Photo courtesy of the Phuket News

 

Phuket is stepping up visa checks to prevent abuse by ‘visa runners’. Immigration officials are scrutinising tourists’ entry intentions more stringently, aiming to catch those exploiting the system for long-term stays without proper justification. Travellers with unclear plans may face denial of entry or deportation.

 

The initiative aligns with a nationwide effort to crack down on visa misuse, targeting individuals using visa-free entries improperly. Chief Kriangkrai Ariyaying, of Phuket Immigration, emphasised the importance of ensuring visitors are genuine. Airport staff will now verify travel plans and financial status to confirm legitimacy. The visa-free programme usually permits a stay of up to 90 days, but repeated entries extending stays to 150 days have prompted these actions.

 

Officials have warned visa agencies against facilitating such activities, with potential legal repercussions for non-compliance. Exceptions will be made for those with valid, documented reasons. Nationwide, 2,900 were refused entry for suspicious patterns this year. At Phuket International Airport, 2,000 deportations followed failures to meet entry requirements, as reported by Rasarin Thiraphatthanakun, Phuket Airport Immigration Chief.

 

Additional measures target counterfeit or unpaid return tickets, with immediate deportation for violators. Despite concerns about potential impacts on long-term visitors, immigration officers retain discretion for special circumstances, like family emergencies. The crackdown follows a directive from a national meeting led by Commissioner-General Panumas Boonyalak, aimed at tackling issues like cybercrime and money laundering.

 

Cherngron Rimphidi, Bureau spokesperson, noted the importance of preventing foreigners from masking criminal intentions as tourism. While there are concerns about longer processing times, officials assert the system protects tourists and maintains Thailand’s reputation as a safe destination. Chief Kriangkrai reassured genuine tourists, stating the aim is to filter out those involved in illegal activities without deterring authentic visitors, reported the Thaiger.

 

Photo courtesy of the Phuket News
 

Key Takeaways

 

• Phuket tightens visa checks to prevent misuse by 'visa runners'.
• Immigration scrutinises travel plans and the financial status of tourists.
• Nationwide, 2,900 entries were refused for suspicious reasons this year.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-11-24

 

 

 

7 minutes ago, webfact said:

Additional measures target counterfeit or unpaid return tickets, with immediate deportation for violators.

 

    People using those "onwardtickets " are being targeted 

The problem is if you are allowed to stay for 90 days, how come that people can stay 150 days?? Probably because of the advanced electronic registration of the immigration all over Thailand..The problem are not the people who enter, but lack of checking by the immigration. 

so onward tickets are for sure banned now? or just counterfeit tickets? Because I want to come with one way ticket for few months and then decide when to go home....

23 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

    People using those "onwardtickets " are being targeted 

Maybe, but surely they are 'real' tickets, with real PNR's,  just short lived?

 

Bad news for the crowd  working rotation abroad.  Fewer in the bars and more condoes for rent soon I'll guess

On 11/24/2025 at 8:06 AM, webfact said:

Airport staff will now verify travel plans and financial status to confirm legitimacy. The visa-free programme usually permits a stay of up to 90 days, but repeated entries extending stays to 150 days have prompted these actions.

That's gonna put a lot of people off coming here... the thought of being denied entry at the airport will make a lot of genuine tourist reconsider Thailand.

On 11/24/2025 at 8:06 AM, webfact said:

Officials have warned visa agencies against facilitating such activities, with potential legal repercussions for non-compliance.

Will that extend to IO officers who take a cut from the agencies?

5 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

Maybe, but surely they are 'real' tickets, with real PNR's,  just short lived?

 

 

   No, the tickets haven't been paid for (no payment to the airline, its just a booking )

3 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

Maybe, but surely they are 'real' tickets, with real PNR's,  just short lived?

 

That's my understanding as well. I used it one time a few years ago. I was called to the desk at the departure lounge (Vancouver) and they wanted to see my onward ticket. They checked it in the system and it was legit. I thought these checks were done by airlines and not at immigration.

