Difficulties foreigners face entering Mae Sot and surrounding areas

[Tomtomtom69]

The TAT is silent on this, but on the Mae Sot Facebook page, it's clear - foreigners entering Mae Sot from Tak or anywhere else in Thailand may face questioning, their documents photographed and in some cases, tourists in particular, will be denied entry to the city for fear they are going to get kidnapped and taken across the border to the scam cities in Myawaddy and Shwe Kokko. That is, unless they have a Thai guarantor in town, but that's strange, considering most tourists to Thailand don't know anyone in the country, much less a requirement to know someone in a particular city such as Mae Sot. 

 

Someone told me that there is an area north of Mae Sot where foreigners are prohibited from entering altogether - it's called "Mae Ta-lor". There's a checkpoint at the start of the road that goes there, and foreigners are not allowed to proceed. I've never heard of foreigners being denied access to any public location in Thailand. Some military bases, yes (that makes sense I guess) but a random village in Tak province? I hope this is not the start of Myanmar/Burma like "restricted areas for foreigners". 

Has anyone been to Mae Sot recently? If so, what visa are / were you on and were you allowed to enter the city? Did you have a Thai guarantor? What if you don't know any Thais living in Mae Sot? 

[Tod Daniels]

Both the Mae Sai/Tachleik and the Mae Sot/Myawaddy borders with Burma are closed to foreigners, and have been for close to several years now.

 

You're not going to bounce out/back at those borders no matter if you're just trying to get a new 60 day free entry or activate another entry on a valid multi-entry visa.

 

You wanna bounce up there you use the Lao border crossings at either Chiang Saen or Chiang Khong.

 

Mae Sai & Mae Sot are open to locals only (Thai  & Burmese)

[BrandonJT]

8 hours ago, Tomtomtom69 said:

What if you don't know any Thais living in Mae Sot? 

Then pick one of the million other places in Thailand to go.

[Tomtomtom69]

4 hours ago, Tod Daniels said:

Both the Mae Sai/Tachleik and the Mae Sot/Myawaddy borders with Burma are closed to foreigners, and have been for close to several years now.

 

You're not going to bounce out/back at those borders no matter if you're just trying to get a new 60 day free entry or activate another entry on a valid multi-entry visa.

 

You wanna bounce up there you use the Lao border crossings at either Chiang Saen or Chiang Khong.

 

Mae Sai & Mae Sot are open to locals only (Thai  & Burmese)

 

I'm not bouncing. 

 

I'm meeting people in Mae Sot but they're not Thai. I might also visit a Thai business partner in Mae Ramad.

 

I have no intention of going to Myanmar; I already know the border there is closed and I realize this border closure to foreigners could be permanent, just as it as at the Three Pagodas Pass, where foreigners have been unable to cross since 2007.

[Tomtomtom69]

2 hours ago, BrandonJT said:

Then pick one of the million other places in Thailand to go.

 

Lol, so how do I meet my Burmese employees, who aren't allowed to visit anywhere in Thailand but Mae Sot, since they live just across the border?

 

If you're going to make a dumb reply, I'd suggest you didn't reply at all!

[Tomtomtom69]

It's clear people here have no idea that Mae Sot has these strange rules in place.

 

They're not used to the idea that there are actually places in Thailand where foreigners face restrictions...including for the first time ever (outside of Covid times) I've confirmed that there is an area of Thailand off-limits to foreigners for unknown reasons. You can actually view the area on Google Maps Street view, but that's as close as you'll get to the area as foreigners are blocked from going through.

 

On a Facebook forum, several people have stated that their friends or people they know of were either blocked from entering Mae Sot (even with a valid hotel booking in some cases) or were held at the last checkpoint before entering town until a Thai guarantor could pick them up.

 

Some nationalities (particularly those from China, Taiwan and several others) who's nationals have been found working as scammers in Myanmar in large numbers are essentially (unofficially) banned from heading to the area.

 

One Taiwanese lady said she was detained for mentioning she was going to visit some NGO in the area. Her story seems fishy, but par for the course for that region.

