Almost denied on entry

[bbi1]

2 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

 

Female IO on Thursday evening was very pleasant to me.

No issue at all, did not ask me to scan my finger prints either.... just smile at the camera, she stamped my passport and wrote in the valid until date and I was on my way.... Few minutes at most.

I thought you're not allowed to smile at the camera but just have a netural facial expression. Are smiles allowed?

[Ralf001]

2 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

I thought you're not allowed to smile at the camera but just have a netural facial expression. Are smiles allowed?

 

She said nothing to me about smiling.

[Pattaya57]

16 minutes ago, bbi1 said:

Doesn't sound weird at all. It makes perfect sense. Yes, clearly the OP should be on a retirement visa as that's the correct visa for over 50's who with to spend significant time in Thailand. METV should be saved for younger folks who aren't allowed to be on a retirement visa due to age discrimination.

I'm 58 and spent 400+ days in Thailand last 2 years. Thailand just issued me another Tourist visa because that's what I am, a tourist there. Says so right on the visa 😉

 

[bbi1]

25 minutes ago, Pattaya57 said:

I'm 58 and spent 400+ days in Thailand last 2 years. Thailand just issued me another Tourist visa because that's what I am, a tourist there. Says so right on the visa 😉

 

I'm also a tourist too, on a METV and spending money in Thailand. My tourist visa says the same from Sydney, except it's multiple entry.

 

Is Sydney switching to the Evisa system in the coming years or will they still go with the physical visa sticker? That's the best method, the physical visa sticker imo as we've heard stories of people with the Evisa applications having some problems when applying online.

Edited March 2 by bbi1

[Liverpool Lou]

Odd how so many posters object to IOs just doing their job.

[Pattaya57]

1 hour ago, bbi1 said:

Is Sydney switching to the Evisa system in the coming years or will they still go with the physical visa sticker? That's the best method, the physical visa sticker imo as we've heard stories of people with the Evisa applications having some problems when applying online.

Sydney has the e-visa from 19 March. Last date for old visa is 9th March

 

 

[bmanly]

4 hours ago, Pattaya57 said:

I'm 58 and spent 400+ days in Thailand last 2 years. Thailand just issued me another Tourist visa because that's what I am, a tourist there. Says so right on the visa 😉

 

I am similar to you. I spend 4 or 5 Months in Thailand each year and I am a genuine tourist. I come and go regularly with side trips. The METV is perfect for me but I usually do the SETV as I can extend that one for 30 days and then I go for a break and return on a visa exempt. Perfect way to do 4 Months. To all the people saying that if you are over 50 you should get a retirement visa, you are wrong. I do not get yearly rental contracts, I move around and holiday about in Asia. I am not entitled to get one as I don't live there permanently. I am a retiree who travels a lot but prefers to base myself in Thailand. The Tourist Visa is the correct visa for me and I will continue to use them. In 34 years I have never been questioned by an immigration officer, 95% of all my entries have been on Tourist Visas.

[shdmn]

On 2/29/2024 at 11:01 PM, alex8912 said:

It would not have been a problem. You should have entered just before METV expired. Super easy then to use the full 60 days AND even extend that 30 days. Also as mentioned why on earth the first time they asked you why were you here so long you should have politely said for more traveling while SHOWING them the copy of your return home in less than 30 days. They should NOT have asked YOU that.  I bet you have a stubborn streak in you. 

I stood there and calmly answered their questions and even threw in a little bit of Thai.  It's hilarious reading these comments from the peanut gallery speculating that I must smell bad, be wearing offensive clothes, have offensive tattoos, and was arguing with them.  🤣 

Edited March 6 by shdmn

[shdmn]

On 3/1/2024 at 10:34 PM, Pattaya57 said:

I'm 58 and spent 400+ days in Thailand last 2 years. Thailand just issued me another Tourist visa because that's what I am, a tourist there. Says so right on the visa 😉

 

Why are you still getting stickers in your passport?  Is that still a thing in AUS?  EVisa is much easier and doesn't use up a page in your passport.  It's just a one page letter you print out and show to them.

Edited March 6 by shdmn

[Upnotover]

3 minutes ago, shdmn said:

Why are you still getting stickers in your Visa?  Is that still a thing in AUS?  EVisa is much easier and doesn't use up a page in your passport.  It's just a one page letter you print out and show to them.

