45 day visa exempt - lots of questions asked at BKK airport

[Liverpool Lou]

8 hours ago, Big FranK said:

i never go in the special line for luggage checking or immigration. Usually there are less people, so officials have plenty of time to go through your things and ask plenty of questions. Blending in the mass of travellers is always a better option.

"...officials have plenty of time to go through your things and ask plenty of questions"

.Why would that be a problem for a legitimate visitor?

[Liverpool Lou]

5 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Her job was to stamp the pp indicating 45 day permit.

Not rocket science. 

No, every IO manning those desks' job is to determine whether any visitor should be stamped in based on evidence provided by the previous passport stamps, among other things.

[Olmate]

42 minutes ago, Sparktrader said:

Hi Im Ivan Milat no worries go in

Must have been scary walking out of the bush by himself! 

[Pattaya Spotter]

18 hours ago, bbi1 said:

plus also my number

Arriving in Business Class...maybe she fancied you ????

 

18 hours ago, bbi1 said:

Why would she want a.Thai friend's phone number?

Character reference before she sends a heart emoji ❤️ 

[Pattaya Spotter]

8 hours ago, Big FranK said:

Even if i usually travel business class, i never go in the special line for luggage checking or immigration. Usually there are less people, so officials have plenty of time to go through your things and ask plenty of questions. Blending in the mass of travellers is always a better option.

You'd rather wait 30 minutes to an hour with the plebs to pass immigration rather than answer a fee simple questions...seems rather odd. And maybe thus is something new, I've used the Fast Track lanes many times and never been asked any questions. I'll test it again in November when I return from the State's in SQ Biz. 

[Sparktrader]

1 hour ago, Olmate said:

Must have been scary walking out of the bush by himself! 

I only walk into bushes

[GroveHillWanderer]

I agree with a lot of what people have said about the IO asking questions to establish the visitor's bona fides for entry but I'm struggling to see the relevance of having Thai friends, to a person's eligibility to enter the country.

 

For instance, would having Thai friends be seen as a qualifying or disqualifying factor for entry?

Edited October 7, 2022 by GroveHillWanderer

[Caldera]

20 minutes ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

I agree with a lot of what people have said about the IO asking questions to establish the visitor's bona fides for entry but I'm struggling to see the relevance of having Thai friends, to a person's eligibility to enter the country.

 

For instance, would having Thai friends be seen as a qualifying or disqualifying factor for entry?

Having Thai friends (or Thai family) could help explain why someone chooses to visit Thailand frequently or for extended periods of time. So I'd say a qualifying factor if anything. 

[sandyf]

5 hours ago, BritTim said:

The actions of Thai immigration officials are determined by Thai law,

So you are saying that under Thai law the IOs actions are not to establish the credibility of those trying to enter the country.

[bbi1]

4 hours ago, BangkokAlan said:

Since they stopped the TM6 that showed your Thai phone number, place of stay and proposed leaving date some now resort to asking more questions but it's all dependent on the officer. Some ask questions and some don't.

TM6 is the arrival card, correct? The airline basically gave us an A4 page similar to what the precious arrival carDS had for us to fill in. The immigration Lady didn't even look at that page. She gave it back to me at the end. Do we need to keep that page for applying for a 30 day extension?

[bbi1]

1 hour ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

You'd rather wait 30 minutes to an hour with the plebs to pass immigration rather than answer a fee simple questions...seems rather odd. And maybe thus is something new, I've used the Fast Track lanes many times and never been asked any questions. I'll test it again in November when I return from the State's in SQ Biz. 

Please post a report once you test the Fast Track in November. Would be interesting to know if now they start grilling people more there. When I used it there was no queue there at all.

[bbi1]

25 minutes ago, Caldera said:

Having Thai friends (or Thai family) could help explain why someone chooses to visit Thailand frequently or for extended periods of time. So I'd say a qualifying factor if anything. 

Yeah, that was an odd question. Didn't think she was gonna call them up there and then, but she entered the details into the computer.

[josephbloggs]

4 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

Please post a report once you test the Fast Track in November. Would be interesting to know if now they start grilling people more there. When I used it there was no queue there at all.

I have never been asked a single question in Fast Track other than the occasional "can you speak Thai?", and I have used it countless times.

If you have access to Fast Track it would be ridiculous not to use it.

[bbi1]

6 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

I have never been asked a single question in Fast Track other than the occasional "can you speak Thai?", and I have used it countless times.

If you have access to Fast Track it would be ridiculous not to use it.

Male or female immigration officer?

 

Was that a recent entry or a while back?

Edited October 7, 2022 by bbi1

[BritTim]

7 hours ago, LukKrueng said:

How would you know? Have you seen the information she had on her screen? Maybe he was flagged for some reason?

You know, that is an interesting possibility. When immigration officials imply that they have made some comment about you in their system, we tend to dismiss that, but it could be true. Maybe, several years ago, an official flagged him as a possible "abuser" of visa exempt entry, and this was picked up on his most recent entry.

[BritTim]

3 hours ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

For instance, would having Thai friends be seen as a qualifying or disqualifying factor for entry?

I think it would establish a good reason for frequent visits to Thailand. "Friend" often means "girlfriend". The lack of good reasons is more likely to point to bad reasons for frequent visits. That said, absent some kind of red flag, I do feel that the questioning is pointless.

[BritTim]

2 hours ago, sandyf said:

So you are saying that under Thai law the IOs actions are not to establish the credibility of those trying to enter the country.

If someone has a visa, the official's job is very simple. Check if any of the reasons for denial of entry as listed in Section 12 of the Immigration Act apply. If not, stamp you into the country. The situation is a bit different with visa exemptions where, indeed, the official, in principle, is supposed to assess whether you are likely to be a genuine tourist.

