Immigration Bureau Clarifies 90-day Rule Change

[tijnebijn]

To say a bit on topic,I just want to mention that i think it is a good sign for us farangs and foreigners staying in thailand.

That the complaints are actually received by the officers is a good sign,so long we keep complaining maybe a better solution to their disturbonses to check everybody in and out their country and for us to have easier excess and understanding of stay for tourism and longstay will be very welcomed,and believe me also the officers who are the workforce ,not easy for them also,we make them have headaches and they give them to us,actually they are just doing their jobs,uplevel they have to feel the heat.

Now they are noticing things are to complicated and who knows,maybe they just give a 3 month visa on arrival,like malaysia,after that just go out and make buy yourself a visa,after that again 3 months.still strange but more convenient,not that anybody will listen though...............

[McFarang]

I have just spoken to my wife and yet again today the Thai Consulate in Dubai have issued a Non Imm O-B 3 month Single Entry although I got a 1 year Multiple entry & exit.

Again they have told her that it can be extended in Thailand even though she has informed them that Phuket & Bangkok Immigration would not and told her to get out of the country.

Who is right In Country Immigration or Thai Embassy Dubai? it looks as though they do not want a Farang husband and wife to be together even though I rent a large house and employ 3 locals Maid, Gardener and Pool Man.

Oh well must not complain even with the Visa confusion its still a better place to live than the UK or Dubai the people are better the climate suits and my dog & cat love it as well.

Its all part of the Land Of Smiles Adventure.

[flyx]

I have a question

I always come to thai with 'tourist visa' , i stayed 30days from octobr 2006 to now

If i got new 'tourist visa' how long i can stay in thai with new rules (NO stamps)

[aussiestyle1983]

Yes, I agree it is all rather confusing.

The solution would be that all short stay visitors be allowed a 3 months visa starting from the date of entry into the Kingdom and expiring at the end of 3 months no matter how many days spent in Thailand. Only one 3 month visa given between January & December of each year. Terminate the visa runs and border visa purchases.

Increase the non Immigrant required money investment to 2000000 baht.

This arrangement would certainly deter all the scum away and make Thailand a safer place for the Thai's and long term residents.

Why does the Thai government have to be so accommodating, no need to be afraid of world opinion, because no one wants the backpacker nomads and iffy fly by night foreigners anyway.

So anyone with less than 2,000,00 baht in savings is scum and should be booted regardless of whether one has a wife and children here? Real nice.

I'm sure many of the mobsters who come to live in Thailand to pursue their lives of crime here or to launder their ill gotten gains have well more than that in the bank.

And tell me, are all the thais with less than 2,000,000 baht in the bank scum too, or just the foreigners?

Most likely just us foreigners, as always

I think the poster who made those comments is an example of how scummy people behaive

[Jim Abbott]

I have met people with stamps in their passports that effectively say "This person has had too many TOURIST VISAs, and might not get one next time", but never heard of anyone actually being denied.

Here is the report of a person who was denied a tourist visa at the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

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

Maestro

I'm pretty sure the guy in that post was a certified wind up troll based on some brief research on the guy

[flyx]

I dont know what means these limited rules

Thailand is a tourism country and most of their money come from tourists

if a day tourists dont go to thai , peaples will be hungry

If i have money

and no in blacklist

why dont allow to stay there for long time i like

[harsh4]

“From October 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007, we counted all the days from the foreigner’s first day regardless whether the foreigner was actually in Thailand or not.

“Also, foreigners were not permitted to stay in Thailand after their 180-day period had expired [counted from the foreigner’s first day], regardless whether the foreigner had stayed a full 90 days in Thailand or not,” Capt Krissarat said.

“However, the rule has been changed. From April 1, we now count only the days the foreigner has stayed in Thailand – and foreigners are now allowed to stay past the 180-day period,” he said.

I don't understand these three paragraphs at all. Would somebody be so kind as to clarify this clarification for me?

