Tourist visa in phnom penh

[AAIrons]

Last time I went was a few years ago and I just found an agent to do it all for me, is this still possible?

 

Thanks

[Caldera]

In principle, yes, but depending on your history of stays in Thailand, they might be unwilling to give you a visa. Not known as a particularly friendly embassy. 

[DrJack54]

OP, where are you currently located? 

Shortly after covid restrictions eased some reports of obtaining visas in PP with success.

In the past known as a place where using agent is common.

Did you consider other countries.

For a tourist visa my pick would be Vientiane or Saigon.

Note both required an appointment now. 

Edited December 12, 2022 by DrJack54

[thecyclist]

Has been an 'unfriendly' embassy for a long time, but found out recently that this unfriendliness has reached new heights. Was in PP 2 months ago and had a talk with the agent I used, always successfully, for 15 years (before my departure from Thailand in 2017). He told me that they now reject 60% of applications. 

[JoseThailand]

2 hours ago, thecyclist said:

Has been an 'unfriendly' embassy for a long time, but found out recently that this unfriendliness has reached new heights. Was in PP 2 months ago and had a talk with the agent I used, always successfully, for 15 years (before my departure from Thailand in 2017). He told me that they now reject 60% of applications. 

What type of visa you're talking about? I know that people easily get tourist visas there.

[BritTim]

Phnom Penh is best avoided for tourist visas unless your history as a tourist in Thailand is pretty limited. In your case, you imply that you have had tourist visa(s) from Phnom Penh before. If those were placed in your current passport, I would strongly advise you to go somewhere else.

[JoseThailand]

4 hours ago, BritTim said:

Phnom Penh is best avoided for tourist visas unless your history as a tourist in Thailand is pretty limited. In your case, you imply that you have had tourist visa(s) from Phnom Penh before. If those were placed in your current passport, I would strongly advise you to go somewhere else.

Do they have legal grounds to refuse a tourist visa if you meet all the requirements listed on their website? There is no mention that you should have no more than a certain number of tourist visas in the past.

[Onerak]

1 hour ago, JoseThailand said:

Do they have legal grounds to refuse a tourist visa if you meet all the requirements listed on their website?

Yes they could. What are you going to do? You know you're an insignificant ant. And embassy could always reject you without giving you any reason and IO could always deny you an entry. You can't do anything. Period. So don't post arrogant comments and accept others advice if you want  stay in Thailand. Getting visa and entry into a country is not a rights. 

Edited December 13, 2022 by Onerak

[ukrules]

Worth checking to see if this guy is still around - old post but if he's there and it's still possible I would be that he's still at it :

 

 

Pick up the phone and see if he's still working :

Adress: Preah Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh, Kambodža

Telefon:+855 12 767 401

 

[BritTim]

17 hours ago, JoseThailand said:

Do they have legal grounds to refuse a tourist visa if you meet all the requirements listed on their website? There is no mention that you should have no more than a certain number of tourist visas in the past.

Unlike immigration officials at airports, consular officials are allowed unlimited discretion, only qualified by what their superiors will allow. Multiple websites make this clear. For instance, see https://www.mfa.go.th/en/page/general-information?menu=5d5bd3cb15e39c306002a99c

Quote

The validity of a visa is granted with discretion by the Royal Thai Embassy or Royal Thai Consulate-General and is displayed on the visa sticker.

However,

Quote

the immigration officer may not permit foreigner holding a valid visa entry into Thailand should the immigration officer find reason to believe that he or she falls into the category of aliens prohibited from entering Thailand under the Immigration Act B.E. 2522 (1979)

That is, immigration officers are airports have no discretion. They should grant or deny entry strictly according to the terms of the Thai Immigration Act (mostly, Section 12).

[zzzzz]

did one 3 weeks ago for the Khmer wife.

no problem

at embassy $40 3 days

thru agent in PP  $60 4 days
we were in Kampot and it cost $80  1 week
yea i know she didn't need a visa but staying longer than 15 days

 

Plenty of good agents all over the country

have heard rumors over the years , after 4 consecutive tourist visas in PP an agent might not even try for you

[JoseThailand]

7 hours ago, zzzzz said:

have heard rumors over the years , after 4 consecutive tourist visas in PP an agent might not even try for you

What is considered "consecutive"?

[Mac Mickmanus]

14 minutes ago, JoseThailand said:

What is considered "consecutive"?

One after another .

[zzzzz]

4 hours ago, JoseThailand said:

What is considered "consecutive"?

without getting a visa from another embassy or consulate  in a year

[BritTim]

One data point from several years ago ...

 

I only once applied for a tourist visa in Phnom Penh. At the time, I had a passport with a number of previous tourist visas (from Vientiane, Penang and Savannakhet, as I recall) but none from Phnom Penh. I originally tried to use an agent. The embassy told the agent I had to attend in person. When I went, the officials were inclined to refuse me the visa. They eventually agreed to issue the visa, but with a stamp that said I travelled frequently to Thailand as a tourist, and would likely not be eligible for further tourist visas.

[Caldera]

16 hours ago, zzzzz said:

have heard rumors over the years , after 4 consecutive tourist visas in PP an agent might not even try for you

I think you'll find that their limit is quite a bit lower nowadays, and as @BritTimwrote, they do take visas issued elsewhere into consideration as well.

 

For someone with a fairly empty passport who doesn't mind spending 4-5 days in Phnom Penh, it's not a bad option at all, but I'd be careful with more "history" in one's passport.

