How strict is immigration currently?

[buknecerze]

In pre-covid times you could get in trouble if you overused tourist visas and could face questioning / denial of entry.

 

How are experiences now, did anybody face any problems?

 

I'm asking because I'm thinking about STV visa, but have almost been denied entry on METV pre-covid.

[Caldera]

As the STV officially allows a continuous stay of 9 months, by design, it would be ridiculous for rogue IOs to claim that tourists aren't allowed to spend more than 6 months per year in Thailand.

 

Other than that, we can only speculate at this point. I'd expect a somewhat lenient attitude until they can afford to be picky again.

[Gottfrid]

I would assume they are some strict as they always have been. Not heard of any changes in that department.

[tonray]

The real question is why do you think you were 'almost' denied entry on a METV ?

[mvdf]

4 hours ago, Caldera said:

As the STV officially allows a continuous stay of 9 months, by design, it would be ridiculous for rogue IOs to claim that tourists aren't allowed to spend more than 6 months per year in Thailand.

 

Other than that, we can only speculate at this point. I'd expect a somewhat lenient attitude until they can afford to be picky again.

 

If you spend 9 months in Thailand, you are not a tourist. I find it unforgivably fishy when one argues that "rogue" IOs are wrong to deny "tourists" permission to stay in the Kingdom that long (or longer) if there are serious indicators of visa abuse. They are not rogue as you shamelessly claim. They are doing their jobs as immigration officers do in your country. They have every right and mandate to assess immigration matters and make a decision based on that assessment and extant records related to the traveller. This is not "rogueness" and it is unfair to label these IOs as such.

[Orinoco]

3 hours ago, mvdf said:

 

If you spend 9 months in Thailand, you are not a tourist. I find it unforgivably fishy when one argues that "rogue" IOs are wrong to deny "tourists" permission to stay in the Kingdom that long (or longer) if there are serious indicators of visa abuse. They are not rogue as you shamelessly claim. They are doing their jobs as immigration officers do in your country. They have every right and mandate to assess immigration matters and make a decision based on that assessment and extant records related to the traveller. This is not "rogueness" and it is unfair to label these IOs as such.

 

Immigration officers in my country are nothing like most of the ones here.

They follow rules and regulations where i come from.

They are not involved in corruption direct or indirect.

They don't build there own little empire at the district they govern.

All the above would result in instant dismissal.

Quote

They are doing their jobs as immigration officers do in your country.

Nah. 

[BritTim]

2 hours ago, mvdf said:

If you spend 9 months in Thailand, you are not a tourist. I find it unforgivably fishy when one argues that "rogue" IOs are wrong to deny "tourists" permission to stay in the Kingdom that long (or longer) if there are serious indicators of visa abuse. They are not rogue as you shamelessly claim. They are doing their jobs as immigration officers do in your country. They have every right and mandate to assess immigration matters and make a decision based on that assessment and extant records related to the traveller. This is not "rogueness" and it is unfair to label these IOs as such.

 

First, if those using Special Tourist Visas are not tourists, how would you categorise them? Illegal aliens? Personally, I have never had a problem with the term "long stay tourists". It accurately describes those with disposable income who like to fully experience countries they like rather than arrive for a photo op and leave.

 

Next, on the claim that Thai immigration officials on entry are supposed to have the same powers as those in most (probably all) Western countries. That is simply not true. The law makes very clear (and this is an attempt to limit opportunities for corruption) that it is the Thai immigration officials' job to grant or deny entry according to well defined criteria, specified within the Immigration Act. Whether, in the opinion of the official, "you have stayed too long" is not one of those criteria.

Edited October 21, 2021 by BritTim

[jackdd]

2 hours ago, mvdf said:

If you spend 9 months in Thailand, you are not a tourist.

Looks like the Thai government disagrees with you, because they are offering a tourist visa which allows 9 months stay.

 

[mockingbird]

I came back in July  on a tourist visa after being out of the country for 18 months. I'd spent about 70% of the 2 years previous to that here on tourist visas. Before that I hadn't been in Thailand for 4 years. I've never overstayed, never had a problem.

