You live in Thailand on tourist visa!

[Tagged]

You live in Thailand more than 6 months a year, coming and going on tourist visa, exemption and extension, travelling by land border (two times a year) and also come by air. Have been doing that for more than a year. 

 

Have you ever been questioned, denied or got a warning? 

 

If you got denied, could you make our own choice of departure, or did you have to go with same airlane back to orign destination? If so, why? 

 

How can you prevent to be sent back to same destination, and or being detained? 

 

Reason I ask, Im to lazy to get a proper visa, and I am usealy travelling out before 2 - 3 months to work offshore, and come back after a month or two. Sometimes less than 3 weeks. I have proof of work, got my financial in order, but stay more than 6-7 months a year in Thailand. Only one to two border crossing by land each year, the rest is arrival from europe.  

Edited October 24, 2019 by Tagged

[PatOngo]

22 minutes ago, Tagged said:

Reason I ask, Im to lazy to get a proper visa

Then suffer the consequences!

[Tagged]

2 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

Then suffer the consequences!

Really no suffering, because the question is if its necessery, when I obvious coming here for holiday spending money. I can easely change destination on go if denied. 

Edited October 24, 2019 by Tagged

[tgeezer]

That used to be alright, I knew two people in that situation in the old days.  A visa is impractical because they never know how long they will wait to be called or how long they might be gone. It will be interesting to see the result of the poll. 

[scubascuba3]

I have been using METVs the last few years. Although i read the scare stories on here I've never been questioned by Immigration. Apart from the flight in to Bangkok i do land border runs.

If i was doing it now i would avoid Bangkok airports. Maybe fly to KL then to U-Tapao airport or cross by land into Thailand.

Sometimes I've had 6 month gaps away from Thailand, other times 6 weeks and even 10 days

[Mike Teavee]

I don't live in Thailand but spend about 1/3rd of my life there & typically visit 3 times every 2 months (approx 20 times a year), usually for 4 nights (Thurs-Monday), sometimes for 10-15, have only ever stayed for 4 weeks once & never longer than that.

 

The reason I'm replying to this thread is I was once was stopped at DM Airport & asked why I was visiting Thailand so many times, I replied that I work in Singapore but have friends from the UK who live in Thailand so I visit them every couple of weeks as they visit me in Singapore once per month.

 

IO was nice & polite & sent me on my way relatively quickly, but I decided there & then that I did not want to risk being denied entry so set about getting a Non-O on the basis of being > 50 (a relatively painless process from Penang at that time).

 

The reason I don't want to risk being denied is when completing my SG Employment Pass renewal or Business Visa requests for places like China, Russia, India, Pakistan etc... they ask if you've ever been denied access to any country & it's a painful enough process as is without having to go through a second round of applications explaining how I was denied access to Thailand because the IO was having a bad day.

 

 

Just to add, when returning from the UK on 10th October, I was questioned at the Qatar (Business Class) check-in desk about why I didn't have a return ticket from Thailand, I explained that I live in Singapore & showed my EP (am used to doing that so had it handy), then realized that she meant why didn't I have an exit ticket from Thailand, so I pointed to my extension to stay (valid to Sept 2020) in my Passport and all was good.  I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't had that, though I did have a flight to Singapore booked for the following weekend that I could have shown on my Mobile.

 

[mockingbird]

I retired at 45, and have been in an out for the last 2 years on 4 tourist visas, all extended, and never an issue at Bangkok. (I always obtain them from my home country... Not sure if that makes a difference) 

Of course I've only recently become aware through this forum that I might have issues going forward. 

 

However,  being less than 3 years off 50, there's no way I'm forking out for an elite visa,  so next time I'm going to spend a week in Malaysia, and enter at a friendly border post. Maybe get a flight to Laos for a few days and enter there.  

I'm in no rush. 

Edited October 24, 2019 by mockingbird

[DILLIGAD]

You live in Thailand more than 6 months a year, coming and going on tourist visa, exemption and extension, travelling by land border (two times a year) and also come by air. Have been doing that for more than a year. 

 

Have you ever been questioned, denied or got a warning? 

 

If you got denied, could you make our own choice of departure, or did you have to go with same airlane back to orign destination? If so, why? 

 

How can you prevent to be sent back to same destination, and or being detained? 

 

Reason I ask, Im to lazy to get a proper visa, and I am usealy travelling out before 2 - 3 months to work offshore, and come back after a month or two. Sometimes less than 3 weeks. I have proof of work, got my financial in order, but stay more than 6-7 months a year in Thailand. Only one to two border crossing by land each year, the rest is arrival from europe.  

Not 1st-hand info, but I know of an Australian guy who works within the mining field and for years, entered with tourist visa/exceptions to visit his wife & family in a quiet rural location.

