Immigration At Suvarnabhumi

[goonerthegooner]

Hi all,

Having just landed back from Dubai,I was amazed too find the Immigration queues,stretching over 200 metres.After queing for nearly 1.5 hours,the reason became apparent,it was because 90% of the people arriving had not filled out their arrival cards [TM7],and were doing it on the Immigration counter.

Please if there is any Immigration people reading this,why not have 2/3 Immigration,or Tourist Police,checking,for completed Forms.If yours is complete,proceed,if not,make them wait by another counter until it has been filled in.This would make for a much easier flow of people,and even the Immigration Officers might smile a bit then.

Good plan or what???

[chiliwasabi]

or even easier...people could fill them out before landing

[PattayaParent]

At DM they used to turn you away if it wasn't filled in properly. Why the change in policy now?

[naka]

It's all those zero dollar tourists coming in these days.

Naka.

[kiakaha]

Hi all,

Having just landed back from Dubai,I was amazed too find the Immigration queues,stretching over 200 metres.After queing for nearly 1.5 hours,the reason became apparent,it was because 90% of the people arriving had not filled out their arrival cards [TM7],and were doing it on the Immigration counter.

Please if there is any Immigration people reading this,why not have 2/3 Immigration,or Tourist Police,checking,for completed Forms.If yours is complete,proceed,if not,make them wait by another counter until it has been filled in.This would make for a much easier flow of people,and even the Immigration Officers might smile a bit then.

Good plan or what???

they should also offer them in more languages (arabic, chinese, japanese, hindi, korean etc....) alot of the problem with not filling them in lies with not understanding them. And then of course there are the other people who are just plain thick and stupid.

[nonthaburial]

For non Thai/English speakers, these type of forms are a nightmare. Last year I returned from a China trip surrounded on the flight by a elderly Chinese tour group, who, for reasons I dont understand, did not have a tour leader.

When the immigration forms were handed out, the old lady next to me looked at it, then promptly ripped it up and put it in the seat back. I called the flight attendant and asked her for another one, then after getting this ladies passport I filled in the form for her. Within minutes I had 35 passports sitting in my lap !!!!

The last 90 minutes of the flight went very quickly.

[Guderian]

When I flew back from the UK in January with EVA Air, they had run out of landing cards. I assumed this was just an oversight, and probably due to the high traffic after Christmas and New Year. When I got to Immigration at Swampyboom, it was a zoo as described by the OP. There were airport staff with blank landing cards wandering around, but you had to know that you must ask for one and fill it in, nobody was telling you to do that. It seemed that the shortage of landing cards was not restricted to my flight but must have been a general problem at that time.

I had thought that this problem would be temporary, but it sounds like it is still occurring. Is this a new policy, no landing cards handed out on incoming flights (except perhaps Thai)?

[Farside]

When I flew back from the UK in January with EVA Air, they had run out of landing cards. I assumed this was just an oversight, and probably due to the high traffic after Christmas and New Year. When I got to Immigration at Swampyboom, it was a zoo as described by the OP. There were airport staff with blank landing cards wandering around, but you had to know that you must ask for one and fill it in, nobody was telling you to do that. It seemed that the shortage of landing cards was not restricted to my flight but must have been a general problem at that time.

I had thought that this problem would be temporary, but it sounds like it is still occurring. Is this a new policy, no landing cards handed out on incoming flights (except perhaps Thai)?

I have been having this problem a lot too, On my last 3 flights there wasn't any arrival cards given out on the flights as they ran out (Emirates, China airline and Qatar). Each time it caused me major delays as non of the help desks could "help" locate any.

It would be handy if there was somewhere that you could order loads of these arrival cards from online in your own country... Just a thought.

Why is it hard for airlines to add up the amount of passengers on their flights then get the CORRECT amount of arrival cards... It's not rocket science realy is it lol.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

It's all those zero dollar tourists coming in these days.

Naka.

All without their BIC biro's.

[peter991]

Heavens above - this is the 21st century. You arrive at Suvarnabhumi, Phuket or Chiang Mai airports from overseas. If you have travelled from overseas you have a PASSPORT. Why do we need TM7 (arrival/departure cards)?

Surely the passport number can quickly be entered into the Immigration Department's computers with an automatic 30 day entry registered on arrival. This way officers could process at least 2 people per minute. It would be a much better welcome to Thailand.

Holders of other visas could also be quickly checked through too. Let me see: 20 Immigrations booths could easily handle a plane load of 400 people in 10 minutes this way.

Peter

[Big A]

^^^

That's far too easy and efficient!!