It is a thing until Sydney joins the e-Visa party later this month.

https://aseannow.com/topic/1321230-thai-consulate-in-sydney-au-launches-evisa-from-march-19-2024/

 

[shdmn]

On 3/2/2024 at 3:35 AM, bmanly said:

I am similar to you. I spend 4 or 5 Months in Thailand each year and I am a genuine tourist. I come and go regularly with side trips. The METV is perfect for me but I usually do the SETV as I can extend that one for 30 days and then I go for a break and return on a visa exempt. Perfect way to do 4 Months. To all the people saying that if you are over 50 you should get a retirement visa, you are wrong. I do not get yearly rental contracts, I move around and holiday about in Asia. I am not entitled to get one as I don't live there permanently. I am a retiree who travels a lot but prefers to base myself in Thailand. The Tourist Visa is the correct visa for me and I will continue to use them. In 34 years I have never been questioned by an immigration officer, 95% of all my entries have been on Tourist Visas.

You are doing exactly the same thing as I am in that case. I totally agree that it's the correct visa and that using a visa exempt entry after it expires should not be an issue, so it was a surprise when I had problems.

 

I went into an agent and asked about a retirement visa.  It's around 30,000b the first time.  That gets me the initial 3 month visa + the 12 month renewable multi-entry visa.  After that it's around 14,000b to renew each year if I get an agent to do it.  Apparently, they do pretty much do everything for you.  After factoring in my cost for a METV each trip + extensions + border runs, it's not much more expensive to just get the retirement visa and be done with it. No need to go through the extra hassle and all the paperwork, and I won't need to carefully plan my travel dates anymore.  So I might just do that.

Edited March 6 by shdmn

[shdmn]

13 minutes ago, Upnotover said:

It is a thing until Sydney joins the e-Visa party later this month.

https://aseannow.com/topic/1321230-thai-consulate-in-sydney-au-launches-evisa-from-march-19-2024/

 

I guess if you live in the same city as your consulate where you can drop off and pick up your passport in person it's not that big a deal.  I don't, so the Evisa system has made things much easier for me.

Edited March 6 by shdmn

[claffey]

On 3/1/2024 at 9:19 AM, shdmn said:

Your point?  I have been coming here for 20+ years, not once ever having a problem....until now.  My plan until this happened was to use Thailand as a base and travel around Asia for 6 months of the year.  The 6 month multi-entry is supposed to be designed precisely for that exact purpose.

A few questions about your many entries is hardly a 'problem'. 

[Lemsta69]

4 hours ago, shdmn said:

You are doing exactly the same thing as I am in that case. I totally agree that it's the correct visa and that using a visa exempt entry after it expires should not be an issue, so it was a surprise when I had problems.

 

I went into an agent and asked about a retirement visa.  It's around 30,000b the first time.  That gets me the initial 3 month visa + the 12 month renewable multi-entry visa.  After that it's around 14,000b to renew each year if I get an agent to do it.  Apparently, they do pretty much do everything for you.  After factoring in my cost for a METV each trip + extensions + border runs, it's not much more expensive to just get the retirement visa and be done with it. No need to go through the extra hassle and all the paperwork, and I won't need to carefully plan my travel dates anymore.  So I might just do that.

 

The initial Non-Immigrant O Visa is for 90 days, not 3 months. 

 

After that you get a 12 month extension of your permission to stay and can protect this with a single re-entry permit (฿1k) or multiple re-entry permit (฿4k). It is NOT a "12 month multi-entry visa".

 

Re-entry permit is not required if you have no intention of leaving the country before the end of your permission to stay.

 

I hope you're aware of all the pitfalls of using an agent to dodgy you up a "retirement visa". If not then best DYOR before diving in. The pros and cons have been discussed at length here on AN.

[Mike Lister]

A baiting tolling post removed....stop it!

[Pattaya57]

17 hours ago, shdmn said:

Why are you still getting stickers in your passport?  Is that still a thing in AUS?  EVisa is much easier and doesn't use up a page in your passport.  It's just a one page letter you print out and show to them.

As said above, e-visa not an option in Australia (or New Zealand). They start using it from 19th March

[shdmn]

19 hours ago, Lemsta69 said:

 

The initial Non-Immigrant O Visa is for 90 days, not 3 months. 

