60-day visa exemptions are now unlimited at land borders

[5ilver]

I think people just need to understand that it's pretty much unfeasible for any country (that's not a hermit territory) to apply such a limited restriction on visa-exempt entries (via air).

 

As an example, say if I am a resident in a neighbouring country to Thailand and I love to take weekend trips to Phuket or Bangkok whenever I have a chance for a short getaway, to party/shop/dine. Based on this supposed limit of 2 visa-exempts a year, does this mean henceforth no one would be able to take short trips to Thailand more than twice a year?

 

That's ridiculous and even by Thai standards would be an absolute self-own to their economic ambitions tourism-wise. So the only logical explanation of the RTE London text is that it is a typo/mis-interpretation by the website manager of local consular staff.

[Maestro]

2 hours ago, Chivas said:

Further down the same page the reference to land/air entry is made. In short its 2.....!

 

"…Foreigners entering Thailand by any means under the Visa Exemption scheme are required at the port of entry to have proof of planned travel (confirmed air, train, bus, or boat tickets) to leave Thailand within 60 days of the arrival date…"

 

That's what the Thai embassy in the UK says on its website but does the embassy have its staff at Thai entry points to ensure that the immigration official enforce it?

[Maestro]

2 hours ago, Chivas said:

Further down the same page the reference to land/air entry is made. In short its 2.....!

 

"For traveling to Thailand by land and sea, UK ordinary passport holders are eligible for Visa Exemption Scheme with a maximum of twice in a calendar year."

 

I see that the Thai embassy in the UK specifically mentions UK ordinary passport holders, but does it have its staff at the entry points to make sure that immigration officials enforce this?

 

[GypsyT]

2 hours ago, Jack1988 said:

I use a border run agency that deal with immigration officers so I can get 60 days visa exemption for unlimited times, no issues at all. 100% guarantee. 4000thb all in service 

Come back after 60 days and 2x 30 days extensions. Only then you know. Let us know too.

 

I hope you and your agent can do it!

[Jack1988]

1 hour ago, GypsyT said:

Come back after 60 days and 2x 30 days extensions. Only then you know. Let us know too.

 

I hope you and your agent can do it!

Can do it 110%. The agency deal with immigration officers Thai and Cambodia. For only 4000thb they pick me up, bring me at the Cambodian border, they assist me with all the process, I don't have to pay more because with 4000thb is all included, transportation plus cambodian visa. and when I get 60 days stamps they bring me back to the place where I stay 

[Jack1988]

Let's see if you'll still laugh when I'll get the third and fourth visa exemption. And even more too

[DrJack54]

36 minutes ago, Jack1988 said:

Let's see if you'll still laugh when I'll get the third and fourth visa exemption. And even more too

You will be sadly disappointed if you think this announcement is a "gold pass" to continuous border bounces using visa exempt entry. 

[Rob Browder]

53 minutes ago, Jack1988 said:

Let's see if you'll still laugh when I'll get the third and fourth visa exemption. And even more too

There is no way to know one way or the other on future policy.  Maybe it lasts a year - or 10 years.  You might have noticed the political situation is somewhat volatile - and the parties "horse trade" policies.  We foreigners could be on the chopping-block - or not - any time.

[Jack1988]

59 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

You will be sadly disappointed if you think this announcement is a "gold pass" to continuous border bounces using visa exempt entry. 

I will keep doing border bounces until i have the possibility but i already know that i will go back to my country in the next months but after i will come back to thailand again, no problem at all for me. I also like to live in my country for some months

[DrJack54]

20 minutes ago, Jack1988 said:

I will keep doing border bounces until i have the possibility but i already know that i will go back to my country in the next months but after i will come back to thailand again, no problem at all for me. I also like to live in my country for some months

Makes your posts irrelevant.

You previously implying that you can live in Thailand with this announcement of "unlimited border" entries.

That is a nonsense. Especially you reference to border run companies. 

 

 

 

[Jack1988]

25 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Makes your posts irrelevant.

You previously implying that you can live in Thailand with this announcement of "unlimited border" entries.

That is a nonsense. Especially you reference to border run companies. 

 

 

 

I mean that i can live in thailand until there are unlimited border bounces or i could also go to another asian country and then come back to thailand. I have many solutions, no problem for me. It's up to me if i will want to go back to my country or not. I could change mind, who knows. Border run agency told me that it's unlimited now, they even write that on the website

[DrJack54]

14 minutes ago, Jack1988 said:

Border run agency told me that it's unlimited now, they even write that on the website

Stop posting nonsense.

