So..we Have To Leave For Six Months After Six Tv's

[eek]

To deter criminals, the Thai authorities, mindful of the value of the one-month tourist visa to the wrongdoer, have recently limited to six the number of consecutive tourist visas which can be applied for. After the sixth month, the passport-holder must leave the country for six months before reapplying.

Full article: http://www.thaivisa.com/393.0.html

Have to leave for six months after six TV's! I had no idea...doh!

Ok so, i have an legal income. I do not work in Thailand, but wish to keep living here. Are there really no alternatives to the 3 month TV's?

I am honest, I live quietly, I try to learn the language and culture, and what money I have is being spent here, just seems frustrating to have to do the whole country hop thing... not to mention the worry in the back of my mind that i may encounter problems getting back in.. do you think these rules will change any time soon...or is this really 'it'?

[visarunner]

May be this link http://www.thaivisa.com/393.0.html should be rewritten as a lot of wrong info is provided.

It was common before the APEC meeting in 2003 that passports were send to update stamps etc .

However this was completely stopped/surpressed after said APEC Meeting and all the agents packed up.

[sbk]

Actually, I believe that some agents have started offering this "service" again, and people have posted about it fairly recently. So, that information is still correct. It is still illegal to send your passport out of the country with an agent to get a new visa.

However, that isn't really the OP's concern. As for being reduced to 6 consecutive tourist visas I am not sure. One of our resident Thai visa experts should be able to give you an answer when they come online.

[cdnvic]

Actually, I believe that some agents have started offering this "service" again, and people have posted about it fairly recently. So, that information is still correct. It is still illegal to send your passport out of the country with an agent to get a new visa.

Plus you can lose your passport privileges if your government finds out you've been surrendering your passport to anyone but lawful authorities. This includes agents, and leaving it as a deposit for car/bike rentals, etc.

[jeebusjones]

This article seems to be talking about 30 day visa exemptions, not "one month tourist visas."

And clearly it's wrong information anyway, since so many people stayed for years on visa exemption without being kicked out after 6 months.

Maybe it's time for Thai Visa to delete that article, or at least update it.

[brianinbangkok]

When I read the OP message I actually thought it had finely happend !

The 90 days out of 180 days rule was clearly intended to stop people living in Thailand permanently on tourist visa's and visa on arrival and doing the border run every 3 months.

Even if I really feel sorry for a lot of guys who have trouble getting a other type of 1 year visa due to the high financial demands and other problems , I expect the Thai Immigration to close the legal loopholes in the future.

It's just a matter of time !

[blizzard]

what kind of criminal activities do farang get themselves into?

i would think to really make baht doing criminal things in thailand one would have to be well versed in the thai language.

they cant be any more efficient than thais in human smuggling can they, or how can a farung be big drug dealer as all of his contacts would speak thai.

this reason of getting rid of criminals with visa changes is like throwing out the freaking baby with the dirty bathwater.

if they want to get rid of non thai criminals they should target them in sting operations. we all know spending time in thai jail aint no fun, could work as big deterrant.

Edited April 27, 2007 by blizzard

[Maestro]

There’s a lot wrong with that article, if that’s what one wants to call it, dated December 2006 but, I suspect, written years earlier.

Thai authorities...have recently limited to six the number of consecutive tourist visas which can be applied for. After the sixth month, the passport-holder must leave the country for six months before reapplying.

If this is indeed about tourist visas, then it applies to nationals of countries who get only a 30-day permission to stay on a tourist visas, as only these would use up six tourist visas within six months.

If it is about visa-exempt entries, then Police Order 608/2549 has taken care of it in a different fashion.

At the embassy level, some embassies are now telling tourists that after getting a tourist visa from that embassy they will not later be given a second tourist visa. But never so far has there been any report about a limit of six back-to-back tourist visas, as far as I know.

--------------

Maestro

[eek]

But never so far has there been any report about a limit of six back-to-back tourist visas, as far as I know.

Well..thats good to know.

Most likely the rules will change yet again, when we finally have some idea of where they really stand now.