52 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

This is very poor advice. The is just ONE reason for denial and that is staying in Thailand a long time on visa exempt / ED / SETV / METV. There is nothing else you don't hear about. It is simply a numbers game. How long have you been here? If it is over 50% of the time in any year, you are in danger of denial.

 

Dressing nicely, carrying 20,000 Baht equivalent in cash, return ticket will not help you any more. They are not interested. They don't ask. Foreigners are simply processed and stamped denied. That's it. 

I have been here for about 23 years on the right type of visas. If you would have bothered to read my optimal advice, and that was an entry via a land border, instead of breaking a little piece out. Then you would have got a better perspective.

What I posted is mostly like it is. A no, they don´t just process and stamp out without a reason. But you are right in the living in Thailand to long on ED-Visa without ability to show proof of result as well as tourist visas and expempt entry can be a reason to deny entry. That is all in order and as it should be, hence the names on the visas.

Out of what I can read between the lines, it seems like your comment is strictly based on your own fear of denial. Ok, I can be wrong.

[Briggsy]

5 minutes ago, Matzzon said:

I have been here for about 23 years on the right type of visas. If you would have bothered to read my optimal advice, and that was an entry via a land border, instead of breaking a little piece out. Then you would have got a better perspective.

What I posted is mostly like it is. A no, they don´t just process and stamp out without a reason. But you are right in the living in Thailand to long on ED-Visa without ability to show proof of result as well as tourist visas and expempt entry can be a reason to deny entry. That is all in order and as it should be, hence the names on the visas.

Out of what I can read between the lines, it seems like your comment is strictly based on your own fear of denial. Ok, I can be wrong.

I have been here just as long. Times have changed, mate. They don't ask questions any more. They don't ask to see cash. If you have been here on "the right visa" whatever that means, you wouldn't know, would you? What permission to stay are you currently on?

 

If you try to come in at the BKK airports and you have been living here on tourist visas, there is a chance, they will process the denial of entry without any discussion. There are no other reasons. Just staying for a long time on tourist visas. Trust me, METV holders are denied entry for no other reason. It is a fact.

 

I am not looking to pick a fight or score points. I am just pointing out that your advice is now out of date and may cause the OP to be denied as he might think only METV holders with some kind of problem in Thailand get denied. That is not the case. Anybody can get denied.

 

Trust me on this. I know.

[Matzzon]

1 hour ago, Briggsy said:

I have been here just as long. Times have changed, mate. They don't ask questions any more. They don't ask to see cash. If you have been here on "the right visa" whatever that means, you wouldn't know, would you? What permission to stay are you currently on?

Non-O Extension based on marriage. Also have two kids I could base it on if I would chose that.

 

1 hour ago, Briggsy said:

 

If you try to come in at the BKK airports and you have been living here on tourist visas, there is a chance, they will process the denial of entry without any discussion. There are no other reasons. Just staying for a long time on tourist visas. Trust me, METV holders are denied entry for no other reason. It is a fact.

They are not beeing denied entry for no reason. The reason is that a person is trying to live in Thailand on tourist visas for too long time. They are not intended to be used for living in Thailand indefinately. There you have your reason.

 

1 hour ago, Briggsy said:

 

I am not looking to pick a fight or score points. I am just pointing out that your advice is now out of date and may cause the OP to be denied as he might think only METV holders with some kind of problem in Thailand get denied. That is not the case. Anybody can get denied.

 

Trust me on this. I know.

I bow for your experience.

[Briggsy]

2 hours ago, Matzzon said:

They are not beeing denied entry for no reason. The reason is that a person is trying to live in Thailand on tourist visas for too long time. They are not intended to be used for living in Thailand indefinately. There you have your reason.

We seem to be in agreement now. Jolly good.

[SteveK]

It would seem that from posts on here, that anyone who has spent a lot of time in Thailand on either non-O, non-B or ED visas, and then tries to enter either VE or on a TV is at grave risk of being refused. And as someone mentioned, all that time on ED and still can't converse in Thai I would suspect that it's 50:50, but I'm only going from what I read on here and my own personal experiences.

 

You're gonna need return flight ticket, hotel booking, 20k cash, maybe holiday itinerary, and if you have a Thai gf make sure she is able to answer a call from the IO if you are going to see her. Probably won't make much difference but in your case, every little will help.

[Briggsy]

25 minutes ago, SteveK said:

It would seem that from posts on here, that anyone who has spent a lot of time in Thailand on either non-O, non-B or ED visas, and then tries to enter either VE or on a TV is at grave risk of being refused. And as someone mentioned, all that time on ED and still can't converse in Thai I would suspect that it's 50:50, but I'm only going from what I read on here and my own personal experiences.

 

You're gonna need return flight ticket, hotel booking, 20k cash, maybe holiday itinerary, and if you have a Thai gf make sure she is able to answer a call from the IO if you are going to see her. Probably won't make much difference but in your case, every little will help.

This is correct. 

 

Of course, the way around it is to enter at a land border like Nong Khai but it is expensive and time-consuming and the cheese and black pudding in your suitcase will melt and lose some flavour respectively.

 

But to put things in perspective, getting denied might easily cost you 40,000 Baht in extra flights and other incurred costs so factor that into the risk/reward equation when considering the cost of extra flights.

[DJ54]

OP whatever your reason for coming to LOS you need to start

paying attention dates so not to get anymore overstays.

 

You said you’ve had 3-4 overstays that could easily throw you back

on the airplane. Just play by the rules and you’ll be ok. 

[Nordude]

OP, you should have arrived in Bangkok by now. Was it a smooth entry?