First up this 60 day most likely temporary.

You are reading too much into "unlimited" 

Border run joints know zip how this will pan out. 

 

 

[Jack1988]

1 minute ago, DrJack54 said:

Stop posting nonsense.

First up this 60 day most likely temporary.

You are reading too much into "unlimited" 

Border run joints know zip how this will pan out. 

 

 

why posting nonsense? Even Tod wrote the now border runs are unlimited, this topic says that isn't it?

[DrJack54]

10 minutes ago, Jack1988 said:

why posting nonsense? Even Tod wrote the now border runs are unlimited, this topic says that isn't it?

You sadly do not understand what this announcement means. 

[Jack1988]

5 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

You sadly do not understand what this announcement means. 

Honestly i think that some folks with marriage visas or retirement visas, elite visas can't accept that now people like me can live in thailand more easily

[JeffersLos]

1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

First up this 60 day most likely temporary.

 

You're posting your opinion and most likelys as if they're some kind of facts. They're not. It's what you think will be most likely. 

 

1 hour ago, DrJack54 said:

Border run joints know zip how this will pan out. 

 

Yet you do? 

 

Answer: No, you do not. 

 

Accept it. 

[Bvor]

2 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

First up this 60 day most likely temporary.

You are reading too much into "unlimited" 

Border run joints know zip how this will pan out.

 Unless i'm mistaken, the MFA video interview posted by george indicates the new 60 day VE is intended to be permanent and for unlimited entries (land and air) but subject to the usual IO discretionary final decision. 

 

[DrJack54]

4 hours ago, Bvor said:

subject to the usual IO discretionary final decision. 

This is the part you should highlight.

Also think about it... If the removal of the previous 2 entries visa exempt via land/sea is removed permanently then why on earth would anyone bother with METV , SETV or for that matter any visa.

[DrJack54]

4 hours ago, JeffersLos said:

You're posting your opinion and most likelys as if they're some kind of facts. They're not. It's what you think will be most likely. 

Of course it's just opinion.

That's what a forum is about.

So you think this recent announcement will mean folk can do back to back ongoing border bounces and live in Thailand on that basis then that's fool's gold. 

[JeffersLos]

6 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

live in Thailand

 

People can only 'live in Thailand' when they don't need visas and extensions to. 

 

12 month extensions or visas that may or may not exist in the future is not living here, either, it is visiting and staying here 12 months at a time, hence why the visas have 'Non-Immigrant' across them.  

[DrJack54]

2 minutes ago, JeffersLos said:

12 month extensions or visas that may or may not exist in the future is not living here, either, it is visiting and staying here 12 months at a time, hence why the visas have 'Non-Immigrant' across them

You are playing semantics.

It's a given that most of us living in Thailand have in fact a "temporary permission of stay" .

That can be continuous and ongoing and in many cases is.

Some have not exited Thailand for many years.

BTW: You took 3 words of my post out of context....."live in Thailand" 

The poster I was replying to was suggesting the recent change with heading .."unlimited border visa exempt entries" implies possibility of living in Thailand in similar fashion to those on extensions.

It does not. 

[oldcpu]

13 hours ago, Jack1988 said:

Honestly i think that some folks with marriage visas or retirement visas, elite visas can't accept that now people like me can live in thailand more easily

Unlikely IMHO - or if there are some its a VERY SMALL number.

 

Most of us are hoping it does get easier to stay in Thailand for those who don't meet the marriage or retirement or elite visa status.

 

That IMHO is one of the good things about Thailand, in that there are many different types of Visas, where some Visas are more suitable than other visas for the different personal and financial status of various individuals who wish to spend time (and money) in Thailand.  It makes little sence IMHO to rain on someone else's parade.

 

So while I have an LTR visa, I am happy to see these new Visa implementations make it easier for many to come to Thailand.

.

[Bvor]

7 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

This is the part you should highlight.

Not highlighted cos nothing new about IO discretionary decisions. The MFA official seemed creditable and was quite clear re permanent and unlimited, he even ok'd a back to back border entry example. How it actually pans out is not for me to speculate so I will wait and see - maybe some unforseen further changes are in the making TIT style! 

[The Fugitive]

14 hours ago, Jack1988 said:

Honestly i think that some folks with marriage visas or retirement visas, elite visas can't accept that now people like me can live in thailand more easily

Of course I don’t know what; ‘people like me’ means in your particular case. However, I can only relate my own early experiences in Thailand when living in ‘low rent’ apartments which may explain why some have the opinions that they do of ‘border runners’.

