What is a "Ghost Run"

[AgMech Cowboy]

This term was used on the "Thai Visa Service" website.  As such, "You have to go in person with our staff to complete a border or visa run, no “Ghost Run” possible."

 

I've never come across this term as such? (isn't it a movie title?)  Will a couple of you knowledgeable border run folks please enlighten me?

[DrJack54]

Means agents takes passport to border and does border bounce without you.

Was does MANY years ago.

Illegal. 

[n00dle]

It should be rather obvious, the context is all there -- you have to do the visa run in person, you cannot just send your passport to be stampoed in and out

[ThailandRyan]

An agent from a company would take the passports of individuals who needed to go out and be stamped back in while you and the others sat in a nice cofee shop enjoying the day.

[n00dle]

3 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

An agent from a company would take the passports of individuals who needed to go out and be stamped back in while you and the others sat in a nice cofee shop enjoying the day.

coffee shop, yeah right.

[BritTim]

Many years ago, there was an agent service that involved them taking your passport to a land crossing (typically with Malaysia) and getting you stamped out and in without you going along. That was often called a "ghost run" because only your invisible self crossed the border and returned.

[Denim]

29 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

An agent from a company would take the passports of individuals who needed to go out and be stamped back in while you and the others sat in a nice cofee shop enjoying the day.

That was Jack Golf. Quite a long time back though. The coffee shop was a air conditioned and a lot better than standing in a queue. Their service used a proper double decker coach with free coffee downstairs. This was at Ban Laem if I remember correctly. At Aran you went into the casino and had a complementary buffet lunch.

 

Fell victim to a change in visa hopping rules.

[steven100]

40 minutes ago, Denim said:

That was Jack Golf. Quite a long time back though. The coffee shop was a air conditioned and a lot better than standing in a queue. Their service used a proper double decker coach with free coffee downstairs. This was at Ban Laem if I remember correctly. At Aran you went into the casino and had a complementary buffet lunch.

 

Fell victim to a change in visa hopping rules.

Jack Golf operated out of Sukhumvit Soi near the Korean arcade,  it use to leave at 5 or 6.am ...  there was lunch at the casino at Arunyapeteth and then you return around 5.pm.  It was a decent service for in-out-in visa.  But that was a long time ago.

 

 

[CharlieH]

Derogatory generalisation  removed.

[digbeth]

1 hour ago, Denim said:

That was Jack Golf. Quite a long time back though. The coffee shop was a air conditioned and a lot better than standing in a queue. Their service used a proper double decker coach with free coffee downstairs. This was at Ban Laem if I remember correctly. At Aran you went into the casino and had a complementary buffet lunch.

 

Fell victim to a change in visa hopping rules.

if you went to the casino, you actually made the border crossing yourself, so hardly a 'ghost run' is it?

A ghost run is probably where you don't need to inconvenience yourself with going to the border, staying in Pattaya or Bangkok and have your passport sent to get the stamps

 

It used to be that only big border crossing and airports have the camera that records your face when you're being stamped in/out, it'd be pretty obvious going through the records and see if you had stamp without matching photo of the entry/exit

[n00dle]

1 hour ago, steven100 said:

Jack Golf operated out of Sukhumvit Soi near the Korean arcade,  it use to leave at 5 or 6.am ...  there was lunch at the casino at Arunyapeteth and then you return around 5.pm.  It was a decent service for in-out-in visa.  But that was a long time ago.

 

 

Wow, i actually used them once problaby 15 years ago, when I was between jobs and hadnt yet figured out the non-O game for folks with a thai child. 

 

It was the only land border bounce I have ever done.

 

It was unbearable. The ride was interminable, and to decribe the casino and the coffee shop as a <deleted>hole would be a kindness.  

As for a ghost run, there was no such magic service, we were physically  trotted past the agents

[worgeordie]

Long time ago now , used an agent who used to send the passport down

to Malaysia border ,stamp it out ,and send it to Hawaii  or Australia to

Thai Embassy there and get 12 months Visa ,return it, it was stressful

when the passport was out of my control , but it always worked......

the good old days ..... was pleased when I got Visa for caring and

supporting my daughter , then retirement.

 

regards Worgeordie  

[jaideedave]

49 minutes ago, digbeth said:

if you went to the casino, you actually made the border crossing yourself, so hardly a 'ghost run' is it?

A ghost run is probably where you don't need to inconvenience yourself with going to the border, staying in Pattaya or Bangkok and have your passport sent to get the stamps

 

It used to be that only big border crossing and airports have the camera that records your face when you're being stamped in/out, it'd be pretty obvious going through the records and see if you had stamp without matching photo of the entry/exit

I recall some boys doing that on Samui years ago.Myself I thought it was risky because the runner had to leave the Island by boat with all their passportd. .Too many things to go wrong.

[AgMech Cowboy]

Thanks to all.  Back in the late 90's and early 2000's I guess I made a few ghost runs, but had never heard it called that.  I was reading the sentence a little bit differently, but I see yall's explanations make more sense.

[Hummin]

Last time I went to the Malaysian border, I was sitting at the no man land, and the agent took my passport for stamp, and also took my quota for liquor and tobacco. So semi ghoast run? Heavy rainfall prevented us to go by fully loaded car that time. 

 

NB before covid

[Ralf001]

Think ghost ridin the whip...... but change out whip to minivan.

 

 

[bobandyson]

2 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Long time ago now , used an agent who used to send the passport down

to Malaysia border ,stamp it out ,and send it to Hawaii  or Australia to

Thai Embassy there and get 12 months Visa ,return it. . . . . . . . . .

Was the same in the 90's but after stamping out at the Malaysian border the PP would go to Penang's Thai consulate for the visas. I think it was 13,000Baht all in for a multi non-imm O. That was the service at Nana Plaza where you would hand over your PP to a high-level cop's daughter.

[AjarnMartin]

19 hours ago, n00dle said:

It should be rather obvious, the context is all there -- you have to do the visa run in person, you cannot just send your passport to be stampoed in and out

It must feel very imperious for you to know everything about the world? AgMech Cowboy was asking a very reasonable question, to which he got some good, knowledgeable answers. Thank goodness not everyone is as smug as you.

[zzzzz]

20 hours ago, steven100 said:

Jack Golf operated out of Sukhumvit Soi near the Korean arcade,  it use to leave at 5 or 6.am ...  there was lunch at the casino at Arunyapeteth and then you return around 5.pm.  It was a decent service for in-out-in visa.  But that was a long time ago.

 

 

I would not consider that a "ghost run"
"Ghost runs" were those were you were in Phuket, Bangkok and never left, although ur passport went to Malaysia ( either the border for a stamp in an out or Penang for a new visa) an back
Many people use a "helper" at poi pet but they still travel to the border just they physically dont leave thailand but their passports go upstairs, across the street, back upstairs an back to you