16 minutes ago, parafareno said:

Because I want to come with one way ticket for few months and then decide when to go home....

That may well cause you an issue

6 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

That's gonna put a lot of people off coming here... the thought of being denied entry at the airport will make a lot of genuine tourist reconsider Thailand.

No, it will not make genuine tourists reconsider.

20 minutes ago, parafareno said:

so onward tickets are for sure banned now? or just counterfeit tickets? Because I want to come with one way ticket for few months and then decide when to go home....

 

   Buy a  return ticket and change the date ?

9 minutes ago, Kandinski said:

Bad news for the crowd  working rotation abroad.  Fewer in the bars and more condoes for rent soon I'll guess

If Thailand is their place on off rotation, they need a non immigrant visa.

1 minute ago, stevenl said:

No, it will not make genuine tourists reconsider.

Imagine working all year, saving funds, booking a trip to Thailand for what might be the most of your holiday allocation.

Arriving in  Thailand and being denied entry because your itinerary is less than perfect and an officer is having a bad day?

 

5 minutes ago, stevenl said:

No, it will not make genuine tourists reconsider.

Of course it will; people will see the stories and think twice about potential hassle at the airport, which is something no one wants during a holiday. If they came in Jan and wanted to come again in November the same year, they'll likely go somewhere else for the 2nd trip to avoid being questioned.

6 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   No, the tickets haven't been paid for (no payment to the airline, its just a booking )

 

You are paying for a temporary, real booking (a genuine reservation with a live PNR that the airline sees as a normal ticket), not for the flight itself.

You do NOT pay the full price of the flight.

You only pay the service fee ($12–$20). That’s it.

Here’s  how its supposed to work with the legitimate onward-ticket companies (OnwardTicket.com, BestOnwardTicket, FlyOnward, etc.) in 2025:

You go to their website and fill in your name, the date you need to leave the country, and where you’re supposedly flying to.

You pay them $12–$20 with credit card, PayPal, crypto, whatever they accept.

Within 5–60 minutes they book a real, fully paid ticket on a real airline (usually Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Qatar, Copa, Turkish, etc.) using their own corporate account or travel-agency credit with the airline.

They email you the real confirmation with a real PNR and sometimes a real e-ticket number.

The ticket stays active for 24–48 hours (or longer if you chose that option).

After the validity window, the agency cancels the ticket and gets refunded by the airline (because it was never used).

You never see or pay the $800–$1500 actual fare — the agency eats that temporarily and gets it back when they cancel.

So you are not buying the flight yourself.
You are paying a small fee for the agency to lend you a real ticket for a day or two and then cancel it.

Good initiative. Will reduce visa abusers and criminals. 

3 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

 

You are paying for a temporary, real booking (a genuine reservation with a live PNR that the airline sees as a normal ticket), not for the flight itself.

You do NOT pay the full price of the flight.

You only pay the service fee ($12–$20). That’s it.

Here’s  how its supposed to work with the legitimate onward-ticket companies (OnwardTicket.com, BestOnwardTicket, FlyOnward, etc.) in 2025:

You go to their website and fill in your name, the date you need to leave the country, and where you’re supposedly flying to.

You pay them $12–$20 with credit card, PayPal, crypto, whatever they accept.

Within 5–60 minutes they book a real, fully paid ticket on a real airline (usually Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Qatar, Copa, Turkish, etc.) using their own corporate account or travel-agency credit with the airline.

They email you the real confirmation with a real PNR and sometimes a real e-ticket number.

The ticket stays active for 24–48 hours (or longer if you chose that option).

After the validity window, the agency cancels the ticket and gets refunded by the airline (because it was never used).

You never see or pay the $800–$1500 actual fare — the agency eats that temporarily and gets it back when they cancel.

So you are not buying the flight yourself.
You are paying a small fee for the agency to lend you a real ticket for a day or two and then cancel it.

I think the airlines know exactly what's going on, they can track it in their reservation system. They know the companies doing this and they allow it. So there must be a financial benefit. I can't imagine airlines will want to take on the added task of checking passengers finances etc.

