Immigration Clarifies New Visa Rules

[george]

Phuket Immigration clarifies new visa rules

PHUKET CITY: -- At a press conference held late yesterday, Phuket Immigration confirmed that foreigners arriving without visas at any of Thailand’s non-airport immigration checkpoints will be granted permits-to-stay of only 15 days, half the former number.

The conference was led by Phuket Immigration Superintendent Chanatpol Yongbunjerd, who also confirmed that the former rule limiting foreigners entering on “visa exemptions” from staying more than 90 days over a 180-day period was no longer in effect.

As a result, foreigners from any of the 40 countries eligible for “visa exemptions” can now legally reside in Thailand year-round, provided they don’t mind making a “visa run” every 15 days (30 days if by air) and abide by all other laws and regulations.

The new 15-day rule is now in effect at all 54 land border checkpoints, including the seaport checkpoint at Ranong, popular with Phuket-based foreigners doing visa runs to Burma.

The new order, issued on November 25, is intended as a way of stopping foreigners from working illegally in the country in industries such as real estate, Col Chanatpol said.

Col Chadpol said he was working closely with Thai Dive Association (TDA) President Ronnachai Chindapol to find ways to improve the diving industry’s compliance with Thai immigration and labor laws, recognizing the role that foreign dive instructors play in the industry.

On the issue of migrant workers from neighboring countries such as Burma, Col Chanatpol said he personally thought their number might be in the range of 70,000 to 80,000. Of these, as many as 50,000 might be unregistered, he estimated.

Col Chanatpol said he was in favor of raising the quota on such workers, as doing so would have many advantages. These would include stemming the spread of dangerous diseases such as dengue fever through mandatory health checks, and increasing government revenue through collection of work permit fees.

However, the previous Cabinet’s plan to raise quotas early in 2009 will now have to be put on hold until a new Cabinet is formed and decides on the issue, he said.

Col Chanatpol also used the meeting to introduce two new Immigration Inspectors recently assigned to his office: Lt Col Kanya “Taen” Petchpairoj, who will be in charge of visa issues and administrative matters, and Lt Col Suparerk Pankosol, who recently transferred from Samut Prakan and will be in charge of investigations.

During the press conference, Pol Capt Napat Noosen released figures for permit-to-stay extension applications received by Phuket Immigration in 2007. The list revealed the United Kingdom as the single greatest source of applicants, with 2,560 (1,207 on tourist visas, 1,353 for non-immigrant visas).

Rounding out the top ten were: 2. Sweden (total 1,411); 3. Germany (1,196); 4. France (1,174); 5. US (1,136); 6. Italy (1,135); 7. Switzerland (745); 8. Philippines (715); 9. Australia (671) and Burma (609).

Capt Napat implored people with non-immigrant visas planning to apply for permit-to-stay extensions to submit their applications no fewer than two weeks before their current permit is set to expire.

-- Phuket Gazette 2008-12-16

http://www.phuketgazette.com/dailynews/index.asp?id=6969

[cali4995]

So the current clarification contradicts previously given reasons for policy, basically now if you need to

do visa running for any period it's 2X the expense and 2X the hassle. How will this affect all the migrant

workers from neighboring countries? Probably not at all since they're illegal anyway. If they wanted to

stop foreigners from working illegally in such industries as real estate, they could very easily visit such

businesses as they are prominently visible instead of penalizing potential tourists they no longer have.

[thairookie]

That is to say the business for companies like Jack Golf and alike will double. Or will we see the queue outside Thai Embassy at Vientiane double instead ?

[kangeroo]

The only part that i can see is a good change is they got rid of the 90 day rule . The down side ,cost more and the trip over the border and back again and passport will fill up faster than before. What will the cost be every 15 days at the border?.

[Jingthing]

Some airline charter company needs to get in on this big opportunity. Get a big old plane and sell tickets for the one RT flight a day, Bangkok to Penang, Phuket to Penang etc. Time to grab a bite at the airport. So big you can arrive like a bus, with no bookings needed. Priced well for volume, with coupons, buy 12 RT tickets, get 2 free.

Edited December 16, 2008 by Jingthing

[torrenova]

I knew quite a few people who used to live on the 30 day exemptions and they hated the border trip once a month. There is no way that the same people will put up with a 15 day run and to be honest, they have fund other ways around this, such as tourist visas, since October 2006. The only people this is going to hurt is tourists and thus, is just another ill thought out decision by the muppets in charge.

If they really want to stop illegal western workers then make it easier and cheaper to comply with the rules. No-one wants to work illegally but they do so because the costs of running a company here are far far higher than the UK for example. Keep the costs of being legal and paying tax lower (at the bottom end) than the costs of visa runs and see how many people remain illegal !

[cali4995]

Honestly, as has been succinctly stated before, criminals and those working illegally are not doing so on

"stamps". They've availed themselves of much longer-term visas. I just don't know. What "they're"

saying the reasons are and what is in fact the cause for the changes isn't always necessarily the same.