I guess it says that in the past (until March 2007), foregners were allowed a total of 180 days starting the count from the first entry date (regardless of many days one actually stayed in the country - i.e. If you first entered on 1st Jan, you will not be permitted to stay beyond 30th June (or so - counting exact 180 days - I'm not taking into account months with 31 days and feb with lesser). So, if you entered on 1st Jan and then departed on 20th Jan and then returned after a month, the clock would still be ticking depsite the fact that you were not rally present in the country. Whereas now, they will count the exact number of days you actually stay and then keep totalling them up until you hit 180 before you're no longer allowed in.

That's my take. Could be wrong, who knows...

[bangkokgas]

Yes, I agree it is all rather confusing.

The solution would be that all short stay visitors be allowed a 3 months visa starting from the date of entry into the Kingdom and expiring at the end of 3 months no matter how many days spent in Thailand. Only one 3 month visa given between January & December of each year. Terminate the visa runs and border visa purchases.

Increase the non Immigrant required money investment to 2000000 baht.

This arrangement would certainly deter all the scum away and make Thailand a safer place for the Thai's and long term residents.

Why does the Thai government have to be so accommodating, no need to be afraid of world opinion, because no one wants the backpacker nomads and iffy fly by night foreigners anyway.

"Noone wants the backpacker nomads and iffy fly by night foreigners anyway". A lot these iffy people like me are people who come in and out of the country on a regualr basis. You put all your own eggs in your own basket rather than a forum that I know does not appreciate such generalised name-flaming! The fact is, there isn't a visa for those who may need to eneter ten times in three months, thoughnI am hearing immigration are no9w counting the actual days in the country which is more sensible.

[visarunner]

Thai Immigration Clarifies 90-day Rule Change

“From October 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007, we counted all the days from the foreigner’s first day regardless whether the foreigner was actually in Thailand or not.

“Also, foreigners were not permitted to stay in Thailand after their 180-day period had expired [counted from the foreigner’s first day], regardless whether the foreigner had stayed a full 90 days in Thailand or not,” Capt Krissarat said.

“However, the rule has been changed. From April 1, we now count only the days the foreigner has stayed in Thailand – and foreigners are now allowed to stay past the 180-day period,” he said.

The number of consecutive visa exemptions allowed is no longer limited to three, he added.

I think what he means is that the 90days are not within a FIXED six-month period anymore , they can be ROLLING over the fixed six-month period.

BTW The number of consecutive visa exemptions was never limited to three .

All in all a very confusing statement, which does not clarify anything.

[baboon]

Yes, I agree it is all rather confusing.

The solution would be that all short stay visitors be allowed a 3 months visa starting from the date of entry into the Kingdom and expiring at the end of 3 months no matter how many days spent in Thailand. Only one 3 month visa given between January & December of each year. Terminate the visa runs and border visa purchases.

Increase the non Immigrant required money investment to 2000000 baht.

This arrangement would certainly deter all the scum away and make Thailand a safer place for the Thai's and long term residents.

Why does the Thai government have to be so accommodating, no need to be afraid of world opinion, because no one wants the backpacker nomads and iffy fly by night foreigners anyway.

So anyone with less than 2,000,00 baht in savings is scum and should be booted regardless of whether one has a wife and children here? Real nice.

I'm sure many of the mobsters who come to live in Thailand to pursue their lives of crime here or to launder their ill gotten gains have well more than that in the bank.

And tell me, are all the thais with less than 2,000,000 baht in the bank scum too, or just the foreigners?

Most likely just us foreigners, as always

I think the poster who made those comments is an example of how scummy people behaive

Dont waste your breath lads. There are many more of us on TV sick to death of this pathetic pecking order which seems to turn so many people on, "You Have Been Here Longer But I Have The Better Visa And Anyway All Teachers And Bar Owners Are Kiddie Fiddlers And Pimps And Anyway Only Me And My MGID Understand The True Nature Of The Kingdom Which Is Centuries Old And Far Superior To blah blah blah," but cannot be bothered most of the time to reply.

