Translation Of New 15 Day Exempt Entry Rule

[Mario2008]

Nice translation. Leads to the question if the 90 day rule in a 6 month period rule still applies.

The 90-day rule still applies, whether you get 15 or 30 days. What's unclear is the list of nationalities this applies to, but presumably it's the same list that previously got 30 days no matter what their last point of embarkation was.

That seems to be the case. I was just wandering if they might have abolished it as there are reports that immigration often doesn't count the days anymore.

[Soutpeel]

This "visa exemption stamp" should be looked at as an "extra privilege" in itself, no matter short, in order to "help" tourists circumvent the "standard" tourist visa.

With all due repsect.... BS....the visa waiver is a method to entice people to come to a country to spend their money, by minimising the hassle you have to go through to get into a country....look at the list where visa waivers are permissible...majority... perceived to wealthy western countries (most likely not the case these days)

So most certainly not a privilege, more of a carrot to get you in to spend your dosh, limit your days...we have emptied your wallet...now f*kc off home and come back next year and we will do the same...

[bjhabal]

Well, I believe no one reported this situation yet except from the andaman club, Let's wait and see if other borders are doing the same thing (giving only 15 days).

Bishop

[sniffdog]

So Overland OR by flight from Phnom Penh may only have a 15 day allowance now.

Yet another thing to stuff up our well planned and booked three month trip in Thailand and Cambodia.

We were due to fly BKK to Phnom Penh on 5th December, returning on 5th January, but our flight is cancelled so we face the ordeal of overland travel .

And only 15 days transit allowance now but our flight back to the Philippines is at the end of January .

We planned three weeks in ChiangMai before flying back to the Philippines, But we cannot do that now Better to cancel our return to Bangkok ,stay in Cambodia for 3 weeks extra , bin our return BKK ticket to the Philippines , and fly back via Kuala Lumpur instead :jerk: .

Well, Goodbye Thailand , not so much Good about it this time though.

Go to the Thai consualte in Phnom Penh while you are there and get a 60 day tourist visa.

Isn't that bad advice? As what I understood is that the Embassy/Consulate in PP is not friendly to foreigners.

Anyway, this new (alleged) rule fits perfectly in Thailand's policy to have foreigners coming in on a visa obtained abroad. Feel kinda lucky, with my retirement visa in hand.

Edited December 3, 2008 by sniffdog

[Lite Beer]

Well, I believe no one reported this situation yet except from the andaman club, Let's wait and see if other borders are doing the same thing (giving only 15 days).

Bishop

Report from Mai Sai and a report that Phuket Immigration are telling people the same.

[ovenman]

Go to the Thai consualte in Phnom Penh while you are there and get a 60 day tourist visa.

Isn't that bad advice? As what I understood is that the Embassy/Consulate in PP is not friendly to foreigners.

Correct, it's not.

[Soutpeel]

Nice translation. Leads to the question if the 90 day rule in a 6 month period rule still applies.

The 90-day rule still applies, whether you get 15 or 30 days. What's unclear is the list of nationalities this applies to, but presumably it's the same list that previously got 30 days no matter what their last point of embarkation was.

So it would seem the 90 day rule is going to complicate itself even more now....think immigration will need to employ some Phd Mathamaticians at the land crossings to sit and work this all out...

[ubonjoe]

This "visa exemption stamp" should be looked at as an "extra privilege" in itself, no matter short, in order to "help" tourists circumvent the "standard" tourist visa.

With all due repsect.... BS....the visa waiver is a method to entice people to come to a country to spend their money, by minimising the hassle you have to go through to get into a country....look at the list where visa waivers are permissible...majority... perceived to wealthy western countries (most likely not the case these days)

So most certainly not a privilege, more of a carrot to get you in to spend your dosh, limit your days...we have emptied your wallet...now f*kc off home and come back next year and we will do the same...

I agree it's not a privilege. But why abuse it.

I can't understand why anybody that knows they are going to stay over 30 days wouldnt get a tourist visa. Tourist visas are easy to get and most consulates have a mail in service plus they only cost 1000 baht.

Why waste whole day making a border run and spending more money than a visa costs?

[torrenova]

When they brought in the 90 in 180 (or 6 months) rule I read between the lines that the real reason was to make life more difficult if not impossible for people working illegally (westerners that is, not Burmese labourers). I said at the time that it was ill conceived and not thought through at all.

I thought a much better method would have been to make it far easier for people to set up in small businesses or work, become legal and have all this under the umbrella of paying taxes (moderately, as opposed to nothing and thus inviting avoidance). The current costs of doing this are just too high for some small businesses and some owner operators.

Now the 30 day thing did hit tourists and I think 90 days should be given but I understand that if you can pay for a 90 day holiday then you can probably pay for a visa. To limit overland exemptions to 15 days is utter madness.