 

On arrival I had 2 Immigration officers trawl through my history on their pc for what seemed like an eternity. Asked me for a contact number of someone in Thailand.  They were perfectly polite, but left me in no doubt that the pre covid crackdown on people deemed to be spending too much time in Thailand on tourist visas/visa exemptions is alive and well.

 

 

[DrJack54]

8 minutes ago, mockingbird said:

They were perfectly polite, but left me in no doubt that the pre covid crackdown on people deemed to be spending too much time in Thailand on tourist visas/visa exemptions is alive and well

Disregard your experience. The io had no reason to take time with your passport, especially given that you had a visa along with your history.

 

[mockingbird]

2 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Disregard your experience. The io had no reason to take time with your passport, especially given that you had a visa along with your history.

 

2 of them Jack????, one sitting, the other standing, and both of them pointing at the screen.

 

I put it down to a semi deserted airport, and a couple of bored IO's.

[buknecerze]

6 hours ago, tonray said:

The real question is why do you think you were 'almost' denied entry on a METV ?

Io didn't like my history, said "no", sent me to another desk where another io told me I'm not a tourist and need another type of visa. Then I got 30 days visa-exempt entrance instead of METV entrance.

[DrJack54]

9 minutes ago, mockingbird said:

2 of them Jack????, one sitting, the other standing, and both of them pointing at the screen.

 

I put it down to a semi deserted airport, and a couple of bored IO's.

Don't get me wrong. Didn't doubt your account one bit. 

All I could come up with was something such as a more experienced io giving some advice/tips to less experienced guy.

Pre covid I was flying constantly to Vietnam and back. Have dealt with couple of green horns.

Have had to show one or two where my reentry permit was. The heads up should be the TM6.

Good they let you in to the promised land.

 

[buknecerze]

2 hours ago, mockingbird said:

On arrival I had 2 Immigration officers trawl through my history on their pc for what seemed like an eternity. Asked me for a contact number of someone in Thailand.  

Thank you for sharing. Did you provide them with a number? Was that in Phuket, BKK used to be strict, I hoped Phuket would be more easy going.

[mockingbird]

1 minute ago, DrJack54 said:

Don't get me wrong. Didn't doubt your account one bit. 

All I could come up with was something such as a more experienced io giving some advice/tips to less experienced guy.

Pre covid I was flying constantly to Vietnam and back. Have dealt with couple of green horns.

Have had to show one or two where my reentry permit was. The heads up should be the TM6.

Good they let you in to the promised land.

 

Yea, maybe you're right, but they had me standing there for a long time. Then asking me to write down the phone number of a contact in Thailand on a piece of paper...

It didn't seem like green horn training to me, but who knows.

[mockingbird]

3 minutes ago, buknecerze said:

Thank you for sharing. Did you provide them with a number? Was that in Phuket, BKK used to be strict, I hoped Phuket would be more easy going.

This was at Bangkok, and yes I did provide them with a number.(I wasn't going to take a stand over that)

Like DrJack said, it may have been new staff training.

 

How long have you been out of Thailand?

[poskat]

I dont know if they are currently more lax, but they are certainly working much faster.

I had to get my visa extension done at CW (counter N) at the end of last month. I was #50 when they began at 830am

I was out by 10am

[Ohyesuare]

They've been starved of brown envelopes the past few years so they're more willing to accept one if you are willing to offer.

[HeijoshinCool]

6 hours ago, mvdf said:

 

If you spend 9 months in Thailand, you are not a tourist. I find it unforgivably fishy when one argues that "rogue" IOs are wrong to deny "tourists" permission to stay in the Kingdom that long (or longer) if there are serious indicators of visa abuse. They are not rogue as you shamelessly claim. They are doing their jobs as immigration officers do in your country. They have every right and mandate to assess immigration matters and make a decision based on that assessment and extant records related to the traveller. This is not "rogueness" and it is unfair to label these IOs as such.

.

I have a friend who is the recipient of a trust fund. He will never have to work.

 

Prior to covid, he stayed in many countries for 9 months, or more.