[markg]

I think the ministry of foregin affairs sums it up simply http://www.mfa.go.th/web/2482.php?id=2490

............are not required to obtain a visa when entering Thailand for tourism purposes and will be permitted to stay in the Kingdom for a period of not exceeding 30 days on each visit. Foreigners who enter the Kingdom under the Tourist Visa Exemption category may re-enter and stay in Thailand for a cumulative duration of stay of not exceeding 90 days within any 6-month period from the date of first entry.

Doesnt that sum it all up in a nutshell with no further clarification required?

90 days cumulative within a 6 month period.

Cumulative means added up together. So you can go in and out many many times within 6 months as long as they dont add up to more than 90 days.

Right?

Maybe the immigration man doesnt know what cumulative means.

[hagler]

It is really simple.

You can come and go as many times as you want within a 6 month period for a grand total of 90 days staying within the kingdom borders. So 3 stays of 90 days or 10 stays of 9 days or whatever combination you like to have and you will comply: 91 days and above in any 6 month period and you dont and you are out. The 180 days ( 6 months) starts from the first time you enter the kingdom and is "reset" when you leave for the compulsory "exclusion" period. It cant be any simpler can it?

For those of you who are scrabbling around trying to find ways to stay in LOS long term on 30 day TOURIST visas I say either legitimise your life in LOS or bugger off somewhere else and bring down the reputation of your fellow countrymen there. You are no better than any other visa jumper in any of your home countries.

Edited April 30, 2007 by hagler

[markg]

For those of you who are scrabbling around trying to find ways to stay in LOS long term on 30 day TOURIST visas I say either legitimise your life in LOS or bugger off somewhere else and bring down the reputation of your fellow countrymen there. You are no better than any other visa jumper in any of your home countries.

It's a fair point Hagler - but you must have some sympathy for those folk who are married with kids but still slip just under all the requirements for a visa. (age, income etc)

As things currently stand (though surely not for much longer) you can still get a 2 month tourist visa from Penang which you can extend in country for a further month. Giving you 3 x 30 visa exemption plus 3 x 30 days tourist visa. This loophole surely will be closed though. ?

[george]

I guess you still have use for our Visa Calculator:

http://www.thaivisa.com/external/visa-calculator.html

[hagler]

For those of you who are scrabbling around trying to find ways to stay in LOS long term on 30 day TOURIST visas I say either legitimise your life in LOS or bugger off somewhere else and bring down the reputation of your fellow countrymen there. You are no better than any other visa jumper in any of your home countries.

It's a fair point Hagler - but you must have some sympathy for those folk who are married with kids but still slip just under all the requirements for a visa. (age, income etc)

As things currently stand (though surely not for much longer) you can still get a 2 month tourist visa from Penang which you can extend in country for a further month. Giving you 3 x 30 visa exemption plus 3 x 30 days tourist visa. This loophole surely will be closed though. ?

I hear why you are saying Markg and probably would have had some sympathy for them 20 years or so ago when I was an idealistic university student. But you always reap what you sow and I am sick and tried of hearing people whinge and complain and try and find someone else to blame for their predicaments which are always as a consequence of their own actions or decisions. Many of the farangs ( and not all by any means) I come across in LOS really are less than desirable characters whose actions and demeanours only cause grief and problems to other farangs who are operating legitimate businesses and lifestyles in LOS. If people cant afford to live in LOS, or any other country that is foreign to you legitimately, then dont try and live there. Either make a go of things in your original country or if you cant then, through hard work, determination and planning, obtain the necessaryand correct means to move to the your new country and make a new life there while contributing positively to the community and nation.