 

Seems that Thailand's call center crackdown has unwittingly created headaches for innocent tourists and expats. Also keep in mind that anyone heading to Umphang will also be caught in the crossfire as that town can only be accessed via Mae Sot as it doesn't have an airport or any roads from other parts of Thailand. 

[Cameroni]

12 minutes ago, Tomtomtom69 said:

It's clear people here have no idea that Mae Sot has these strange rules in place.

 

I had an idea. I was supposed to meet an incredibly hot 22 year old Burmese girl in Mae Sot. But I googled a bit and saw the issues with that town, so I did not go in the end.

 

Good info, thanks for posting.

[Tomtomtom69]

9 hours ago, Cameroni said:

 

I had an idea. I was supposed to meet an incredibly hot 22 year old Burmese girl in Mae Sot. But I googled a bit and saw the issues with that town, so I did not go in the end.

 

Good info, thanks for posting.

 

Aside from exaggerated scare stories about being kidnapped if you venture to Mae Sot, the reality is quite different. Only individuals who actually apply for scam jobs (often without their knowledge of what they're getting themselves into) end up being trafficked across the border but the vast majority of such individuals first make their way to Bangkok or Chiang Mai and are then brought to Mae Sot without their knowledge. Sometimes, one hears of stories about trafficking victims being taken across the border to the Kings Roman casino in Laos or nearby Tachilek in Myanmar, but this is less common.

 

There is precious little information online about the fact that foreigners heading to Mae Sot and surrounding areas may face questioning and in a small number of cases, are not permitted to enter the city unless they have a Thai guarantor who lives in the area and can vouch for them.

 

I wonder why this information isn't made known by foreign embassies or the Thai authorities. I'd be angry if I was not allowed to enter the city, a place I've been to so many times, just because the Thai authorities believe that to "solve" this problem, they need to use a sledgehammer to Crack a nut. At least Myanmar is honest in publishing a list of "restricted areas" for foreigners, thus we know not to attempt to go there.

 

Problem is, shutting down these scam centers could go on for years and thus any foreigner wanting to or currently doing business in the area will naturally flee (assuming this continues), hurting economic prospects in the area.

 

Strangely, even the 3 southernmost provinces, which are violence plagued, do not prevent foreigners from visiting. Discourage, yes, but prevent? No.

 

You might have to pass through some checkpoints but I've never heard of foreigners being required to know a local from the area (Pattani, Narathiwat or Yala) to visit those provinces.

 

Mae Sot and surrounding areas are much safer (at least on the Thai side) thus these actions are clearly not rational.

 

Focus on possible scam victims (use profiling tools if necessary) but don't inconvenience legitimate travelers, whether they be expats, tourists, business travelers or whoever.

[Cameroni]

1 hour ago, Tomtomtom69 said:

 

Aside from exaggerated scare stories about being kidnapped if you venture to Mae Sot, the reality is quite different. Only individuals who actually apply for scam jobs (often without their knowledge of what they're getting themselves into) end up being trafficked across the border but the vast majority of such individuals first make their way to Bangkok or Chiang Mai and are then brought to Mae Sot without their knowledge. Sometimes, one hears of stories about trafficking victims being taken across the border to the Kings Roman casino in Laos or nearby Tachilek in Myanmar, but this is less common.

 

There is precious little information online about the fact that foreigners heading to Mae Sot and surrounding areas may face questioning and in a small number of cases, are not permitted to enter the city unless they have a Thai guarantor who lives in the area and can vouch for them.

 

I wonder why this information isn't made known by foreign embassies or the Thai authorities. I'd be angry if I was not allowed to enter the city, a place I've been to so many times, just because the Thai authorities believe that to "solve" this problem, they need to use a sledgehammer to Crack a nut. At least Myanmar is honest in publishing a list of "restricted areas" for foreigners, thus we know not to attempt to go there.

 

Problem is, shutting down these scam centers could go on for years and thus any foreigner wanting to or currently doing business in the area will naturally flee (assuming this continues), hurting economic prospects in the area.