 

As you mentioned your Khmer wife, it's also quite possible that they have different rules for locals vs. visa runners. 

[JoseThailand]

7 hours ago, zzzzz said:

without getting a visa from another embassy or consulate  in a year

It means, I can constantly alternate between two consulates and get unlimited tourist visas?

[JoseThailand]

2 hours ago, BritTim said:

They eventually agreed to issue the visa, but with a stamp that said I travelled frequently to Thailand as a tourist, and would likely not be eligible for further tourist visas.

I had the same stamp from the Ho Chi Minh City consulate. It was just before Covid, so I didn't try to get more tourist visas since then. But I doubt it would have any real implications.

[thecyclist]

On 12/14/2022 at 4:25 AM, ukrules said:

Worth checking to see if this guy is still around - old post but if he's there and it's still possible I would be that he's still at it :

 

 

Pick up the phone and see if he's still working :

Adress: Preah Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh, Kambodža

Telefon:+855 12 767 401

 

Yes ,Mr Keo is still around .He reopened a couple of months ago after a long Covid hiatus.His new agency is very close to where he used to be.He is the one who told  me that the rejection rate is higher than it has ever been, but that was 2 months ago,might be better now . I will be in PP in a week or two : might be able to provide with an update.

[BritTim]

3 hours ago, JoseThailand said:

I had the same stamp from the Ho Chi Minh City consulate. It was just before Covid, so I didn't try to get more tourist visas since then. But I doubt it would have any real implications.

That stamp was reported around that time to make getting further tourist visas from nearby consulates very difficult until you procured a replacement passport. I never tried.

[thecyclist]

On 12/15/2022 at 3:07 PM, JoseThailand said:

It means, I can constantly alternate between two consulates and get unlimited tourist visas?

No, they do count all visas in your current passport. The only way to keep alternating would be to regularly get a new passport, as embassies are not linked to the immigration department website. But even then it's only a matter of time before you get interrogated at border, because they can see all your arrivals. 

[JoseThailand]

6 hours ago, thecyclist said:

No, they do count all visas in your current passport. The only way to keep alternating would be to regularly get a new passport, as embassies are not linked to the immigration department website. But even then it's only a matter of time before you get interrogated at border, because they can see all your arrivals. 

So the whole "consecutive" thing is just a big piece of BS.

[Caldera]

1 hour ago, JoseThailand said:

So the whole "consecutive" thing is just a big piece of BS.

Yeah or maybe it was true 10 years ago. Not recently for sure.

[BritTim]

On 12/17/2022 at 1:05 PM, thecyclist said:

But even then it's only a matter of time before you get interrogated at border, because they can see all your arrivals. 

That does depend on where you enter Thailand. If you have a visa, many land crossings and some airports will stamp you in without questioning, regardless of how many previous tourist entries you have.

 

What I think will end unlimited consecutive tourist visas is (as I think will eventually happen) embassies and consulates in the region switching to the e-visa system. At that stage your previous tourist visas acquired through the system will be visible. Even now, if using the e-visa system, they want to see copies of every stamp in your passport(s) associated with entry into Thailand in the last 12 months.

[Hellfire]

On 12/12/2022 at 8:39 PM, Caldera said:

In principle, yes, but depending on your history of stays in Thailand, they might be unwilling to give you a visa. Not known as a particularly friendly embassy. 

Even if they grant the visa it may mean nothing for the immigration officer at the border.

[Caldera]

2 minutes ago, Hellfire said:

Even if they grant the visa it may mean nothing for the immigration officer at the border.

As long as you avoid entering in Aranyaprathet (Poipet on the Cambodian side) , land border checkpoints with Cambodia aren't known to cause trouble to tourist visa holders.

[Hellfire]

17 minutes ago, Caldera said:

As long as you avoid entering in Aranyaprathet (Poipet on the Cambodian side) , land border checkpoints with Cambodia aren't known to cause trouble to tourist visa holders.

With all due respect, did you experiment with all the other land crossings already? How can you state something like that when we all know how often and easily the Thai immigration change their policies. 
 

 

Edited December 18, 2022 by Hellfire

[DrJack54]

7 minutes ago, Hellfire said:

How can you state something like that when we all know how often and easily the Thai immigration changes their policies. 

Please explain 

When have policies been changed.

Most find border bounce straight forward unless your history is of concern. 

Edited December 18, 2022 by DrJack54

[Hellfire]

42 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Please explain 

When have policies been changed.

Most find border bounce straight forward unless your history is of concern. 

Ouh, come on. Just  compare the Visa regulations before the coupe and after. Or, for example, take the visa issuance procedure by the embassy. First I got 6 visas into my new passport. Then obtained a new passport and this time got only 4 visas and a warning - no more visas will be issued in the future. New passport obtained again and this time I get “no more visas in the future” warning only after 2 visas. And then came Covid and 3 years of visa exemptions.

I can tell some other stories about Thai authorities being inconsistent and constantly changing their policies. Just do not wish to waste my time proving the obvious.

 

Edited December 18, 2022 by Hellfire

[Caldera]

30 minutes ago, Hellfire said:

With all due respect, did you experiment with all the other land crossings already? How can you state something like that when we all know how often and easily the Thai immigration change their policies. 

Denying entry to someone with a valid visa is quite a rare thing with Thai immigration, it has only been reported from a few airports and the Aranyaprathet border checkpoint. If you've come across a report contradicting what I wrote, then by all means, post a link.