6 months ago, he was told that no further tourist visa/exceptions will be issued to him on a regular basis and he had to get a years Non-O METV from Savanakhet in future.

[TooBigToFit]

With all this immigration shakeup going on, I wonder if there will be a spike in marriages to Thais by desperate men and women looking for a way to stay as more and more get kicked out.

[SteveK]

21 minutes ago, DILLIGAD said:

he had to get a years Non-O METV from Savanakhet in future.

What is a Non-O METV?

Edited October 24, 2019 by SteveK

[uncleeagle]

3 hours ago, PatOngo said:

Then suffer the consequences!

There is no proper visa, immigration officers deny people with visas too. In the vast majority of cases I now believe what we are facing from immigration is small minded nastiness and racism and a drive from above to drive westerners out. Only in a very small minority of cases do I believe IO behaviour is logical and justified, The fact that 37 % of respondents have been hassled says it all. 

[ChakaKhan]

1 hour ago, SteveK said:

What is a Non-O METV?

Non-Immigrant Multiple entry Thai Visa

[ChakaKhan]

48 minutes ago, uncleeagle said:

There is no proper visa, immigration officers deny people with visas too. In the vast majority of cases I now believe what we are facing from immigration is small minded nastiness and racism and a drive from above to drive westerners out. Only in a very small minority of cases do I believe IO behaviour is logical and justified, The fact that 37 % of respondents have been hassled says it all. 

I admit when I arrive at Bkk exhausted from a 24 hr flight I scan the IO booths for someone that looks the least nasty-or not grouchy..put on my smile, polite, try to play the dumb falang ready for elephant!

[kralledr]

ok so you think if 99% will say tjey never got any issue that this will mean ypu will be safe to stay?!

 

what a timewaste..

[nailbrains8]

4 hours ago, Tagged said:

How can you prevent to be sent back to same destination, and or being detained? 

You can't. Don't fly into Thailand from your home country. Fly in from a neighbouring country and make sure that you have a valid visa (multiple entry) from the country you are flying in from so you can go back. 

[nailbrains8]

1 hour ago, uncleeagle said:

There is no proper visa, immigration officers deny people with visas too. In the vast majority of cases I now believe what we are facing from immigration is small minded nastiness and racism and a drive from above to drive westerners out. Only in a very small minority of cases do I believe IO behaviour is logical and justified, The fact that 37 % of respondents have been hassled says it all. 

I have to agree with this post.

 

My friend was denied a SETV visa from Vientiane 2 days ago (American) and he told me there was a small army of westerners who were all denied. Including people who we're applying for tourist visas. One guy was applying for a second year edu visa to learn Chinese and he was told "go to China if you want to learn Chinese".

 

Apparently, Indians and Chinese, none of them were denied and visas were being handed out like hot cakes.

Edited October 24, 2019 by nailbrains8

[jackdd]

The last time when going for a visa exempt i was asked what i'm doing in Thailand, the first time ever.

Whole conversation in Thai:

"Do you speak Thai?"

Yes

"What are you doing in Thailand?"

Holiday

"You've been here many hundred days already"

Yes. I know that you ask me because you want to know if i'm working in Thailand, i can assure you that i don't work in Thailand.

"Ok, go ahead"

 

It was a neutral/friendly conversation by a female IO doing her job, no complaints about it.

Edited October 24, 2019 by jackdd

[PPBK]

Does having a dual citizenship help in that case? Or alternatively getting a new passport stamp free?
Or does the Biometric defeats these above methods?

[orchis]

1 hour ago, TooBigToFit said:

With all this immigration shakeup going on, I wonder if there will be a spike in marriages to Thais by desperate men and women looking for a way to stay as more and more get kicked out.

I could never get that desperate. ????

[TaaSaparot]

2 hours ago, TooBigToFit said:

With all this immigration shakeup going on, I wonder if there will be a spike in marriages to Thais by desperate men and women looking for a way to stay as more and more get kicked out.

How do you do that, if you can't get in?

[globox]

Since 4years I make the same because not retired and not rich. Fly to Thailand and then make TV in Malaysia with extensions in Th. So I can stay 7-8 months with my Thai-girlfriend. This year was quite hard on Suvarnabhumi Airport. The immigration officer wanted to bring me to the office because I‘ve had a new passport (the old one was fully stamped). I showEd him my housebook, my (Thai-)bankbook and then my cash...then he let me pass...???? Since last year it‘s also quiet hard on Malaysian border, last three times they wanna see cash 20.000 baht! 

[Sametboy2019]

Will be interesting to see how it pans out for off shore workers! If they are targeted then this campaign is obviously racist. 

Why would a country not want someone to come and spend money in their country? 

Isnt this what  Thailand wants? Somebody to come in dump alot of money and leave. They are obviously not working here. Just spending money.