22 minutes ago, Des1 said:

That's my understanding as well. I used it one time a few years ago. I was called to the desk at the departure lounge (Vancouver) and they wanted to see my onward ticket. They checked it in the system and it was legit. I thought these checks were done by airlines and not at immigration.

Correct, Thai immigration can verify onward tickets too, but they rarely do in practice, and their system isn't as automated or interconnected as airlines

18 minutes ago, stevenl said:

No, it will not make genuine tourists reconsider.

i am a genuine tourist....and i consider now going to phillipines that does not <deleted> with tourists like this....

i mean they change these rules every few months...then they cry not enough tourist come and <deleted>...it is pathetic

I don't think this is just in Phuket, it's a national thing. I saw a video from Pattaya yesterday dealing with this. The first part is just directions. Skip to about 4:20.

 

I think linking this is OK. If not my apologies.

God forbid people stay longer and spend alot of money supporting the local economy. What a crime. 

22 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Imagine working all year, saving funds, booking a trip to Thailand for what might be the most of your holiday allocation.

Arriving in  Thailand and being denied entry because your itinerary is less than perfect and an officer is having a bad day?

 

Those people will have a return ticket.

Nobody can understand the visarules in Thailand 

11 minutes ago, Des1 said:

I think the airlines know exactly what's going on, they can track it in their reservation system. They know the companies doing this and they allow it. So there must be a financial benefit. I can't imagine airlines will want to take on the added task of checking passengers finances etc.

Yes you're right, but the airlines don't care, imagine how many people they check in per day? 

It’s a legitimate reservation that exists in the airline’s system exactly like any other ticket you could buy yourself — just borrowed for a day or two.

21 minutes ago, ryandb said:

Of course it will; people will see the stories and think twice about potential hassle at the airport, which is something no one wants during a holiday. If they came in Jan and wanted to come again in November the same year, they'll likely go somewhere else for the 2nd trip to avoid being questioned.

There will be no questioning. Just understand the intention, and look at what has been communicated.

3 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Those people will have a return ticket.

So do the over-stayers and scammers.... they just don't use it.

 

Just now, hotchilli said:

So do the over-stayers and scammers.... they just don't use it.

 

Do they? I very much doubt it.

But if they do, they'll be admitted.

12 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

 

You are paying for a temporary, real booking (a genuine reservation with a live PNR that the airline sees as a normal ticket), not for the flight itself.

You do NOT pay the full price of the flight.

You only pay the service fee ($12–$20). That’s it.

Here’s  how its supposed to work with the legitimate onward-ticket companies (OnwardTicket.com, BestOnwardTicket, FlyOnward, etc.) in 2025:

You go to their website and fill in your name, the date you need to leave the country, and where you’re supposedly flying to.

You pay them $12–$20 with credit card, PayPal, crypto, whatever they accept.

Within 5–60 minutes they book a real, fully paid ticket on a real airline (usually Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Qatar, Copa, Turkish, etc.) using their own corporate account or travel-agency credit with the airline.

They email you the real confirmation with a real PNR and sometimes a real e-ticket number.

The ticket stays active for 24–48 hours (or longer if you chose that option).

After the validity window, the agency cancels the ticket and gets refunded by the airline (because it was never used).

You never see or pay the $800–$1500 actual fare — the agency eats that temporarily and gets it back when they cancel.

So you are not buying the flight yourself.
You are paying a small fee for the agency to lend you a real ticket for a day or two and then cancel it.

 

Thanks for that detailed description mikeymike100,

 

So in theory, if it works as you describe then Immigration should accept it, but I'd guess that there is a reason why the announcement refers to "unpaid return tickets".  Could it be perhaps that Immigration (using its "discretion"), will consider these tickets to be "unpaid", even though technically these are not?

 

It would be safer perhaps to buy a cheap ticket to a neighboring country, or a fully refundable return ticket rather than risk being denied entry?