[bjhabal]

Thank you George, you are always there on time of need, your information precise, up to date and valuable; a role model of admin.

Bishop

[flyer222]

Hi George,

It has always been a pleasure reading your informative posts. With regards to the above news, I would like to seek some clarifications;

1) Does it literally mean that we can stay in Thailand for a year if we make the land visa runs every 15 days? Meaning we go to the border get our passport stamped(Thai and Malaysian immigration) and get back into Thailand the very same day. We just keep doing this and we get to stay for a year. It would be just like the old days, only difference is we need to do 15 day visa runs.

2) The 40 countries mentioned, is Singapore one of these countries?

Thank you George for the good news.

[astral]

How will this affect all the migrant workers from neighboring countries? Probably not at all since they're illegal anyway.

Very true.

A guesstimate of 50,000 unregistered immigrant workers is rather a joke.

At least it does clarify the situation for Farangs, for the time being, and we have to live with it.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Hi George,

It has always been a pleasure reading your informative posts. With regards to the above news, I would like to seek some clarifications;

1) Does it literally mean that we can stay in Thailand for a year if we make the land visa runs every 15 days? Meaning we go to the border get our passport stamped(Thai and Malaysian immigration) and get back into Thailand the very same day. We just keep doing this and we get to stay for a year. It would be just like the old days, only difference is we need to do 15 day visa runs.

2) The 40 countries mentioned, is Singapore one of these countries?

Thank you George for the good news.

FYI, in the "old days" it was 15-days at both land and air borders.

I forget quite when it was changed to 30 days, perhaps when K Anand was PM, amongst the other good deeds he did?

Mac

[ubonjoe]

There has been a change since this topic was posted in December of 2008.

Once you have 4 consecutive 15 day entries at border crossings you will be stopped, questioned and your address confirmed. They will then do an investigation to see what you are doing here.

Best thing to do is get a visa rather than doing all those border runs.

Yes it in includes Singapore.

Edited September 2, 2009 by ubonjoe

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Hi George,

It has always been a pleasure reading your informative posts. With regards to the above news, I would like to seek some clarifications;

1) Does it literally mean that we can stay in Thailand for a year if we make the land visa runs every 15 days? Meaning we go to the border get our passport stamped(Thai and Malaysian immigration) and get back into Thailand the very same day. We just keep doing this and we get to stay for a year. It would be just like the old days, only difference is we need to do 15 day visa runs.

2) The 40 countries mentioned, is Singapore one of these countries?

Thank you George for the good news.

FYI, in the "old days" it was 15-days at both land and air borders.

I forget quite when it was changed to 30 days, perhaps when K Anand was PM, amongst the other good deeds he did?

Mac

Long long ago.

[lopburi3]

Time is relative - not that long ago in my memory. I have not used a visa exempt since 1991 but at that time it was still 15 days.

Edited September 3, 2009 by lopburi3

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Time is relative - not that long ago in my memory. I have not used a visa exempt since 1991 but at that time it was still 15 days.

18 years Lop.

[lopburi3]

Years become months; months become days; days become hours. For some of us 18 years may be a lifetime - for those at the other end it is but a moment.

[jfchandler]

Joe, does the same "fourth time and you get grief" approach apply only to land-based entries....or does it also apply if someone was doing four consecutive flights in using the 30 day entries?

There has been a change since this topic was posted in December of 2008.

Once you have 4 consecutive 15 day entries at border crossings you will be stopped, questioned and your address confirmed. They will then do an investigation to see what you are doing here.

Best thing to do is get a visa rather than doing all those border runs.

Yes it in includes Singapore.

[ubonjoe]

Only by land.

If you make a flight out and back or get a visa it resets the count for the 4 entries also.

[tropo]

That is to say the business for companies like Jack Golf and alike will double. Or will we see the queue outside Thai Embassy at Vientiane double instead ?

Visa run operations such as Jack Golf do not profit from these new rules. Their business is dropping because not too many people would do a visa run to Cambodia to get only 14 days. Thai immigration are also limiting the number of times you can get a 15 day visa free entry at a land border to about 4.

[barry]

my response is the same every time they change these rules (frequently)

HUH ?!?

[Beacher]

When did Thailand start to hate tourists so much?

[ubonjoe]

They don't hate tourists, They hate people working here illegally.

Edited September 3, 2009 by ubonjoe

[Maestro]

Time is relative - not that long ago in my memory. I have not used a visa exempt since 1991 but at that time it was still 15 days.

I did not realise the change was so recent – yes, recent; I thought it was much earlier – but your memory is phenomenal. I checked my old passports and see

09 DEC 1993 my last visa-exempt arrival with 15 days

22 JUL 1995 my first visa-exempt arrival with 30 days

...I forget quite when it was changed to 30 days, perhaps when K Anand was PM, amongst the other good deeds he did?...

These are the periods when Anand was Prime Minister, but for all we know the wheels for the change were set in motion during his time:

March 2, 1991 – March 23, 1992

June 10, 1992 – September 22, 1992

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anand_Panyarachun

--

Maestro