 

Strangely, even the 3 southernmost provinces, which are violence plagued, do not prevent foreigners from visiting. Discourage, yes, but prevent? No.

 

You might have to pass through some checkpoints but I've never heard of foreigners being required to know a local from the area (Pattani, Narathiwat or Yala) to visit those provinces.

 

Mae Sot and surrounding areas are much safer (at least on the Thai side) thus these actions are clearly not rational.

 

Focus on possible scam victims (use profiling tools if necessary) but don't inconvenience legitimate travelers, whether they be expats, tourists, business travelers or whoever.

 

I had just read that there were increased checkpoints and thought the better of it to make the trip, but this is much better info. Thanks again!

[Tod Daniels]

My question to you would be, what does this have to do in the least with visas, entry, extensions?

 

You're not even wanting to exit/re-enter at the Burma border there.You're just wanting to go to a border town.

 

If all you're doing is meeting Burmese in the town of Mae Sot go do it. The worst that will happen is they won't let you into the town.

[Tomtomtom69]

10 hours ago, Tod Daniels said:

My question to you would be, what does this have to do in the least with visas, entry, extensions?

 

You're not even wanting to exit/re-enter at the Burma border there.You're just wanting to go to a border town.

 

If all you're doing is meeting Burmese in the town of Mae Sot go do it. The worst that will happen is they won't let you into the town.

 

Well, perhaps I posted it in the wrong forum?

Your replies haven't been very helpful or sympathetic though. "The worst that will happen is they won't let you into town" yeah and then I'll waste time and money getting there. What's next, a whole portion off Thailand off-limits to foreigners for no good reason? 

 

This post to do with entering a part of Thailand that MAY have restrictions in place, hence the reason for the post. I think you can figure out the rest and unlike what you think, not everyone heading to a border town is interested in crossing the border. 

[Tomtomtom69]

19 hours ago, Cameroni said:

 

I had just read that there were increased checkpoints and thought the better of it to make the trip, but this is much better info. Thanks again!

 

I think I'll be fine and so will a friend who is meeting me there but coming from a different direction. I'll update and let you know how it went. I'm usually good at talking to Thai officialdom and getting my way. 

 

I also called my Thai colleague (business partner) who I'll also be catching up with and he assures me it should all be OK.

 

I also understand that foreigners driving their own vehicles (Thai registered of course) are much more likely to be allowed through than those entering by public transportation or say a van with driver, as those are the modes of transportation used by scammers, particularly the latter.

 

A scam victim obviously doesn't have a car in Thailand, much less would they abandon it to cross the border illegally to Myanmar as that wouldn't make any sense.

 

I'm a westerner, which helps, since very few scam victims are westerners. The vast majority are Chinese, Taiwanese, Thai, Cambodian, Indian, African etc. 

[Cameroni]

I would appreciate that! Many thanks, please do update us.

 

If you don't, I'll assume you're working in a Burmese call centre shackled to the desk.

[OJAS]

5 minutes ago, Tomtomtom69 said:

 

I think I'll be fine and so will a friend who is meeting me there but coming from a different direction. I'll update and let you know how it went. I'm usually good at talking to Thai officialdom and getting my way. 

 

I also called my Thai colleague (business partner) who I'll also be catching up with and he assures me it should all be OK.

 

I also understand that foreigners driving their own vehicles (Thai registered of course) are much more likely to be allowed through than those entering by public transportation or say a van with driver, as those are the modes of transportation used by scammers, particularly the latter.

 

A scam victim obviously doesn't have a car in Thailand, much less would they abandon it to cross the border illegally to Myanmar as that wouldn't make any sense.

 

I'm a westerner, which helps, since very few scam victims are westerners. The vast majority are Chinese, Taiwanese, Thai, Cambodian, Indian, African etc. 

 

So all in all, a storm in a teacup by the sounds of it.

 

[Tomtomtom69]

18 minutes ago, OJAS said:

 

So all in all, a storm in a teacup by the sounds of it.