 

A guy I was friendly with ‘lived on his wits’, because, as he admitted; ‘You’ll run out of money at some point’. Border runs were a source of worry for him because he never could get together 20,000 baht to show if ever asked. He rented a scooter (think 2,000 baht per month). The apartment owner engaged a lot with his tenants and we heard many stories from him. One day my friend ‘vanished’. The owner told us that, despite many warnings and much leniency, he hadn’t paid his rent and enough was enough. With some strong-arm help the owner had packed up what little belongings he had and took them, together with my friend to ‘somewhere’ and dumped him. With zero cash, I did wonder what the guy would’ve done in case of a moto accident or illness?

[JeffersLos]

2 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

The poster I was replying to was suggesting the recent change with heading .."unlimited border visa exempt entries" implies possibility of living in Thailand in similar fashion to those on extensions.

It does not. 

 

Aliens can stay here using them as long as entries remain unlimited, the same as those getting 12 month extensions to stay here can do so until they are altered, they are currently unlimited in how many you can get in a row, perhaps they will be changed where as anyone with 3 * 12 month extensions in a row needs to apply for PR. 

 

Both are currently unlimited. Both are way to stay here until that changes. You nor no one else knows when, or if, that will happen. 🙂

[Pattaya57]

2 hours ago, JeffersLos said:

 

People can only 'live in Thailand' when they don't need visas and extensions to. 

 

12 month extensions or visas that may or may not exist in the future is not living here, either, it is visiting and staying here 12 months at a time, hence why the visas have 'Non-Immigrant' across them.  

 

Does your mind have a different definition to 'live somewhere'.

 

I 'live' in Thailand because that's where my condo and my possessions are and where I sleep every night. Nothing to do with what permission of stay I have and I have lived here on visa exempt, tourist visa and non-imm O. 

[JeffersLos]

29 minutes ago, Pattaya57 said:

 

Does your mind have a different definition to 'live somewhere'.

 

I 'live' in Thailand because that's where my condo and my possessions are and where I sleep every night. Nothing to do with what permission of stay I have and I have lived here on visa exempt, tourist visa and non-imm O. 

 

You are visiting here, not living. The stamp in your passport is called a Temporary Permission of Stay. 😉 

 

The immigration police are allowing you to stay here temporarily. 

 

Tourist visa, for tourists, Non-Immigrant visa, for aliens that are no immigrants. Not residency visa. 😉 

[Rob Browder]

3 hours ago, The Fugitive said:

A guy I was friendly with ‘lived on his wits’, because, as he admitted; ‘You’ll run out of money at some point’.

We have all known people who couldn't manage money, and they always end up like this.  Most people not married to a Thai and under 50, but not elite-visa / "burn your money rich" aren't like that guy. 

 

If I were in-charge, they would sell high-deductible health-ins at the borders - cheap, and required to enter, if you don't have your own.  That would limit any losses to the deductible-amount.   Just charging ~200 baht per/ea to enter would also work, and simpler.

[Jack1988]

6 hours ago, The Fugitive said:

Of course I don’t know what; ‘people like me’ means in your particular case. However, I can only relate my own early experiences in Thailand when living in ‘low rent’ apartments which may explain why some have the opinions that they do of ‘border runners’.

 

A guy I was friendly with ‘lived on his wits’, because, as he admitted; ‘You’ll run out of money at some point’. Border runs were a source of worry for him because he never could get together 20,000 baht to show if ever asked. He rented a scooter (think 2,000 baht per month). The apartment owner engaged a lot with his tenants and we heard many stories from him. One day my friend ‘vanished’. The owner told us that, despite many warnings and much leniency, he hadn’t paid his rent and enough was enough. With some strong-arm help the owner had packed up what little belongings he had and took them, together with my friend to ‘somewhere’ and dumped him. With zero cash, I did wonder what the guy would’ve done in case of a moto accident or illness?

That would never be my case. I have a lot of money, no problem at all for me 

[Jack1988]

7 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

You are playing semantics.

It's a given that most of us living in Thailand have in fact a "temporary permission of stay" .

That can be continuous and ongoing and in many cases is.

Some have not exited Thailand for many years.

BTW: You took 3 words of my post out of context....."live in Thailand" 

The poster I was replying to was suggesting the recent change with heading .."unlimited border visa exempt entries" implies possibility of living in Thailand in similar fashion to those on extensions.

It does not. 

What's the problem if folks like me can do unlimited borders run for now? And if this dream might ends one day I don't have any problem, I can go back to my country and then come back to Thailand again. Very easy