[rexall]

I hear why you are saying Markg and probably would have had some sympathy for them 20 years or so ago when I was an idealistic university student. But you always reap what you sow and I am sick and tried of hearing people whinge and complain and try and find someone else to blame for their predicaments which are always as a consequence of their own actions or decisions. Many of the farangs ( and not all by any means) I come across in LOS really are less than desirable characters whose actions and demeanours only cause grief and problems to other farangs who are operating legitimate businesses and lifestyles in LOS. If people cant afford to live in LOS, or any other country that is foreign to you legitimately, then dont try and live there. Either make a go of things in your original country or if you cant then, through hard work, determination and planning, obtain the necessaryand correct means to move to the your new country and make a new life there while contributing positively to the community and nation.

Baloney! Baloney! Baloney! I thought this nonsense went out with the 19th Century! Equating "poor" with "undesirable." No matter how criminal any poor person is, the collective corruption of the poor does not represent a drop in the bucket compared to the crimes of the rich and powerful! So you are saying, I suppose, that just because someone is rich, they ought to be able to live in Thailand and commit all the crimes and engage in all of the anti-social behavior they want?

Blaming the poor for their own economic status is awful and insensitive and terribly ignorant. People's problems are a result of their own actions??? What a ridiculous, native, 19th Century thing to say! Instead, why don't you take the opportunity to thank God every day for your own success, abundance and good fortune rather than choosing to climb on your high horse and make judgments about people who do not have your skills. Go ahead fella, kick people while they are down and are helpless to defend themselves! Feel good? Would you say that poor Thais are poor because they are "undesirable"? Somehow, not as good as you? Shame on you!

[brahmburgers]

Dear Pu Yai at Imm Dept: give one year non-imm visas to farang within the following parameters; the farang wanting to stay long-term may choose to....

1. pay a flat Bt.30,000 fee

or

2. pay Bt. 10,000 and do 100 hours of verifyable community service that directly benefits disadvantaged Thai. Suggestion: Teaching English part-time at local library, or picking up litter at beaches & parks. (guess who tossed the litter ....but that's a different topic).

or

3. Pay Bt.1,000 and do 500 hours of verifyable community service (no shills or hirees - work must be done by the applicant).

Non-compliance would be met with 'personna non grata' stamp in passport for subsequent 3 years.

[rexall]

Dear Pu Yai at Imm Dept: give one year non-imm visas to farang within the following parameters; the farang wanting to stay long-term may choose to....

1. pay a flat Bt.30,000 fee or 2. pay Bt. 10,000 and do 100 hours of verifyable community service that directly benefits disadvantaged Thai. Suggestion: Teaching English part-time at local library, or picking up litter at beaches & parks. (guess who tossed the litter ....but that's a different topic).

Etc.

What GREAT suggestions Brahmburgers! Intelligent, creative, innovative, useful! Of course, it will never happen here, not in a million years . . . but thanks for putting it on the table as a "matter of record."

Aloha,

Rex

[Scott]

The problem is simple (the answer isn't). Even if the Immigration Department issues a reasonably clear regulation, it is up to the border official to interpret and act on it. And they don't always see the situation the same way.

We have several potential employees who are waiting for their papers for a non-immigrant B visa to be issued by the relevant ministry. They went to Cambodia to re-enter (none is at the 3 entries or 90 day point). They were denied because they didn't have a plane ticket out of Thailand. As some of you may know in the past one of the (almost never enforced) rules was a return ticket out of the country!

They next went to Laos. No problem whatsoever. No return tickets required etc. etc.

It's very difficult to guess what will happen and it's important to remember that when they say it's at the discretion of the immigration officer that's exactly where the power lies.

[Jimjim]

"from April 1, we now count only the days the foreigner has stayed in Thailand"

<deleted>! It has always been like that.............