 

 

In a sense. I am now reading a Thai language news article from Thai TV5. Google the following and the article comes up: ทบ. เผยผลคุมชายแดนตาก สกัดต่างชาติผิดกฎหมาย, which mentions the following measures pertaining to foreign individuals entering Mae Sot, Mae Ramad and Phob Phra districts (dated January 30, 2025):

 

1. Questioning foreigners entering Mae Sot by air / land and asking what their intentions are in the area, including penalizing drivers who bring foreigners to the area for hire (this one sounds strange...so now a foreigner isn't allowed to hire transportation to get to Mae Sot?) It does confirm what I just mentioned, which is that foreigners driving their own vehicles are the most likely to be allowed to enter without issues, whereas those on public transportation are either going to be turned around, require a Thai guarantor or intense questioning of their intentions (whichever the case may be)

2. Place checkpoints on roads leading into Mae Sot, Mae Ramad and Phob Phra districts

3. Implement measures 24/7 on roads leading to the border areas, both main roads and secondary roads

4. Inspect hotels, especially those where foreigners are staying, to ensure they are properly registered (previously, I would always use my Thai driver's license to check-in, but since I want them to do a TM30 so I can do a 90 day report at immigration in Mae Sot, I'll use my passport this time)

 

The article then goes on to mention that prior to the measures being imposed on January 21, there were so and so many vehicles and x number of foreigners and this number dropped by around 75% the following week. It also mentions that a lot of foreigners voluntarily left the area, after being warned about the scam cities across the border. 

 

A Burmese national who attempted to visit the Mae Ta-lor area just told me now (on Facebook) that he was turned around and that told that "foreigners can't enter this area". Apparently, Thai nationals have to deposit their ID cards at the checkpoint and can then retrieve them once they head back out. The affected area is in Mae Ramad district and not even along the border, but further inland, which is strange. 

 

Most expats I've interacted with on Facebook, who are living in Mae Sot have confirmed that if you're driving your own vehicle and have a clear reason for travel, you should be alright. It helps to be fluent in Thai and/or traveling with a Thai person as well. However, even expats from the area may be prevented from visiting Mae Ta-Lor. 

[Tomtomtom69]

40 minutes ago, Cameroni said:

I would appreciate that! Many thanks, please do update us.

 

If you don't, I'll assume you're working in a Burmese call centre shackled to the desk.

 

Highly unlikely, but I appreciate the sarcasm!

[DrJack54]

Topic moved to travel forum

[impulse]

Good info for sure, though my experience at that border has been at SangklaBuri and 3 Pagodas, which are a different kettle of fish.

 

TBH, I don't view this as negatively as some.  I think Thailand is protecting tourists from scammers trafficking foreigners across that border.  And protecting Thai tourism that's seen millions fewer Chinese arrivals, partly (largely) because of a few high profile human trafficking cases exploding in social media.  Coming to Bangkok from China once a month as I do, I get warned a lot by Chinese folks to watch out for human trafficking in Thailand.  That's new.

 

Also seems reasonable that they'd treat foreigners with their own cars and those who speak fluent Thai differently than they'd treat noobs on public transport, who may be chasing an elusive "job offer", with a script for dealing with authorities if they get questioned.

 

Like others, I'd appreciate any on the ground updates.

 

[Tomtomtom69]

40 minutes ago, impulse said:

Good info for sure, though my experience at that border has been at SangklaBuri and 3 Pagodas, which are a different kettle of fish.

 

TBH, I don't view this as negatively as some.  I think Thailand is protecting tourists from scammers trafficking foreigners across that border.  And protecting Thai tourism that's seen millions fewer Chinese arrivals, partly (largely) because of a few high profile human trafficking cases exploding in social media.  Coming to Bangkok from China once a month as I do, I get warned a lot by Chinese folks to watch out for human trafficking in Thailand.  That's new.

 

Also seems reasonable that they'd treat foreigners with their own cars and those who speak fluent Thai differently than they'd treat noobs on public transport, who may be chasing an elusive "job offer", with a script for dealing with authorities if they get questioned.

