14 hours ago, go4it said:

She’s sharing photos and videos from Thailand in June, July, August, and September, and then from Vietnam in October, all to help to look like an digital nomad.

Now, Thailand is making sure visitors have the right visa. We’ll likely see more posts like this in the future. Many countries have been trying to do this for years. For example, in the Schengen area, visitors are only allowed to stay 90 days within a 180-day period. It looks like Thailand is doing something similar.

Some government officials might not want too many foreigners in their country.

That is spot on . If you have visited Thailand over the years regularly and always on a tourist visa which has also been extended , the Thai IMO will often take a dim view and tell you to get an appropriate visa . Thai immigration are tightening up on all visas especially those using an agent . The lack of 20,000 baht is used to give reason of entry refusal . Don Mueang airport has a reputation for entry refusals  and pedantic I.Os. Two years ago , a friend of mine was refused entry there because he failed to show the 20k ( he is fairly well off ) and put back on the return flight with Air Asia at their expense and the IO refused to let him use an A.T.M. He returned a week later via Suvarnibhum and no problems .

18 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   TDAC form asks about your income 

TDAC if I remember right, shows several INCOMES for you to Tick a box. It does not ask how much money a person has on their person while filling out the form, IF I remember right. The form may have changed since my flying days are finished.

17 hours ago, Crossy said:

Isn't "insufficient funds" the default reason for rejection if the immigration officer doesn't like the look of you? Otherwise they never bother asking.

 

There have been stories in the past of people who even had the 20K baht on them, but were rejected in Thai and didn't know why until later when someone translated the stamp for them.

 

Before I retired, I was flying in and out of Thailand many times and never had an issue BUT in my passport was a Retirement VISA Stamp. I passed through quickly with only showing my Arrival date stamp and that was in 2017. After all those years I was Never asked to show cash in my pocket.

21 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

so they were unaware such a rule existed. She said they filled out the forms incorrectly

So all her fault......

18 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

    I filled mine out a few days ago and the last question on page 2 is about income .

I remember it well because you couldn't go onto page 3 without all the questions being answered first and I kept getting stuck on the income question (I had to scroll up and upload things first) 

i never carry my income with me 

I’ve lived here 19 years have never left and in that time I have contributed millions of baht to the economy if I was turned away for not having 20 k I would rather choose another neighboring Asian country that come back to Thailand. I get this terrible feeling that since a change in pms I get the feeling of being unwelcome in a country that I now class as my home 

There's more to this story. There will have been something else about her which lead to her being refused entry. Being a loudmouth with the Thai authorities, for example, can result in big problems.

There's definitely something more to this.  I live abroad so my only visits to Thailand are for leisure time,  sometimes I add a three or four day visit to Vietnam or Malaysia and always normally return to DMK,  with the most interrogation I received on my return being 'how long will you stay for?' and when I give the answer (usually a week or two) I'm let in without issue. I've never needed to prove onward travel either.

16 hours ago, Geoff914 said:

Well In have been entering Thailand illegally for the last twelve years. I may have a few hundred baht left over from the last trip but I always transfer my holiday money to my Thai bank account. Can you still get travellers cheques as I have no intention of getting 20,000 baht in cash before leaving home then carrying it around just waiting for it to be stolen.

If you are worried about the equivalent of 20k thb or $600 usd you e probably paid more for you airplane ticket and can pay room and board for your stay. If you don’t have 20k thb people shouldn’t be traveling in the first place.  Just my opinion. 

TDAC form :  Having completed four and last one three days ago. There is no question related to income, funds etc

1 hour ago, Bigwave12 said:

If you are worried about the equivalent of 20k thb or $600 usd you e probably paid more for you airplane ticket and can pay room and board for your stay. If you don’t have 20k thb people shouldn’t be traveling in the first place.  Just my opinion. 

 

    Its not an issue of whether you have 20 000 Baht .

Its about whether you have it in cash on your person when arriving 

3 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

    Its not an issue of whether you have 20 000 Baht .

Its about whether you have it in cash on your person when arriving 

It really is an archaic rule in this ever growing cashless world . What transactions demand a cash purchase which cannot be carried out on your phone using Google wallet as an example ? Proof of your financial standing should suffice .

3 minutes ago, superal said:

It really is an archaic rule in this ever growing cashless world . What transactions demand a cash purchase which cannot be carried out on your phone using Google wallet as an example ? Proof of your financial standing should suffice .

 

It may be archaic, but it's reliable and simple, given the variety of tourists that rock up.

 

Would you trust a Nigerian or Somali bank statement on a cell phone?  Can they reasonably have a separate rule for each circumstance based on economic conditions?

 

Cold hard cash is simple, and it's universal.  Just about anything else is subject to some kind of fraud and hijinks.

 

5 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

It may be archaic, but it's reliable and simple, given the variety of tourists that rock up.

 

Would you trust a Nigerian or Somali bank statement on a cell phone?  Can they reasonably have a separate rule for each circumstance based on economic conditions?

 

Cold hard cash is simple, and it's universal.  Just about anything else is subject to some kind of fraud and hijinks.

 

 

   In some Countries, cash is hardly ever used anymore .

Nearly everything is done electronically 

Very simply - she would have done a run of a year+ of visa-exempts.

That is the reason and then lack of 20k is the tool used to bounce her.

On 12/10/2025 at 11:39 AM, Georgealbert said:

She added that the only information provided came later from airport security staff shortly before they were sent back to Vietnam.

Give Thailand a miss, better things to do in Vietnam

20 hours ago, go4it said:

She’s sharing photos and videos from Thailand in June, July, August, and September, and then from Vietnam in October, all to help to look like an digital nomad.

