Pinang Tourist Visas Back To Back

[farangsay]

I know that the exemption stamps being used as a way to live in Thailand are looked down upon in the highest regard by immi so I can't imagine them as an out if 60 day tourist visas are to be limited. As eek says, have a contingency plan just in case.

I'm just trying to stay positive in these trying times.

It may well be better to apply for a tourist visa in Penang every 6 months, than every 3 months as there will be less highly visable tourist visas stuck in my passport.

I agree that having a contingency plan is wise.

The way I look at it, next time I go there will be my second tourist visa since October. If I manage 3 border runs after my tourist visa runs out at the end of August, I won't need to return to Penang until end of November, and even if I get a negative remark in my passport, I'll still be set until end of February. If I undertook 3 more border runs after that, I wouldn't be looking for another tourist visa until next May.

Even if I don't do the in-between border runs and I receive the "remark" on my next Penang visa run, I'll be set until at least end of November. This is my contingency plan.

Tourist visas are highly visible per se - they are a whole page sticker.

Even if your last attempt at Penang was a year previous they have the a full working say to flip through your book - long enough to spot that you've been giving your custom to other regional consulates in the meantime.

[tropo]

Looks like the government is tightening up on illegals. Everyone should have the right visa before they come to Thailand.

It really is hard for some people to comprehend that some other people can live perpetually as tourists.

[tropo]

Tourist visas are highly visible per se - they are a whole page sticker.

Even if your last attempt at Penang was a year previous they have the a full working say to flip through your book - long enough to spot that you've been giving your custom to other regional consulates in the meantime.

So going by the "tourist visas are hightly visible" theory, if one replaces one's passport from time to time one should have no problems.

[Fred Sanford]

No tropo, that doesn't work. those consulate guys print out your history

[tropo]

No tropo, that doesn't work. those consulate guys print out your history

Then we'll catch up for a beer sometime next year in the Philippines or Cambodia??

[tijnebijn]

No tropo, that doesn't work. those consulate guys print out your history

Do they ? I am not so sure about that . maybe they do in SE Asia , for example in A'dam a non O or multiple tourist , takes only a few minutes ,there they do not check for sure . Do you know this of personal experience or from many other Tv members posts or from speculation . I do not doubt what you say , but because they only check pages when applying or entering , I just am not sure they do this randomly . Maybe I am wrong , good to know though.

[Fred Sanford]

Looks like the government is tightening up on illegals. Everyone should have the right visa before they come to Thailand.

Slowly closing the loopholes.

I fail to see what's so amusing about this

[Fred Sanford]

No tropo, that doesn't work. those consulate guys print out your history

Do they ? I am not so sure about that . maybe they do in SE Asia , for example in A'dam a non O or multiple tourist , takes only a few minutes ,there they do not check for sure . Do you know this of personal experience or from many other Tv members posts or from speculation . I do not doubt what you say , but because they only check pages when applying or entering , I just am not sure they do this randomly . Maybe I am wrong , good to know though.

I am speaking of SE Asia. I had a guy show me the print out in PP. If they dont print it out then certainly they see it on the puter screen with a quick query. Never think that they dont check you out because they do and it dont take more than a few seconds to do it

Edited July 4, 2007 by Fred Sanford

[Fred Sanford]

No tropo, that doesn't work. those consulate guys print out your history

Then we'll catch up for a beer sometime next year in the Philippines or Cambodia??

could be the case troper. I like cambo but prefer to stay right here in BKK. Haven't been to PI but it sounds interesting. The world wouldn't come to an end to leave, I'd just have to spend 100K baht per month elsewhere. Been here for 5 years but never bolted myself in that tightly that I'd have difficulty departing at a moments notice. Age 50 is still 4 years away. A friend last night suggested marriage and another friend says that he'd like to marry an elephant. Now there's an idea

[CyberViking]

I have to wonder if this whole issue isn't being overstated. Yeah, my first reaction was to go pack my bags--we "visa runners" are a jumpy lot these days, perhaps--but look at the reality. OK, the consulate in Penang is stamping a warning. A new guy took over the visa section, and maybe he's just trying to show he's on the job. Nobody in the forum has yet reported a tourist visa application being denied because of this. Indeed, has anyone even reported receiving the warning?

I received another e-mail from my visa agent in Penang yesterday, and he said that he's seeing warnings in *some* passports with more than *five* back-to-backs. Maybe by next week it will be six. Or maybe it's just totally random. Perhaps age and nationality are a factor, as was speculated in an earlier post in this thread.

I'm thinking back to the panic that broke out last September when the visa changes were announced. Who then thought that so many of us would still be here now?

[cashe]

No tropo, that doesn't work. those consulate guys print out your history

Then we'll catch up for a beer sometime next year in the Philippines or Cambodia??

A friend last night suggested marriage and another friend says that he'd like to marry an elephant. Now there's an idea

Elephant?

[tropo]

Nobody in the forum has yet reported a tourist visa application being denied because of this. Indeed, has anyone even reported receiving the warning?

Will we ever receive such a report?

Would anyone with an actual remark in their passport from an earlier visa run take the risk of flying all the way to Penang to test it out?

I wouldn't.

