Immigration Crackdown On Border Runners

[thaimiller]

simple just get a visa then no problem

Never thought I'd find myself agreeing with a Wednesday fan.

[ubonjoe]

Someone enlighten me. I don't get. Used to be 2-30 day extn's with border exit/entry. Now it 4 -15 day extn's. What's the diff other than money? What new rule? You can stay 90 days max. Right? Signed; Confused Easily.. LOL

This has nothing to do with tourisy visas if that is what you are thinking. Nothing has changed for them.

When you make a border run using a tourist visa you will still get 60 days. You can still stay 90 days on a tourist visa entry with an extension of 30 days.

This for visa exempt entries at border crossings only.

If the 90 days you mentioned was in reference the old 90 day rule it went away when 15 day entries were started.

[norwayeagle]

LOS is truely : land of stupids

what is next...

falong no want anymole hele, falang go home, stay home

Hey .Do not say so.That is not true.I dont know if Thai people Love You,but they do Love me.

[bangkokrick]

Looking at the number of people reading this thread it would appear that Thailand has a significant problem regarding visa runners and has decided to deal with it. Can't knock them for that.

Cheers, Rick.

[humfurry]

I'm laughing so hard...I can only think of the forum member with "Thailand, Burma with electricity" as his signature...I doubt there is little reason for those of us with long stay visas to be smug;)

[Chunkton]

When they clamped down on the 30 day runs, I was talking to a Dutch couple. Every year they came to Thailand, travelling the country, they didn't bother with a visa, although they would come for 3 months. They made sure that their travels got them near a border at the end of 30 days, and maybe spend some time in the next door country. The rules changed 2 days before their flight, and the travel agent didn't tell them, possibly as the agent didn't know. After 30 days, and they were in Ranong, and went over to Burma/Myanmar. They were shocked to only get 15 days. They told me that after their holiday was over, Thailand was out for their next holiday.

The only people this will effect as the other changes are the legal stayer. The overstays just carry on and never seem to get caught, and as we seem to be from cultures where you don't rat on people. Well enough said.

Am here now legally long term but agree the changing regs are a headache. My brother visited recently, been before and knows the setup. But he flew into Malaysia and did a border crossing and only got 2 weeks, booked on the internet where they don't tell you. Headache doing border runs, then he saw the story of the Aussie bird busted for the bar towel, left with a negative impression. Not of the people but the hassles the govt provides.

Thing is though all these one person stories start to add up, really been a lot of bad Thai PR lately, and things like this only add to it all. So some people do border runs, they are still spending money here.

[garro]

It will not effect me personally as I work here legally, but unlike some posters I get no pleasure from seeing the lives of others made more difficult. Mind you, I also feel that having to find loopholes in the law to live here isn't ideal.

[ernieK24]

I know of no other country in the world where you can run to the border and get another stamp therefore allowing you to stay in the country practically indefinitely.

The authorities are only doing what they should have done years ago.

Hear, Hear.....! Somebody finally said it.

If you're contemplating a visit to Thailand, they will give you, ,FREE.....!...thirty days, with no restrictions. If you decide to stay longer, and you can get your return airline ticket changed, then they will allow you an additioonal 15 days by crossing a border, and paying the fee.

If you intended to stay in Thailand for longer than thirty days in the first place, it's YOUR fault, not Thailands. You knew the rules before you came here, and if you didn't get a visa, who's to blame?

And if you didn't know the rules before you came here.....all you had to do was ask.....!!!

Try getting a visa for your girl friend to America.....you'll see what the word "tough" means.

On the other hand, if you're over here working illegaly, "under the table", as a teacher, or a bar manager, or a number of other jobs you can think of, and not paying taxes in your earnings, I would imagine THAT

[thaibkk]

LOS is truely : land of stupids

what is next...

falong no want anymole hele, falang go home, stay home

Hey .Do not say so.That is not true.I dont know if Thai people Love You,but they do Love me.

they sure will love you long time as long as you got some green in your pocket or bank account, afterwards it is: astalavista baby, till you get some cash again, in the meanwhile, you work a few months in your home country and only come back when you have plenty to spend... so far for your loving or welcome feeling... me love you long time, neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeext

[humfurry]

I know of no other country in the world where you can run to the border and get another stamp therefore allowing you to stay in the country practically indefinitely.

The authorities are only doing what they should have done years ago.

Hear, Hear.....! Somebody finally said it.