The only real solution for people wishing to pop in and out of the country but spend more than 15 days here at a time is now a multiple entry non immigrant visa as tourist visas are down to a maximum of 3 entries. Consulates and embassies in some countries will not issue these easily and thus, it is just another nail in the already very well nailed down coffin lid that was Thai tourisism.

[mojaco]

Nice translation. Leads to the question if the 90 day rule in a 6 month period rule still applies.

The 90-day rule still applies, whether you get 15 or 30 days. What's unclear is the list of nationalities this applies to, but presumably it's the same list that previously got 30 days no matter what their last point of embarkation was.

So it would seem the 90 day rule is going to complicate itself even more now....think immigration will need to employ some Phd Mathamaticians at the land crossings to sit and work this all out...

The new ruling has totally dropped the 90 days in six months language. That would tell me it is dropped in fact. But reports from those coming in on the new system will tell the tale for certain.

[Mario2008]

Will be interesting to see how the Thai tourism industry will react to this.

[ubonjoe]

The only real solution for people wishing to pop in and out of the country but spend more than 15 days here at a time is now a multiple entry non immigrant visa as tourist visas are down to a maximum of 3 entries. Consulates and embassies in some countries will not issue these easily and thus, it is just another nail in the already very well nailed down coffin lid that was Thai tourisism.

I can't follow what you are saying about tourist visas. Yes the most you can get is 3 entries on a single visa which would give you almost 9 months without getting a new visa if the use before date is 6 months after issue.

If you mean acutal entries total into the country there is no such limit.

The only countries that make it difficulet to get more than 1 entry on a tourist visa are all nearby consulates. Of course Vientiane gives 2 entry visas.

[boxhill]

I went to phuket immigration today and was told airport entries are 30 days and border crossings 15 days..I was at andaman club(ranong)yesterday and thought it was only at that crossing but,as we now know it is all border crossings

[Soutpeel]

I went to phuket immigration today and was told airport entries are 30 days and border crossings 15 days..I was at andaman club(ranong)yesterday and thought it was only at that crossing but,as we now know it is all border crossings

Well if thats the case then its not so bad for the visa waiver runners then if the 90 day rule is gone, they can stay as long as they want on 30 day visa waviers provided they get on a plane somewhere every month.

But still sc*ews things up for toursits doing visa waviers and travelling overland to neighboring countries...

[Moonrakers]

They have changed the yearly extension rules as well, but of that so far no translation.

A colleague of mine got his WP yesterday, and he received a full 1 year permit as opposed to the duration of his visa as normal.

[Moonrakers]

I went to phuket immigration today and was told airport entries are 30 days and border crossings 15 days..I was at andaman club(ranong)yesterday and thought it was only at that crossing but,as we now know it is all border crossings

Well if thats the case then its not so bad for the visa waiver runners then if the 90 day rule is gone, they can stay as long as they want on 30 day visa waviers provided they get on a plane somewhere every month.

But still sc*ews things up for toursits doing visa waviers and travelling overland to neighboring countries...

But if somebody is going to fly then they had might as well just go to a consulate to get a tourist visa.

[mumbojumbo]

Heard today, American went Mae Sai, Tachileck, and on return only got 14 day, new policy starting today-??? Dont know about 90 day requirement.

[Lite Beer]

Heard today, American went Mae Sai, Tachileck, and on return only got 14 day, new policy starting today-??? Dont know about 90 day requirement.

Yes. Probably 15 days.

[Soutpeel]

But if somebody is going to fly then they had might as well just go to a consulate to get a tourist visa.

That would be my thought as well, but you never know with some people..

[astral]

15 day stamps have already been reported from the AndamanClub crossing.

[astral]

Yet another thing to stuff up our well planned and booked three month trip in Thailand and Cambodia.

We were due to fly BKK to Phnom Penh on 5th December, returning on 5th January, but our flight is cancelled so we face the ordeal of overland travel .

And only 15 days transit allowance now but our flight back to the Philippines is at the end of January :jerk: .

We planned three weeks in ChiangMai before flying back to the Philippines, But we cannot do that now

Better to cancel our return to Bangkok ,stay in Cambodia for 3 weeks extra , bin our return BKK ticket to the Philippines , and fly back via Kuala Lumpur instead .

Well, Goodbye Thailand , not so much Good about it this time though.

A double entry tourist visa or a single plus a re-entry permit should see you through.

[CRUNCHER]

I have said it before and I will say it again; this is the result of people abusing the 30 day visa exempt entry to stay in Thailand on a long term basis and thus making life difficult for a lot of inocent people, especially genuine tourists.

The answer is simple. Get a visa appropriate to your stay. This is all the Thai Government has requested and it is not at all unreasonable.

[wpcoe]

Heard today, American went Mae Sai, Tachileck, and on return only got 14 day, new policy starting today-??? Dont know about 90 day requirement.

Yes. Probably 15 days.

My thought, as well.