Now, Thailand is making sure visitors have the right visa. We’ll likely see more posts like this in the future. Many countries have been trying to do this for years. For example, in the Schengen area, visitors are only allowed to stay 90 days within a 180-day period. It looks like Thailand is doing something similar.

Some government officials might not want too many foreigners in their country.

Right.My ex mother in law visit us 7 times in Scandinavia.I had to garantee for her stays.She also needed a valid travel insurance for the period.If she overstayed her visa i would have to pay for the costs of her return.

If fex a thai visit my country she have to proof a hotel booking and founds of 5000 Euro.

21 hours ago, Cameroni said:

And this is why you use an agent to do any immigration forms.

 

 

True for some people, the thick ones who can not enter their own names correctly or answer questions on a form which a five year old could answer. 

 

I must admit I used an agent to finish the process of my new British passport from Thailand, but I had already filled in the form online and started the process off.

 

I just used them so I did not have to travel to Bangkok twice from Phuket as they sent another local agent in Bangkok to go to the passport office, so their job was just one of a courier really, the cost was the same as two return plane tickets anyway.

 

But doing the annual old bloke visa extension is a doddle I do myself, it is a half hour job, my papers are checked at the immigration office and always pass first time, how hard can it be?

 

The agents must laugh their heads off as they charge lots of money for a doddle of a task.

 

They must think all farangs are stupid. 😄

 

5 hours ago, brian69 said:

So all her fault......

Now Now, no finger pointing until you know the whole story and nothing but the story. End of Story.

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Give Thailand a miss, better things to do in Vietnam

 

The entry system is a sort of simple intelligence test, if you fail you are sent back to backwards Vietnam and have no right to enter  advanced Thailand. 😃

21 hours ago, Cameroni said:

And this is why you use an agent to do any immigration forms.

I thought you had a bit more savvy........🫡

3 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

    Its not an issue of whether you have 20 000 Baht .

Its about whether you have it in cash on your person when arriving 

 

I doubt it has to be cash in paper form as most tourists will not have any Thai cash at the point of arrival, they would get it from ATM machines or money exchanges in the airport.

 

I am sure they would accept the tourist opening a banking app with a balance of over 20k baht as assurance of adequate funds.

 

I think in this case as she had multiple 60 day entries into Thailand within a short period that is the reason she was refused as they are now trying to force tourists and others to get the correct visa before arrival.

 

I am not being argumentative, but this is my opinion base on the fact I have never been asked about funds and I do not know anyone else who has been asked since coming to Thailand since 1987 regularly. (Now living here).

1 hour ago, JamesPhuket10 said:

 

The entry system is a sort of simple intelligence test, if you fail you are sent back to backwards Vietnam and have no right to enter  advanced Thailand. 😃

That may have been the case in the last decade or so, however watch the next decade as Vietnam and other S.E.Asian nations by-pass Thailand and they become the backward nation

9 hours ago, cdulaney said:

TDAC if I remember right, shows several INCOMES for you to Tick a box. It does not ask how much money a person has on their person while filling out the form, IF I remember right. The form may have changed since my flying days are finished.

 

That's the TM6 form as shown on the previous page, not TDAC.

24 minutes ago, treetops said:

 

That's the TM6 form as shown on the previous page, not TDAC.

Sorry for my mistake, I meant to print TM6 as when I was flying this New TDAC form did not exist. Thanks for catching my mistaken call out.

On 12/10/2025 at 3:32 PM, treetops said:

 

Have you watched the video?

 

She claims to have been refused because she filled in the forms incorrectly.  I'm wondering what forms she refers to.

 

Have you considered asking her?

im site she can tell you all you need to know, and probably much much more, ad nauseam

On 12/10/2025 at 3:32 PM, Crossy said:

Isn't "insufficient funds" the default reason for rejection if the immigration officer doesn't like the look of you? Otherwise they never bother asking.

 

Maybe she just didn't look the part or failing to complete a TDAC before she arrived (I'm assuming that's the form she's talking about) pushed some buttons.

 

I will say she doesn't look the type that would just be rejected but ...

You are correct, and like most tourists, she will not have 20k cash in her pocket.

 

"She stressed that she and her companion had not overstayed or made repeated border runs, but immigration had reviewed their travel history because they had previously spent significant time in the country."

 

People who have stayed long-term in Thailand using visa-exempt entries are the ones being targeted in the latest clampdown. FB is full of posts of people being selected for secondary screening and being denied entry.

On 12/11/2025 at 3:29 PM, JamesPhuket10 said:

 

I doubt it has to be cash in paper form as most tourists will not have any Thai cash at the point of arrival, they would get it from ATM machines or money exchanges in the airport.

 

I am sure they would accept the tourist opening a banking app with a balance of over 20k baht as assurance of adequate funds.

 

I think in this case as she had multiple 60 day entries into Thailand within a short period that is the reason she was refused as they are now trying to force tourists and others to get the correct visa before arrival.

 

I am not being argumentative, but this is my opinion base on the fact I have never been asked about funds and I do not know anyone else who has been asked since coming to Thailand since 1987 regularly. (Now living here).

The requirement is 20k baht in cash. Not a credit card or bank balance. Some people say it can be 20k baht or cash equivalent, but in most cases the IO is using it as an excuse to deny entry because he/she do not feel they are a genuine tourist.

On 12/11/2025 at 9:34 AM, crazykopite said:

I’ve lived here 19 years have never left and in that time I have contributed millions of baht to the economy if I was turned away for not having 20 k I would rather choose another neighboring Asian country that come back to Thailand. I get this terrible feeling that since a change in pms I get the feeling of being unwelcome in a country that I now class as my home 

It is only a requirement for visa-exempt entries. People who have a visa or long-term permission to stay have already satisfied immigration financial requirements. 

 

In my head, I can hear UbonJo telling me that 15 years ago