No, you're wrong, it hasn't always been like that. There were reports of people on this very forum who had entered Thailand in October and stayed for a time, anyway I believe they were under 60 days total. Then they try to enter near the end of March, and are given only 7 or so days to stay until the end of the 180-day period. There was more than one report of this happening and people were dumbfounded as they were way under 90 days. This is what the official was talking about and therefore it's not <deleted>. It maybe didn't happen to everyone, but it has happened to quite a few I believe.

No you're wrong , the law was that you could only spend a total of 90 days in Thailand during a 6 month or 180 day period, staying for a maximun of 30 days at a time using the vise exempt entry system. The law and officials never said they count days you spend out of Thaialnd. But, as you are aware, the border officers can reall do and have been doing what they want. The same goes for the maximum 3 entry comment, This was never known until some frequent visitors were being refused entry after their thrid visa exempt entry, even if they'd only been here less than 90 days. So yes, I was correct, the law has always been that only days spent IN THAILAND can be counted, but what immigration officers did out of confusion or out of their own will to make trouble for some people desn't really change the law or how the process should work, because they have the descression.........

I forgot to add this..................

"The number of consecutive visa exemptions allowed is no longer limited to three, he added."

Even if some people had less than 90 days but allready had 3 visa exempt entries, some if not most of these people were being refused entry as well. This is what many people posted on this forum. As he said, "Up to the descression of the officer" so that is why we have seen many different situations.

Anyway, I have a 1 year Non O so this doesn't affect me

I just feel sorry for the people who can't get a visa -the lazy one's are a different story, too bad for them..............

Sorry, I'm not wrong, but you were half wrong. We all thought it was supposed to be 90 days in 180, but this has not been the practice in many cases when the first 180 day period from 1 October finished. So, it hasn't "always" been like that. It was supposed to be, and should according to everything Thai immigration said, but not in practice once it got the end here. Here are two topics that show how this has happened and hopefully it won't happen anymore, as it's certainly not supposed too.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=115598

And, this thread is the second thread. Notice the quote from the OP of this thread: “From October 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007, we counted all the days from the foreigner’s first day regardless whether the foreigner was actually in Thailand or not."

So that's what has been happening.

Edited April 30, 2007 by Jimjim

[vermin on arrival]

It is really simple.

You can come and go as many times as you want within a 6 month period for a grand total of 90 days staying within the kingdom borders. So 3 stays of 90 days or 10 stays of 9 days or whatever combination you like to have and you will comply: 91 days and above in any 6 month period and you dont and you are out. The 180 days ( 6 months) starts from the first time you enter the kingdom and is "reset" when you leave for the compulsory "exclusion" period. It cant be any simpler can it?

For those of you who are scrabbling around trying to find ways to stay in LOS long term on 30 day TOURIST visas I say either legitimise your life in LOS or bugger off somewhere else and bring down the reputation of your fellow countrymen there. You are no better than any other visa jumper in any of your home countries.

Haglar,

Ok, I'll try to give a reasonable reply to this bit of venom even though I think it may fall on deaf ears. However, I will give you the benefit of the doubt.

Yes, there are bad westerners here. Many are poor. Of course many of them are rich and have nice visas. Certainly, I'm sure all the serious criminals are here on legitmate visas and meet all of the monetary requirements for the special visas, or just bribe their way into getting them.

Many of the English teachers here, who aren't bad people(some are),are in a tough situation because many of the language schools will not do things legally or are too incompetent to do a good job on the reams of paperwork that are required for the work visa. If the thais were serious about elimintaing the people working here illegally, they would make the work visa process here simpler so that all of these people could get a legal visa and then pay taxes to the government coffers.

Currently with the change in the financial requirments for marriage visas and others like the non-immigrant O, many farang who were here legally before and taking care of their thai families are now no longer eligible. Just because they are not rich doesn't make them bad. Some people currently getting screwed are people here who are unmarried, but have children and are not running away from their kids, but being stand up individuals and staying here to care for them.To discard them and say they should bugger off is simply unfair. Many of these people actually enhance the reputation of farang in thailand because they are good, responsible people who care for their families and not wealthy sexpats; their only flaw by the very shallow defintion taken by thai immigration is that they are not rich.