 

Was he not a tourist?

 

tour·ist | ˈto͝orəst |

noun

1 a person who is traveling or visiting a place for pleasure:

[Caldera]

6 hours ago, mvdf said:

If you spend 9 months in Thailand, you are not a tourist

That's not even subject to debate anymore, considering that the Thai government created a special visa for tourists to stay up to 9 months.

[buknecerze]

1 hour ago, mockingbird said:

How long have you been out of Thailand?

I've been out for 1.5 years now and I was planning to go to Phuket sandbox. Perhaps I'll just get a normal 60 day visa. Denial of entry is probably not fun when the nearby countries are closed.

[mockingbird]

30 minutes ago, buknecerze said:

I've been out for 1.5 years now and I was planning to go to Phuket sandbox. Perhaps I'll just get a normal 60 day visa. Denial of entry is probably not fun when the nearby countries are closed.

I wouldn't worry about it. They're not going to deny you entry after 18 months out of the country.

[Mansell]

When I first went to Morocco I stayed there for the English winter, no issues. Also the government would give a discount on purchasing gasoline. Something like for every 20 dirhams of gas, 8 dirhams were subsidized by the government to encourage tourism. Pretty easy to be a tourist long term there.

[NanLaew]

7 hours ago, BritTim said:

First, if those using Special Tourist Visas are not tourists, how would you categorise them? Illegal aliens? Personally, I have never had a problem with the term "long stay tourists". It accurately describes those with disposable income who like to fully experience countries they like rather than arrive for a photo op and leave.

Broadly agree but for those "long stay tourists" who do not have a disposable income, can't afford the full "experience" and just come and squat in Thailand longtime on the dirt cheap, I categorize them as chancers.

[BKKTRAVELER]

I think they can't afford the risk of refusing someone right now if he/she has the right to legally enter the country. If they did so and the story came out, it would be the absolute end of tourism here during Covid, which is clearly not over.

[buknecerze]

28 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

Broadly agree but for those "long stay tourists" who do not have a disposable income, can't afford the full "experience" and just come and squat in Thailand longtime on the dirt cheap, I categorize them as chancers.

Currently you need no proof of money on your bank account for STV. But you do need proof that you don't have third stage syphilis and/or elephant leg syndrome.

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, buknecerze said:

2 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Broadly agree but for those "long stay tourists" who do not have a disposable income, can't afford the full "experience" and just come and squat in Thailand longtime on the dirt cheap, I categorize them as chancers.

Currently you need no proof of money on your bank account for STV. But you do need proof that you don't have third stage syphilis and/or elephant leg syndrome.

So you're saying that chancers don't get the clap?

 

Amazing Thailand

[BritTim]

3 hours ago, buknecerze said:

Currently you need no proof of money on your bank account for STV. But you do need proof that you don't have third stage syphilis and/or elephant leg syndrome.

You can also validly be denied entry on arrival (under Section 12 of the Immigration Act) for being mentally unstable. Frankly, anyone not in Thailand and trying to come now as a tourist could reasonably be regarded by the officials as being nuts and sent packing.

[NoshowJones]

22 hours ago, mockingbird said:

I came back in July  on a tourist visa after being out of the country for 18 months. I'd spent about 70% of the 2 years previous to that here on tourist visas. Before that I hadn't been in Thailand for 4 years. I've never overstayed, never had a problem.

 

On arrival I had 2 Immigration officers trawl through my history on their pc for what seemed like an eternity. Asked me for a contact number of someone in Thailand.  They were perfectly polite, but left me in no doubt that the pre covid crackdown on people deemed to be spending too much time in Thailand on tourist visas/visa exemptions is alive and well.

 

 

If any tourist is here legally, his passport will say that, if that is the case, the IOs should come off their power trips, and just accept that they are tourists legally in Thailand, long stay or not.

[elgenon]

On 10/20/2021 at 4:27 PM, Gottfrid said:

I would assume they are some strict as they always have been. Not heard of any changes in that department.

Does your slogan refer to women's chests? Just curious.