 

Like others, I'd appreciate any on the ground updates.

 

 

I haven't heard anything about foreigners being questioned before heading to the Three Pagodas Pass, even though there are (or were) scam centers there too, not to mention how much easier it is to cross the border illegally there. You can literally do it almost without anyone noticing (not that I recommend it!) Just saying though.. one could easily slip out one of the back doors of the market and then you're in Myanmar.

 

I understand the Payathonzu scam centers (Payathonzu being the town on the Burmese side) have now been relocated to areas further inside the country. Compared to the greater Mae Sot area, the former, relatively short lived scam centers in Payathonzu were a far cry from the sophisticated operations near Myawaddy and Mae Ramad (Shwe Koko).

[simon43]

I visited Mae Sot last week.  I drove from Pattaya in a rented car.  As usual near the Burmese border (same happens near Ranong), I had to stop for various army checkpoints.  No-one asked to see my documents - I just said that I was travelling to MS and was waved through.

 

I stayed for about 3 days at a hotel in MS.  No unusual document requests.

 

I travelled in my car very close to the border area, opposite Shwe Koko 'scam' base in Myanmar.  The entry road to the Thai villages had an enhanced army checkpoint.  I was asked where I was going and I simply said that I was sightseeing in my car.  No-one asked for any ID documents.  I travelled around very close to the river, chatted with some of the Burmese locals, no-one checked or stopped me.  I returned by car to MS and then drove up to Chiang Mai.

 

In other words - absolutely nothing out of the ordinary for a border region.

 

To add, I have a 'retirement' visa and speak Thai and Burmese.

[Tomtomtom69]

On 4/8/2025 at 6:07 AM, simon43 said:

I visited Mae Sot last week.  I drove from Pattaya in a rented car.  As usual near the Burmese border (same happens near Ranong), I had to stop for various army checkpoints.  No-one asked to see my documents - I just said that I was travelling to MS and was waved through.

 

I stayed for about 3 days at a hotel in MS.  No unusual document requests.

 

I travelled in my car very close to the border area, opposite Shwe Koko 'scam' base in Myanmar.  The entry road to the Thai villages had an enhanced army checkpoint.  I was asked where I was going and I simply said that I was sightseeing in my car.  No-one asked for any ID documents.  I travelled around very close to the river, chatted with some of the Burmese locals, no-one checked or stopped me.  I returned by car to MS and then drove up to Chiang Mai.

 

In other words - absolutely nothing out of the ordinary for a border region.

 

To add, I have a 'retirement' visa and speak Thai and Burmese.

 

Thanks very much for sharing! What were you doing in Mae Sot? 

 

Here's my experience:

 

I am fluent in Thai, including reading and writing. My Burmese is minimal though.

 

I entered Mae Sot and passed by the 3 checkpoints as usual. I was waived through all the checkpoints on the way in. 

 

I got right up to the border between the 1st and 2nd friendship bridges and within less than 100m of the Star casino scam center (which appears to have been shut down). No army or checkpoints anywhere near there.

 

I spent some time on the outskirts of Mae Sot outside of town without incident either and didn't see any checkpoints. 

On the way to Mae Ramad, a checkpoint waived me through again.

 

Up until this point, everything looked and felt normal.

 

However, when I wanted to return via Route 1175, me and my friend on his motorcycle hit a roadblock:

 

We were told by the army that foreigners are NOT allowed to use that road. No matter what I told them or how I tried to get some logic out of them, they said no. They were told that due to "human trafficking concerns", no foreigners could pass, period. This also applies to parts of route 4003 as mentioned earlier.

 

I was told foreigners can only pass through route 12 from Tak and route 105 from Mae Hong Son, although route 1099 from Ok Koi works too (my friend came that way to meet me). 

 

It is unclear whether route 1175 (which I know well, as I've passed through well over a dozen times over the years) is dangerous (if it is, that would make sense why it's restricted) but the army could only tell us that they were told that foreigners are only allowed to use main roads to continue to the interior of Thailand. 