[Caldera]

I've been spending more than half of the year (sometimes much more, sometimes just a bit more) in Thailand since 2007, exclusively on tourist visa and visa exempt entries (plus extensions thereof, more often than not). All things considered, it has been a great time, and I'm happy with my decision not to up the ante by using other kinds of visa.

 

So far, I've never been questioned or denied by immigration or consular officers, BUT the effort you now have to put in to avoid problematic consulates and entry points has become too high in recent years. As I'm a genuine tourist in the sense that I'm traveling for pleasure and not engaging in work in any shape or form, I value having a leisurely time first and foremost. Playing games with immigration isn't really my idea of having a good time, so I have decided to cut the time spent in Thailand in half starting from next year. I'll spend the rest elsewhere within the region; I don't plan to spend more time "back home" than I used to. For me personally, that's an easy change to make.

 

For this year I'm all set, I'm stamped in on a SETV until December and I won't even need to extend it before traveling home for Christmas. Another great year - 9 months in Thailand, 2 months exploring Vietnam and the remainder in my home country.

[overherebc]

1 hour ago, ChakaKhan said:

Non-Immigrant Multiple entry Thai Visa

????????????????

Nope.

There are Non O visas single entry/Non O multi entries and extensions of stay based on Non O visas.

METV is a multi entry tourist visa.

[Tagged]

1 hour ago, nailbrains8 said:

You can't. Don't fly into Thailand from your home country. Fly in from a neighbouring country and make sure that you have a valid visa (multiple entry) from the country you are flying in from so you can go back. 

Is that right? 

[Suradit69]

5 hours ago, DILLIGAD said:

he had to get a years Non-O METV from Savanakhet in future.

What is a non-O multi entry tourist visa?  Sounds like a multi-category visa rolled into one.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 24, 2019 by Suradit69

[rabang]

I have been questioned after just three months coming back after an SETV and extension and I haven't spent more than six months in Thailand in any given year.

[silver sea]

This is my tourist visa history:

 

1. Visa exempt BKK Airport5th December 2012 - 26th January 2013 = 22 days

 

2. Single entry (Hull Consulate postal) ; BKK Airport20th August 2013 - 16th November 2013 = 58 days

 

3. Triple entry (Hull postal); BKK Airport31st January 2013 - 18th October 2013 = 261 days

 

4. Triple entry (Hull postal); BKK Airport21st November 2013 - 1st August 2014 = 253 days

 

5. Triple entry (London in person); BKK Airport1st October 2014 - 18th June 2015 = 261 days

 

6. Triple entry (London in person); BKK Airport17th September 2015 - 9th May 2016 = 236 days

 

7. Single entry (Vientiane in person) land border crossing11th May 2016 - 28th July 2016 = 79 days

 

8. Single entry (London in person) BKK Airport14th September 2016 - 7th December 2016 = 85 days

 

9. Single entry (Kota Bharu visa run co) land border crossing8th December 2016 - 5th March 2017 = 88 days

 

10. Single entry (Kota Bharu visa run co) land border crossing6th March 2017 - 2nd May 2017 = 58 days

 

11. Single entry (London in person) BKK Airport31st May 2017 - 26th July 2017 = 57 days

 

12. Single entry (London in person) BKK Airport5th September 2017 - 1st November 2017 = 58 days

 

13. Single entry (Kota Bharu visa run co.) land border crossing2nd November 2017 - 29th January 2018 = 89 days

 

14. Single entry (London in person) BKK Airport21st February 2018 - 6th May 2018 = 75 days New Passport:

 

15. Single entry (London in person) BKK Airport24th May 2018 - 10th August 2018 = 79 days

 

16. Non O-A long stay (London in person) BKK Airport1st September 2018 - current date. (now on my second year since August 2019)

 

Since my first day in Thailand 5th December 2012 until my last day in Thailand on a Tourist Visa, 10th August 2018, there have been 2068 days. Of those days, I have spent 1458 of them in Thailand, which is just over 70% of the total.

 

Finally, you will note I now have a long stay Non O-A. Things, for various reasons, things didn’t work out on Samui. I am currently living in Hua Hin.

 

The IOs are always polite and helpful. Same same with the staff at the Embassies and Consulates.  

[Shroud]

I'm on my 5th metv and never been questioned. I stay 8-9 months per year since 2015. I normally take 3 months break before I get back in again. I have had a maximum 3 METVs on my visa before I decided to make a new passport. Last year the IO looked through my passport and only asked how long I'll stay this time, but nothing agressive.

[Max69xl]

9 hours ago, tgeezer said:

That used to be alright, I knew two people in that situation in the old days.  A visa is impractical because they never know how long they will wait to be called or how long they might be gone. It will be interesting to see the result of the poll. 

"A visa is impractical"??

And doing endless visa runs isn't impractical? Most of the people doing border crossings by air or land don't meet the requirements for a proper visa. There's no need to see the results of the poll.