[permanent_disorder]

. OK, the consulate in Penang is stamping a warning. A new guy took over the visa section, and maybe he's just trying to show he's on the job. Nobody in the forum has yet reported a tourist visa application being denied because of this. Indeed, has anyone even reported receiving the warning?

i remember last year june/july was some report that now you get in penang only single entry stamps. was a big surprise for everybody here in the forum.

after 3 weeks or so it turned out the 'new guy' was somekind of holiday replacement. after that it was going back to the usual double or mutiple entry again. until the new rules coming on 1. of october of course.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

what date did you get this recent visa cobra?

all 4 were from KL

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

what date did you get this recent visa cobra?

all 4 were from KL

June 21

[freespace]

Sorry for my lack of knowledge on the matter, but was wondering how easy it is to obtain a TV from a consolate abroad after having done 3 border runs? Had a WP, coming up to the 3rd visa run, have no option but to get a TV from abroad at the moment... thanks in advance.

[lopburi3]

Very easy.

[CyberViking]

Nobody in the forum has yet reported a tourist visa application being denied because of this. Indeed, has anyone even reported receiving the warning?

Will we ever receive such a report?

Would anyone with an actual remark in their passport from an earlier visa run take the risk of flying all the way to Penang to test it out?

I wouldn't.

Well, I could have been a bit clearer in my post. What I _actually_ meant was, "Nobody in the forum has yet reported a tourist visa application being denied because they _already had four or five in a row_." And, according to the e-mail I got yesterday (not to mention other postings in this thread), even having four TVs in a row isn't stopping people from getting another right now.

We obviously *won't* know for another two or three months if any of these warning endorsements actually prevent anyone from getting another TV, whether they apply again in Penang or Vientiane or Singapore or wherever.

[CyberViking]

. OK, the consulate in Penang is stamping a warning. A new guy took over the visa section, and maybe he's just trying to show he's on the job.

i remember last year june/july was some report that now you get in penang only single entry stamps. was a big surprise for everybody here in the forum.

after 3 weeks or so it turned out the 'new guy' was somekind of holiday replacement. after that it was going back to the usual double or mutiple entry again. until the new rules coming on 1. of october of course.

Well, there ya' go! Maybe the same thing is happening this year.

[freespace]

Very easy.

Thnx Lopburi. Just wondering what this business about having to leave the Kingdom for 3 months is about? Is it required that you have to leave for 3 months after having done the 3 border runs? Or... you can easily get the TV abroad after doing 3 border runs? Am a bit ignorant/unclear about this...! thnx

[lopburi3]

You can enter using a visa - you only have to not use visa exempt entry more than 90 days in a six month period.

[bruceboy]

You can enter using a visa - you only have to not use visa exempt entry more than 90 days in a six month period.

So could you obtain a tourist visa in the UK come to Thialand and enter with a "visa on arrival" do three border runs and then reenter Thailand using your tourist visa? You guys do an amazing job keeping up with all this Just thinking about it gives me a headache.

[Fred Sanford]

I tried that once, the immi guy had me initial that I didnt want to use and entry on my visa, just wanted a visa exempt stamp. I discovered later that the entry I didnt want to use was invalidated, so the answer is no you cant do it I think

[lopburi3]

You can enter using a visa - you only have to not use visa exempt entry more than 90 days in a six month period.

So could you obtain a tourist visa in the UK come to Thialand and enter with a "visa on arrival" do three border runs and then reenter Thailand using your tourist visa? You guys do an amazing job keeping up with all this Just thinking about it gives me a headache.

1. A tourist visa is only valid for 90 days from date of issue.

2. It would be a special request to immigration on each entry not to use your tourist visa.

3. Much easier to do the visa exempt entries and then obtain the tourist visa at present. Assuming you do not require the visa to board aircraft and you meet the requirements of visa exempt entry (outbound ticket within 30 days).

[CyberViking]

. OK, the consulate in Penang is stamping a warning. A new guy took over the visa section, and maybe he's just trying to show he's on the job.

i remember last year june/july was some report that now you get in penang only single entry stamps. was a big surprise for everybody here in the forum.

after 3 weeks or so it turned out the 'new guy' was somekind of holiday replacement. after that it was going back to the usual double or mutiple entry again. until the new rules coming on 1. of october of course.

Well, there ya' go! Maybe the same thing is happening this year.

[tropo]

I tried that once, the immi guy had me initial that I didnt want to use and entry on my visa, just wanted a visa exempt stamp. I discovered later that the entry I didnt want to use was invalidated, so the answer is no you cant do it I think

You wouldn't have been happy about that!

[tropo]

what date did you get this recent visa cobra?

all 4 were from KL

Maybe KL is a better alternative than Penang right now.

[tropo]

. OK, the consulate in Penang is stamping a warning. A new guy took over the visa section, and maybe he's just trying to show he's on the job.

i remember last year june/july was some report that now you get in penang only single entry stamps. was a big surprise for everybody here in the forum.

after 3 weeks or so it turned out the 'new guy' was somekind of holiday replacement. after that it was going back to the usual double or mutiple entry again. until the new rules coming on 1. of october of course.

Well, there ya' go! Maybe the same thing is happening this year.

Wouldn't that be good news.

I'll keep emailing 2 or 3 agents there to stay in touch with what's happening.

[freespace]

You can enter using a visa - you only have to not use visa exempt entry more than 90 days in a six month period.

Mhmm... and visa exempt entry would be? A border run? Meaning, you are not allowed to do more than 3 border runs within a 6 month period?

[lopburi3]

A visa exempt entry is entry to Thailand without a visa - as in a 30 day permitted to stay stamp that about 40 nations are able to obtain at a border or airport entry point.

The limit is not the number of entries but the number of days in a six month period - that limit is 90.

You can enter a dozen times or more if you do not exceed the 90 days and you can enter using a visa and that will not be charged against the 90 days.