It beggars the imagination to see Thailand discard decent people like these in their pursuit of mammon. It really only makes sense to me when I realize that in the end Thailand really just wants to get rid of the vast majority of foreigners here, and it really isn't an issue of whether they are good or bad. All of this talk about the visa rules and making an equitable sytem and getting rid of the criminal element by the authorities seems to be a smokescreen more than anything else.

However, it seems that thai immigration are not the only ones who use this simplistic and shallow way to judge their fellow man.

Sorry for most of this post being off the topic of the whole issue of the issue of the clarification on the new rules. The original article seems not to be tremendously clear. It does seem to show that people who have not used their full 90 days can stay after the end of the 180 days and won't have to leave the country. There stamp can allow them to stay for the full 30days and overlap on to the new set of 180 days. Do people agree?

Edited April 30, 2007 by vermin on arrival

[Loom]

Agree with Vermin. Immigration officers are using more discretion but it probably has to do with the impracticality of counting cumulative days. My last arrival, the officer started counting the days but gave up. I've been in and out a half dozen times in the past 6 months on visa exemptions (altogether well less than 90 days) but it would have taken 5-10 minutes to do the counting. After asking me how long I intended to stay, he gave me 15 days and no red flag on the entry stamp.

[malcy]

I'm still thick headed. I don't even know how to use the reply button.

Are you saying that the 180 begins on Oct. 1 and ends on March 30 for one 180 day period and then another begins on April 1 through Sept. 30?

Or does the 180 begin on your first arrival at any time during the year?

For example:

I arrive Dec. 24, 2006 and stay for 22 days. I come back on April 6, 2007 and stay for 14 days. A total of 36 days in a 4 month period. Does my 180 days run from Dec. 24 through June 24? And then begin a new cycle on June 25th through Dec. 23rd?

The period should begin on your first entry after Oct 1, 2006. So if your first entry was Dec 24, your period begins then. Your 6 month period should reset on or around June 24.

so that makes it twenty eight hundred hours give or take a couple of minutes ..... oh sod it

[Jingthing]

Glad I don't have to do visa runs anymore, but am following this with interest. I wonder would it ever help people with complex travel histories to print out a detailed page showing dates in, dates out, how many days each stay, etc. to make it easier for the official, so all they would have to do is a spot check to verify it.

[cali4995]

Glad I don't have to do visa runs anymore, but am following this with interest. I wonder would it ever help people with complex travel histories to print out a detailed page showing dates in, dates out, how many days each stay, etc. to make it easier for the official, so all they would have to do is a spot check to verify it.

such a form exists...to show your days in-country. i was playing around with a prototype but i've never actually used it. made on wordpad, feel free to have your way with it if you think it might help.

immigform_1_.rtf

[jts-khorat]

If people cant afford to live in LOS, or any other country that is foreign to you legitimately, then dont try and live there. Either make a go of things in your original country or if you cant then, through hard work, determination and planning, obtain the necessary and correct means to move to the your new country and make a new life there while contributing positively to the community and nation.

Last I checked Thailand was a Buddhist country, supposedly promoting enlightenment, compassion and a non-materialistic way of thinking.

So measuring up people simply on their financial weight seems a shameful loss of face for anybody who does, because he has just demonstrated his own shallow thinking.

But then again I never was much of a realist anyway. TiT.

[Artisi]

I can't be bothered reading the whole post as it is becoming very tiring listening to all the "bush-lawyer" spruking their snake oil - most of which is so far from the truth it is worrying.

If you care to check the approriate Thia Government site you will find the following:- which by-the-way has already been posted in this thread - seems most can't read or can't be bothered as they think they know better.