[jackspratt]

Heavens above - this is the 21st century. You arrive at Suvarnabhumi, Phuket or Chiang Mai airports from overseas. If you have travelled from overseas you have a PASSPORT. Why do we need TM7 (arrival/departure cards)?

Surely the passport number can quickly be entered into the Immigration Department's computers with an automatic 30 day entry registered on arrival. This way officers could process at least 2 people per minute. It would be a much better welcome to Thailand.

Holders of other visas could also be quickly checked through too. Let me see: 20 Immigrations booths could easily handle a plane load of 400 people in 10 minutes this way.

Peter

C'mon Peter - that is a bit disingenuous isn't it!

When was the last time you entered or departed Oz (or virtually any other country for that matter) without some form of arrival/departure card?

[Crossy]

When was the last time you entered or departed Oz (or virtually any other country for that matter) without some form of arrival/departure card?

Yep, even the UK uses arrival cards for non-EU citizens, nothing remotely unusual about the requirement in LoS

[indieke]

Another problem is that all the planes from Europe land around 2.pm. My friend arrive before noon, and had no problem at all!

I had the same problem. Really ennoying, when you have travelled a long way, and are longing for a shower!

[bigchang]

thank buddha i travel with my daughter and wife and both are on thai passports,that way i get through thai passport holders and on the way out through the diplomatic check fasttracked,no wait,brilliant

bc

[thaibear1]

Hi all,

Having just landed back from Dubai,I was amazed too find the Immigration queues,stretching over 200 metres.After queing for nearly 1.5 hours,the reason became apparent,it was because 90% of the people arriving had not filled out their arrival cards [TM7],and were doing it on the Immigration counter.

Please if there is any Immigration people reading this,why not have 2/3 Immigration,or Tourist Police,checking,for completed Forms.If yours is complete,proceed,if not,make them wait by another counter until it has been filled in.This would make for a much easier flow of people,and even the Immigration Officers might smile a bit then.

Good plan or what???

This are the consequences flying with Emirates, China A., Quatart etc, cheap flights companies full with the all those zero dollar tourists coming in these days. It not happen to my by Lufthansa and Swiss. Solution can be a pre control of Immigrationcard and many desk as in DM ......, refuse this go to passport control with no correct filled out TM7

[Shogu]

Zerro dollar tourists..? Just because they don’t speak/read/write English??

My dad came to visit me last month; he is 66 and never had the privilege to learn a foreign language so when his flight attended gave him an arrival card he didn’t know what to write where! Luckily for him he had a nice guy sitting next to him who helped him out but would this guy not have done that, my dad would have ended up at the desk of the immigration officer and would have needed the help filling a card out!

I don’t think the airlines care much about the lines at the immigration so don’t count on them for a solution to this problem. Maybe the embassies of the most common countries with tourists who do not speak English can supply some translated arrival cards as examples………?

[Farside]

This are the consequences flying with Emirates, China A., Quatart etc, cheap flights companies full with the all those zero dollar tourists coming in these days. It not happen to my by Lufthansa and Swiss. Solution can be a pre control of Immigrationcard and many desk as in DM ......, refuse this go to passport control with no correct filled out TM7

Emirates are not cheap for a start, They are quite oftenly one of the expensive airlines, Lufthansa are cheap, I often use them as they are really cheap, And yes i have had the same problems with them in the past, And what do you mean by Zero dolar tourists?

[astral]

Heavens above - this is the 21st century. You arrive at Suvarnabhumi, Phuket or Chiang Mai airports from overseas. If you have travelled from overseas you have a PASSPORT. Why do we need TM7 (arrival/departure cards)?

Surely the passport number can quickly be entered into the Immigration Department's computers with an automatic 30 day entry registered on arrival. This way officers could process at least 2 people per minute. It would be a much better welcome to Thailand.

Holders of other visas could also be quickly checked through too. Let me see: 20 Immigrations booths could easily handle a plane load of 400 people in 10 minutes this way.

Peter

That's far too easy and efficient!!

Try visiting Singapore and see how they do it.

It can be done.............

[jstumbo]

And what do you mean by Zero dolar tourists?

Maybe that they use RMB, so they spend zero USD?

A lot of rich people in China. A lot of money there. Just flew back a couple of days ago from China. I filled out around 10 arrival cards for Chinese citizens, while on the plane.

Most of the time the Chinese will go on group tours. The tour guide handles all the paperwork for them. But Chinese people are beginning to travel on their own, and these are the real ones that have the problems. I think most will still go on tours, just because it is cheaper, and because of the language barrier.