 

The strange thing is that there were no signs anywhere indicating this. If the army would at least place some signs in Thai and English and perhaps also Chinese and Burmese that mention 1175 as being closed, it would ensure we don't have to waste our time or that of the military attempting to go that way and then being refused passage. 

[Tomtomtom69]

So to summarize....as long as you reach Mae Sot and Mae Ramad via the two main highways (from Tak or Mae Sariang), you'll be fine! 

Seems that everything is normal in those cities, but don't try to return to the interior of the country via some remote, secondary highways as some of those are restricted. 

[Tomtomtom69]

On 4/7/2025 at 2:59 PM, OJAS said:

 

So all in all, a storm in a teacup by the sounds of it.

 

 

Yes, as far as the major cities are concerned. Perhaps there was a bit of heightened scrutiny when they first started this in January and February, but seems to have fizzled out by now.

As long as you travel to Mae Sot and Mae Ramad via the major highways, you probably won't even be asked for anything. On the way back via route 12, the army officer at the first checkpoint in Mae Sot up on the hill asked me where I had started my journey (I told him Mae Ramad) and that was the only interaction I had in/out of Mae Sot.

Only route 1175 was a problem as I mentioned in a previous reply. That highway is rarely used, thus having to avoid it is usually not an issue for most people.

[NickyLouie]

On 4/8/2025 at 6:07 AM, simon43 said:

I visited Mae Sot last week.

 

What was your business there ?

 

[Hawaiian]

4 hours ago, Tomtomtom69 said:

 

Yes, as far as the major cities are concerned. Perhaps there was a bit of heightened scrutiny when they first started this in January and February, but seems to have fizzled out by now.

As long as you travel to Mae Sot and Mae Ramad via the major highways, you probably won't even be asked for anything. On the way back via route 12, the army officer at the first checkpoint in Mae Sot up on the hill asked me where I had started my journey (I told him Mae Ramad) and that was the only interaction I had in/out of Mae Sot.

Only route 1175 was a problem as I mentioned in a previous reply. That highway is rarely used, thus having to avoid it is usually not an issue for most people.

Being curious this is what I found.....Seven years ago on Route 1175.....Route 1175 Tak BMW R1200GS Adventure.

[Tomtomtom69]

12 hours ago, Hawaiian said:

Being curious this is what I found.....Seven years ago on Route 1175.....Route 1175 Tak BMW R1200GS Adventure.

 

I've traveled along 1175 many dozens of times over the years, but only once since Covid, which was in 2023. Strangely, that time, I was briefly pulled over and the two officials on duty were debating on whether to let me through. They did, without incident, but I found it strange that one guy was asking the other if I was to be permitted through. The second guy immediately nodded and said fine...but it seemed odd there was even such a question being posed. In other words, it seems like even at the time, there were sometimes people not granted access? 

 

The current closure began only in January and is indefinite; there's no way of knowing if or when they'll ease up and thanks to the total lack of signposting indicating the closure, the only way of knowing what's going on is via forums such as this one, Mae Sot specific expat forums and well, wasting your time going there only to be denied passage.

 

Pre-Covid, route 1175 was definitely open without incident. I have the feeling access was restricted during Covid due to "disease control" measures, but that's not an issue, I didn't go anywhere near the area during Covid nor would I have wanted to. Too many annoying restrictions during those times all throughout the country; they were even stricter in some of the border areas. I remember clearly that a lot of villages in Tak, Mae Hong Son and other provinces prevented foreigners, or even just outsiders, from entering altogether, beginning in 2020 and ending only around the middle of 2022. A YouTuber stuck in Thailand during Covid called "Planet Doug" did a video around July of 2022 and was surprised to find some villages still closed at the time and this was in Tak. 

It seems that since Covid restrictions were lifted, soldiers stationed along this route have in a way, kept the area under some sort of control they didn't have it in pre-Covid, though generally speaking, foreigners weren't denied access to the highway until January of this year.