"TOURIST VISA EXEMPTION

- According to the Interior Ministerial Announcements dated 1 October B.E. 2545 (2002), 20 December B.E. 2545 (2002), 18 October B.E. 2547 (2004) and 6 May B.E. 2548 (2005), passport holders from 40 countries and 1 special administrative region – Hong Kong SAR – are not required to obtain a visa when entering Thailand for tourism purposes and will be permitted to stay in the Kingdom for a period of not exceeding 30 days on each visit. Foreigners who enter the Kingdom under the Tourist Visa Exemption category may re-enter and stay in Thailand for a cumulative duration of stay of not exceeding 90 days within any 6-month period from the date of first entry. "

Seems pretty clear -- a maximum of 90 days on 30 day tourist visas in any 6 month period from the date of the first entry.

[Axel]

......

Seems pretty clear -- a maximum of 90 days on 30 day tourist visas in any 6 month period from the date of the first entry.

I think a lot of questions come up how to calculate the 6 months period. If one arrives on January 1st this goes till end of June. What happens than? Is your 'block' of 180 days finished and in July you start with zero or do they count February - July and than March to August and so on?

If one stayed 30 days in January and a total of 80 days by end of May it would be logical to me that in June one can stay only for another 10 days. In July than you would have stayed Febr. to July 60 days wherefore you should be given 30 days.

But what is locical?

[vermin on arrival]

I can't be bothered reading the whole post as it is becoming very tiring listening to all the "bush-lawyer" spruking their snake oil - most of which is so far from the truth it is worrying.

If you care to check the approriate Thia Government site you will find the following:- which by-the-way has already been posted in this thread - seems most can't read or can't be bothered as they think they know better.

"TOURIST VISA EXEMPTION

- According to the Interior Ministerial Announcements dated 1 October B.E. 2545 (2002), 20 December B.E. 2545 (2002), 18 October B.E. 2547 (2004) and 6 May B.E. 2548 (2005), passport holders from 40 countries and 1 special administrative region – Hong Kong SAR – are not required to obtain a visa when entering Thailand for tourism purposes and will be permitted to stay in the Kingdom for a period of not exceeding 30 days on each visit. Foreigners who enter the Kingdom under the Tourist Visa Exemption category may re-enter and stay in Thailand for a cumulative duration of stay of not exceeding 90 days within any 6-month period from the date of first entry. "

Seems pretty clear -- a maximum of 90 days on 30 day tourist visas in any 6 month period from the date of the first entry.

Actually, if you have been following alot of the threads here, the way they are enforcing this rule varies widely based on immigration command and the local officer's intetrpretation of the various rules, and it is very unclear what they are doing. Hence, all of the "bush-lawyer" comments that you disparage. If all one had to do was go to the govenrment website and get a clear statement that was universally applied by immigration at all embassies, consulates, and points of entry to the country, many of the threads on this website would never have been started. Unfortunately, it is not that simple.

Different embassies require different things for differnet visas and have different ways in which they process or don't process people. Also, at times it seems as if the immigration officers are unsure what to do with all of the frequent changes in the rules. Because of these events, unfortunately, this is what we are left to do.

Edited May 1, 2007 by vermin on arrival

[Maestro]

Seems pretty clear -- a maximum of 90 days on 30 day tourist visas in any 6 month period from the date of the first entry.

It does indeed seem very clear, but do you find the following implementation conducive to tourism?

26 OCT 2006: first entry

--- 6-month period ends on 25 APR 2007

--- Admitted until 18 NOV 2006

09 NOV 2006: exit

--- Duration of stay: 21 days

20 APR 2007: next entry, with intention to stay 21 days, ie until 10 MAY 2007

--- Admitted until 25 APR 2007, ie permission to stay for 6 days only.

The perennial tourist living in Thailand may perhaps know this interpretation of the rule, but the casual tourist coming to Thailand twice a year for a three-week vacation will not know it. Neither the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor the website of the consulate in his area makes this clear.

--

Maestro