When I was at the Guangzhou Thai consulate, I did not see a Chinese person there, besides my wife, getting a visa. When I picked up her passport the next day, there were a lot of visa/tour agents picking up passports for Chinese citizens. Tour groups pick up their visas between 4-4:30, then single people come after 4:30. So I saw about 8 agents there at 4:30, so there were probably more earlier. Each of these agents had in the neighborhood 400+ passports.

I like the idea of having a translated copy of an entry card available for people to get at the consulate. Maybe next time I go back, I will suggest it to them.

I think only a matter of time before they offer Chinese versions of the cards. With so many Chinese coming as tourists and a usual lack of Englis, they will do it.

Edited March 16, 2008 by jstumbo

[tracer5050]

When I arrive from the US, I usally get BKK around 11:30 pm on United, I usally have no problem then. From China I fly to Bkk on Thai Air , so far i have never had this problem , hope I will not on these airlines as for the times I usally get there.

[johnnysneds]

If your a Thailand Elite member from the minute you step off the plane it takes approx 5 mins until your in your limo

[jstumbo]

I have better things to do with $48,000+ USD

[endure]

Can we stop the flames and start being civil to each other please.

[vegas]

I flew in from Myanmar last week and arrival cards were not handed out until we landed. When we arrived at immigration and looked for a place to fill them out, there were people all over the place in the same boat, on the floor, leaning on walls, using the immigration counter...etc. It was fantastic, immigation officers were very patient though. Some genius must have decided it would be more efficient if arrival cards are handed out at the end of a flight, when people are disembarking. That way they have something to do on the way to immigration.

[PhilHarries]

I had a similar experience one time last year arriving from Europe. By the time I got through immigration the bags had been taken off the carousel which was then handling the next flight's load. That seems to be the bad time to arrive, mid to late afternoon, just as all the folks arrive from Europe either direct or via a mid east stopover.

In terms of the arrival cards you would think Thailand could produce versions in at least Chinese and Arabic in addition to the curent Thai/English. Maybe, as they don't really want foreigners in the country, their attitude is "if these people want to come to Thailand let them sort it out themselves". I suppose the airlines could have an electronic version in their native language available for display on the TV screens after all they are making money out of the travellers.

In terms of the arrival cards themselves why is it that the airlines wait until the last stages of a flight before distributing them? Just after commencing the descent from that clean air at 30 odd thousand feet you are presented with a form to fill in while the aircraft is bouncing about in turbulence. Personally I always try and make sure I have a small stock of cards so I fill mine in whilst having a beer at the airport of departure. That way I'm not bothered when, or even if, they distribute the cards.

[briley]

How do you get immigrations cards to spare and fill in on return? - the immigration officers seem to guard them with their lives?

[greenmember]

The first time I went to Thailand on my own in 2003 which was my first time traveling abroad, I did not know I had to fill in the TM7 form. When Thai Airways airhostess handed it to me, I asked what it was for. She said "You're going to Thailand right? You must have this."

If someone who doesn't read websites or asks friends, I believe there is no notice board at the airport saying what you have to do like:

- Fill in the Arrival / Departure card

- Queue at Immigration Counter

- After passing Immigration, take your luggage

It should be showed when you're on the plane instead of just safety instruction.

Stupid me, after landed, I didn't know what I needed to do. I was walking back and forth for 2 hours trying to find my luggage, showed the airport staff my passport, someone pointed me to Transit, someone pointed me to the opposite side, etc.

[greenmember]

Heavens above - this is the 21st century. You arrive at Suvarnabhumi, Phuket or Chiang Mai airports from overseas. If you have travelled from overseas you have a PASSPORT. Why do we need TM7 (arrival/departure cards)?

Surely the passport number can quickly be entered into the Immigration Department's computers with an automatic 30 day entry registered on arrival. This way officers could process at least 2 people per minute. It would be a much better welcome to Thailand.

Holders of other visas could also be quickly checked through too. Let me see: 20 Immigrations booths could easily handle a plane load of 400 people in 10 minutes this way.

Peter

I think the Arrival / Departure card is a waste of time but they still need to know where a passenger will stay, for how long and what he's in a country for. Anyone can just write down whatever hotel name and "travel" as purpose.

On our 2 trips to another country, no one took back these cards (of that country). We still have them with us now. Is it enough to say that the card is not important?

[peterarkle]

hi, this is concerning. my partner and i are arriving on non-immigrant 90 day visasa and my partner is in a wheelchair - i should imagine after the flight that they wont be feeling too good and certainly not waanting to wait for 1.5 hours to get through immigration as we have a domestic flight to catch 2.5 hours after we land. could anyone advise if there is fastrack for wheelchair users?

Also, is it possible to extend a type O non-immigrant visa for a further year?

thanks