[bbi1]

19 minutes ago, BritTim said:

You know, that is an interesting possibility. When immigration officials imply that they have made some comment about you in their system, we tend to dismiss that, but it could be true. Maybe, several years ago, an official flagged him as a possible "abuser" of visa exempt entry, and this was picked up on his most recent entry.

Never used visa exempts in the past. Always had a visa. So that's impossible.

[Kalasin Jo]

10 hours ago, OJAS said:

Agreed. The OP's experience sounds similar to the treatment frequently meted out to Thais and other aliens wishing to enter our home countries by local immigration officers there. But in the eyes of some on here it would appear that it is only Thai immigration officers who are to be demonised for doing their job, whereas our home country immigration officers, on the other hand, are, in their view, worthy of fulsome praise in identical circumstances.

 

Yes. Even as a Brit entering UK on a British passport ( I have no others) where it never works in the e gates I have been subject to several questions after revealing I am not resident in the UK.

 

My most recent entry on a Thailand Paris  Embassy issued single entry 90 day non O " Thai spouse" e-visa to Thailand at Suvarnabhumi, my second entry on such a visa this year, was a breeze ( unlike the online process of applying for it which was not) even with a ( very attractive) female IO. And yes, my passport is full of Thai entry and departure stamps and a Laos visa too from when I did a visa run there. Had no trouble then converting it to a 1 year permission to stay based on retirement either.

[josephbloggs]

5 hours ago, bbi1 said:

Male or female immigration officer?

 

Was that a recent entry or a while back?

Both male and female.  And from recent times going back years.  And I use Fast Track on every single entry - not because I am flash, just because I work for a BOI company so I am allowed to use the Fast Track lane.

I have posted this in its own thread elsewhere but especially post Covid the IOs are much more friendly (it seems to me), giving smiles, wais, and having a little chat.  Maybe that's because I approach them with a sawasdee khrap and a smile, who knows.

But generally, in dozens and dozens of entries I have never been questioned, nor has anyone I have known who has visited me.  

[BangkokAlan]

8 hours ago, bbi1 said:

TM6 is the arrival card, correct? The airline basically gave us an A4 page similar to what the precious arrival carDS had for us to fill in. The immigration Lady didn't even look at that page. She gave it back to me at the end. Do we need to keep that page for applying for a 30 day extension?

Not required at the moment the completion of the form was suspended temporarily to speed up the arrival process at the airport.

[Padthaigoong]

I arrived two days ago and I purposefully lined up at the only queue with a male IO.

 

Low and behold as I reached his position he went to lunch and a dragon took his place

 

However after almost three years, a new passport, no visa and a return flight dated 6 months later the only question she asked was. " How long are you staying in Thailand ? "

 

I replied 30 days and continued on my way with a 45 day stamp.

 

I did have a genuine one way ticket to Yangon within 30 days just in case and I wasn't quized about that at Heathrow either so that was £43 wasted

 

And yes I know I could have purchased a ticket at Onward Ticket far cheaper but I felt better having a legit one for peace of mind.

 

 

 

[it is what it is]

an immigration officer doing their job. if you're a genuine tourist you have nothing to worry about. i'd happily answer five such questions.

[Wiggy]

17 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

It isn't.  The "Visa on Arrival" lane is for visas on arrival, not visa exempt.  

I only mentioned it as in the OP a photo (which has now gone) of the Visa on Arrival lane accompanied the article, implying that’s where the OP had gone. But, yes, you’re right they are not the same thing. 

[sandyf]

14 hours ago, BritTim said:

If someone has a visa, the official's job is very simple. Check if any of the reasons for denial of entry as listed in Section 12 of the Immigration Act apply.

So in your view that would differ from "establish the credibility of those trying to enter the country."

How about trying to establish an air of superiority.

[RedArmy]

11 hours ago, BangkokAlan said:

Not required at the moment the completion of the form was suspended temporarily to speed up the arrival process at the airport.

I was given a TM6 form to fill out at a land border crossing last week - They took out my old one & replaced it with my new one.

[DrJack54]

5 minutes ago, RedArmy said:

I was given a TM6 form to fill out at a land border crossing last week - They took out my old one & replaced it with my new one.

It was not suspended at land border entries.

Only airports. 

[mikeymike100]

On 10/7/2022 at 6:43 AM, Iamfalang said:

Here's the issue.  You, like most of us, have a history here.  ED stamps, Work Permit stamps, etc........

 

and there is still a chance they don't want you here.   one wrong answer, denied.  they don't care about your past, maybe they don't believe it...

 

yea, it's a bad feeling (happened to me once) and this just means this place isn't home.  

Agree with what you say. Its difficult to understand when TAT are saying they need more tourists to come to Thailand and then on arrival you get the third degree?

[ubonjoe]

A off topic inflammatory post has been removed.

[mikeymike100]

18 hours ago, Kalasin Jo said:

Yes. Even as a Brit entering UK on a British passport ( I have no others) where it never works in the e gates I have been subject to several questions after revealing I am not resident in the UK.

 

My most recent entry on a Thailand Paris  Embassy issued single entry 90 day non O " Thai spouse" e-visa to Thailand at Suvarnabhumi, my second entry on such a visa this year, was a breeze ( unlike the online process of applying for it which was not) even with a ( very attractive) female IO. And yes, my passport is full of Thai entry and departure stamps and a Laos visa too from when I did a visa run there. Had no trouble then converting it to a 1 year permission to stay based on retirement either.

"Yes. Even as a Brit entering UK on a British passport ( I have no others) where it never works in the e gates I have been subject to several questions after revealing I am not resident in the UK."

 

Surely if you have a British passport entering the UK, immigration cannot refuse you entry, Why would they ask any questions?