Someone entering across the border on 03Dec and receiving a permission to stay until 17Dec, might consider that to be a "14 day stamp," when in fact, it's a "15 day stamp" including the date of issue as day #1.

[astral]

A friend who crossed at Hat Yai yesterday 2nd Dec was given 15 days until the 17th

So this new rule is definitely in force.

Nice of them to let people know in advance. :D

[Lite Beer]

A friend who crossed at Hat Yai yesterday 2nd Dec was given 15 days until the 17th

So this new rule is definitely in force.

Nice of them to let people know in advance. :D

Astral. I hope you mean Sadao or Padang Besar (spelling) border crossings and not Hat Yai airport.

[bangkokrick]

It seems not to be aimed at tourists, but at people living in Thailand without a proper visa. Seems they want to make it more difficult for them. They are the target.

I agree. I looks like they have given up on the 90 day/six month rule and are trying a different way to discourage it.

I agree lite. Checking the passport on the 90 days rules was time consuming and expensive for immigration, so it seems that this will be the alternative. This is very bad news for the visa runners as they will have to do 2 a month.

Cheers, Rick

[davee58]

Yet another thing to stuff up our well planned and booked three month trip in Thailand and Cambodia.

We were due to fly BKK to Phnom Penh on 5th December, returning on 5th January, but our flight is cancelled so we face the ordeal of overland travel .

And only 15 days transit allowance now but our flight back to the Philippines is at the end of January :jerk: .

We planned three weeks in ChiangMai before flying back to the Philippines, But we cannot do that now

Better to cancel our return to Bangkok ,stay in Cambodia for 3 weeks extra , bin our return BKK ticket to the Philippines , and fly back via Kuala Lumpur instead .

Well, Goodbye Thailand , not so much Good about it this time though.

A double entry tourist visa or a single plus a re-entry permit should see you through.

But that is complicated, it means travelling to an overseas Embassy, or the big no-no of trusting passports to the mail system.

The 30 day transit allowance fits the need well, start in the Philippines, four weeks in Thailand, Month in Cambodia, three weeks in Thailand.

Besides many people have reported big problems getting visas, in this thread for example it has been mentioned that the Phnom Penh Thai Embassy is not helpful, I assume that means they will not readily give you a visa.

[Tafia]

Wouldnt it pay to wait for the official translation before speculating?? Then we can ask questions of those more knowledgeable

Edited December 3, 2008 by Tafia

[torrenova]

The only real solution for people wishing to pop in and out of the country but spend more than 15 days here at a time is now a multiple entry non immigrant visa as tourist visas are down to a maximum of 3 entries. Consulates and embassies in some countries will not issue these easily and thus, it is just another nail in the already very well nailed down coffin lid that was Thai tourisism.

I can't follow what you are saying about tourist visas. Yes the most you can get is 3 entries on a single visa which would give you almost 9 months without getting a new visa if the use before date is 6 months after issue.

If you mean acutal entries total into the country there is no such limit.

The only countries that make it difficulet to get more than 1 entry on a tourist visa are all nearby consulates. Of course Vientiane gives 2 entry visas.

OK, I'll try again. Until relatively recently, you could get 4 entries on a tourist visa. Thus, even on a short trip with many border crossings, you could have your initial 30 days waiver (don't activate your tourist visa). If you are staying for less than 15 days on each visit, then do not activate your tourist visa but just collect the 15 days (previously 30 days). Only use the tourist visas when you need to either because of staying over the 15 days (previously longer than 30 days).

Now as you now only get 3 entries on a tourist visa and some countries will not issue 3 and some not even 2, the 15 day rule becomes more pronounced.

Yes, you could get a re-entry permit but 99% of people don't know about them. Even then, it is another previously unnecessary trip to the immigration office.

As for your statement that the only countries which will issue only single entry tourist visas being neighbouring countries then I strongly suggest you do a little more research here and elsewhere. Certain parts of the USA for instance will only issue a single entry. This is constant moan though I will admit that many people here are better informed on how to circumvent this than on some other boards.

[torrenova]

I have said it before and I will say it again; this is the result of people abusing the 30 day visa exempt entry to stay in Thailand on a long term basis and thus making life difficult for a lot of inocent people, especially genuine tourists.

The answer is simple. Get a visa appropriate to your stay. This is all the Thai Government has requested and it is not at all unreasonable.

Utter nonsense. LIfe should be made easy for tourists, not make them jump through hoops for the priviledge of spending their money in your country.

I have been to Thailand historically (many years ago) and knew nothing about getting some mickey mouse 30 day entry when normal countries give proper passport holders 90 or more days. We actually changed the trip to leave on the 30th day.

The real intention was to crack down on illegal workers and the simplest means of doing that would have been to reduce the financial and administrative burden of becoming legal to about the same cost as someone had to pay to keep within visa regulations. Then they could have had people working and owning businesses legally and collected some moderate taxes from them. Think about all those million of $20 Cambodia collects each year ?