 

After that you get a 12 month extension of your permission to stay and can protect this with a single re-entry permit (฿1k) or multiple re-entry permit (฿4k). It is NOT a "12 month multi-entry visa".

 

Re-entry permit is not required if you have no intention of leaving the country before the end of your permission to stay.

 

I hope you're aware of all the pitfalls of using an agent to dodgy you up a "retirement visa". If not then best DYOR before diving in. The pros and cons have been discussed at length here on AN.

Are you seriously going to try disagree with me because 3 months is not always exactly 90 days?  Really?? 🤦‍♂️

 

This forum cracks me up sometimes.  If you say the sky is blue people would be trying to find reasons to disagree.

Edited March 7 by shdmn

[Lemsta69]

21 minutes ago, shdmn said:

Last time I checked 3 x 30 = 90. Yes I know 3 months won't always be exactly 90 days but are you going to seriously try disagree because of that?  Really?? 🤦‍♂️

 

This forum cracks me up sometimes.  If you say the sky is blue people would be trying to find reasons to disagree.

 

I'm simply presenting the facts, no more no less.

[shdmn]

13 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

I'm simply presenting the facts, no more no less.

Atta boy Saul.

Edited March 7 by shdmn

[Captain Monday]

8 hours ago, shdmn said:

Are you seriously going to try disagree with me because 3 months is not always exactly 90 days?  Really?? 🤦‍♂️

 

This forum cracks me up sometimes.  If you say the sky is blue people would be trying to find reasons to disagree.

As long as one does actually understand the limits of what  one  is issued feel free to call  90 days three months

 

On two occasions different American persons  I was to at least hang out with in CM for dinners, set themselves up for overstay because they convinced themselves who knows how,  that were to be issued a free "one month visa on arrival"  at the airport.

 

Of course they didn't know the day of arrival is day 1, over  in a few hours, 31 day months, leap year...

 

[shdmn]

On 3/7/2024 at 9:52 AM, Captain Monday said:

As long as one does actually understand the limits of what  one  is issued feel free to call  90 days three months

 

On two occasions different American persons  I was to at least hang out with in CM for dinners, set themselves up for overstay because they convinced themselves who knows how,  that were to be issued a free "one month visa on arrival"  at the airport.

 

Of course they didn't know the day of arrival is day 1, over  in a few hours, 31 day months, leap year...

 

The expiry date is stamped in your passport,  so unless you cannot read it's pretty hard to get that wrong.  But I am sure you will try find some other excuse to argue about it.

Edited March 9 by shdmn

[Captain Monday]

1 hour ago, shdmn said:

The expiry date is stamped in your passport,  so unless you cannot read it's pretty hard to get that wrong.  But I am sure you will try find some other excuse to argue about it.

I haven’t argued with you I’m in complete agreement. If you want a debate please arouse my pedantry with another subject 
Call it what you want but understand your limitations such as you permit to stay clearly marked in the passport 

 

I can’t help people however who think a month is the same as 30 days. Thus then book their return flight on the last day of stay validity (something I would never do) from getting a nasty surprise when they get back to BKK airport. 

[Skeptic7]

Really SMFH at anyone taking the side of Immigration on this and debating/disagreeing/condescending @shdmn

[zzzzz]

On 3/6/2024 at 3:28 PM, shdmn said:

You are doing exactly the same thing as I am in that case. I totally agree that it's the correct visa and that using a visa exempt entry after it expires should not be an issue, so it was a surprise when I had problems.

 

I went into an agent and asked about a retirement visa.  It's around 30,000b the first time.  That gets me the initial 3 month visa + the 12 month renewable multi-entry visa.  After that it's around 14,000b to renew each year if I get an agent to do it.  Apparently, they do pretty much do everything for you.  After factoring in my cost for a METV each trip + extensions + border runs, it's not much more expensive to just get the retirement visa and be done with it. No need to go through the extra hassle and all the paperwork, and I won't need to carefully plan my travel dates anymore.  So I might just do that.

those prices are in Pattaya ONLY, expect higher outside but no trip to immigration needed

also after the 1st 15 months, the next1 year extension drops to around 12,500

and,".... the 12 month renewable multi-entry visa"

NOPE, that multiple reentry will cost ya 3,800 more   🙂

Edited March 9 by zzzzz

[Highlandman]

On 3/2/2024 at 1:01 PM, bbi1 said:

A load of BS. I know loads of Lao & Cambodian people doing visa runs every 30 days to stay here for many years already, and continue to do so without any hassles. Not once have they been questioned or had any issues whatsoever. There are a number of visa run companies who are doing them for those nationalities.

 

They're allowed to do border runs, provided they go with visa run companies through friendly borders. Westerners have a limit to the number of runs they can do. Laotians and Cambodians do not, again, provided they arrive by land (99.9% do) and via "friendly" border crossings.

[shdmn]

On 3/8/2024 at 9:49 PM, Skeptic7 said:

Really SMFH at anyone taking the side of Immigration on this and debating/disagreeing/condescending @shdmn

A lot of people come to this forum just to argue with other people.  There was only one person in all of the comments who offered a reasonable opinion on the situation and how to avoid it in the future.

Edited March 16 by shdmn

[StandardIssue]

Simply put you been doing a long stay in Thailand by doing border. Thai immigration is discouraging long stays in Thailand via border runs and multiple tourist visas. You are using tourist visas and visa exemptions meant for tourist to long stay in Thailand. It is nothing new that they discourage this with the exception that they are clamping down on immigration policy and starting to enforce the ever changing, evolving and stricter immigration rules.

[DrJack54]

18 minutes ago, StandardIssue said:

It is nothing new that they discourage this with the exception that they are clamping down on immigration policy and starting to enforce the ever changing, evolving and stricter immigration rules.

What immigration rules are your referring to.

Yes there exists 2 visa exempt land border entries per calendar year. 

There is no such rule for visa exempt entries via air. 

Thailand could easily set more definitive rules. 

They opt not to. 

 

[shdmn]

On 3/18/2024 at 6:12 AM, StandardIssue said:

Simply put you been doing a long stay in Thailand by doing border. Thai immigration is discouraging long stays in Thailand via border runs and multiple tourist visas. You are using tourist visas and visa exemptions meant for tourist to long stay in Thailand. It is nothing new that they discourage this with the exception that they are clamping down on immigration policy and starting to enforce the ever changing, evolving and stricter immigration rules.

Did you actually read what I did or are you just trying to make stuff up so you can argue with me about it?    Do you even know how an METV works and that it is different than a visa waiver?

 

For anyone else who can't be bothered to read my OP.  I had ONE multi-entry tourist visa.  That is supposed to allow me to re-enter for up to 6 months.  I extended that by 30 days ONE time.  I did a land border run ONE time.  I went to Vietnam for a week and came back after my METV expired and they didn't want to issue a visa waiver even though I had previously been in Thailand only about 4.5 months and have a legit return ticket proving I am staying less than 6 months.  No grey areas, all well within the rules.

Edited March 20 by shdmn

[shdmn]

On 3/18/2024 at 6:35 AM, DrJack54 said:

What immigration rules are your referring to.

Yes there exists 2 visa exempt land border entries per calendar year. 

There is no such rule for visa exempt entries via air. 

Thailand could easily set more definitive rules. 

They opt not to. 

 

I was well within all those rules as well.  I only did one land border entry that renewed my METV for another 60 days.  The ONLY visa waiver I got was re-entering by air one time.  I had previously been in Thailand only about 4.5 months with a legit return ticket within 30 days.  So I was still well below the 6 months with proof I did not plan to stay that long.

 

One of the problems with the METV is that the 6 months starts after it is issued, not after you first enter the country.  My consulate can sometimes take up to 2 weeks or more to issue them, so I can't wait till the last minute to get it before I go to maximize the 6 month duration.  Also, I hate leaving anything till the last minute so I got it about 45 days before.  That is why it expired after only about 4.5 months in country.

 

This trip was the first time I tried staying for more than a couple months as a trial to see if want to retire in Thailand part time.  This experience didn't make me feel very welcome.  That and all the hassle with renewals, border runs, extensions, is making me rethink things.  They even wanted me to produce a TM.30 when I tried to extend for 30 days.  It's all a big hassle. 

 

I might give the Philippines a go next winter since their visa process sounds easier.  If I do decide to make Thailand my asian base I'll probaby just bite the bullet and get a retirement visa. I'll still need to produce a TM.30.  This new tax thing will probably mean even more paperwork at a minimum.  It's definitely making me re-evaluate things.

Edited March 20 by shdmn