If you're contemplating a visit to Thailand, they will give you, ,FREE.....!...thirty days, with no restrictions. If you decide to stay longer, and you can get your return airline ticket changed, then they will allow you an additioonal 15 days by crossing a border, and paying the fee.

If you intended to stay in Thailand for longer than thirty days in the first place, it's YOUR fault, not Thailands. You knew the rules before you came here, and if you didn't get a visa, who's to blame?

And if you didn't know the rules before you came here.....all you had to do was ask.....!!!

Try getting a visa for your girl friend to America.....you'll see what the word "tough" means.

On the other hand, if you're over here working illegaly, "under the table", as a teacher, or a bar manager, or a number of other jobs you can think of, and not paying taxes in your earnings, I would imagine THAT

So you support the bureaucracy, the BIB's, the censored press and their corruption?

[garro]

I love the way that some posters feel that they can tell other posters that they are not worthy to stay in Thailand - you get a great class of humanity here, I must say.

[thaibkk]

I know of no other country in the world where you can run to the border and get another stamp therefore allowing you to stay in the country practically indefinitely.

The authorities are only doing what they should have done years ago.

Hear, Hear.....! Somebody finally said it.

If you're contemplating a visit to Thailand, they will give you, ,FREE.....!...thirty days, with no restrictions. If you decide to stay longer, and you can get your return airline ticket changed, then they will allow you an additioonal 15 days by crossing a border, and paying the fee.

If you intended to stay in Thailand for longer than thirty days in the first place, it's YOUR fault, not Thailands. You knew the rules before you came here, and if you didn't get a visa, who's to blame?

And if you didn't know the rules before you came here.....all you had to do was ask.....!!!

Try getting a visa for your girl friend to America.....you'll see what the word "tough" means.

On the other hand, if you're over here working illegaly, "under the table", as a teacher, or a bar manager, or a number of other jobs you can think of, and not paying taxes in your earnings, I would imagine THAT

for my part, i know no developed country that is asking so much from people, staying here for a long time, legally, with so much paperwork (90 day report, yearly extention, ...) for a max. of 1 year permission of stay, even being married to one of the locals here and making different rules (thai man marry farang = only needs 10k baht proven income, farang marrying thai = needs to prove 4x more salary, ... no right to buy a house/land, ...) and for nothing in return.... no social security, unemployment money and on top.. .if you work and the nice thai company fires you, you have to leave within 7 days, when ur wife dies and she owns, off course, the house you paid for, you better make sure to sell it because you are not allowed to own it or live in it....

[Oberkommando]

Interestingly enough, and as an experienced Bangkok expat that socialises frequently, I know of no expats that are doing perennial 15-day border runs.

Conversely, I have met several tourists recently that travel throughout the region extensively overland, and it is these people who it will affect, having experienced their annoyance and problems first hand before when they introduced a limit on the 30-day entry stamps.

The lunatics are running the asylum folks, and these are rich, out-of-touch lunatics that despise foreigners and care not if the tourism industry is crippled beyond repair, because let's face it, that's the way it looks to be going.

[humfurry]

I love the way that some posters feel that they can tell other posters that they are not worthy to stay in Thailand - you get a great class of humanity here, I must say.

I just love intelligent posters...Cheers M8

[VSteve]

it is not good what the immigration and the country is doing to the foreigners.

first they make all the tourist visas free and now they are making border runs short to stay.

as to before they were 3 months and now they only give two months.

what will happen next???

I had the same thought when I read this post: First free visas, now this? Mai kao jai ka

[Jingthing]

Thai immigration is a mixed bag, some policies liberal, some downright paranoid. For example for retirement extensions allowing people to qualify on bank account only is liberal, but making people do address reports every 90 days, often old frail people, some who have been here for over 20 years, is basically insane. I agree the land border runs are mostly real tourists, often backpackers, there is already a built in limitation, the free pages in your passport! 15 days each time is nothing. The main point I strongly disagree with. Do not ever compare Thailand immigration to first world immigration. There is no comparison. Compare like to like, such as the Philippines, Ecuador, Cambodia, or Peru.

[harry]

disagree with all complaining!

ever considered the rules when a Thai goes to Europe? Even as a tourist it is difficult to enter without....etc..

Try to see this without your personal biased view.

Apparently I am not the only one which disagree with you.

[TVmonitor]

I hate the people who are crying about laws, rules and everything in Thailand here in this forum all the time.

If you don´t like Thailand, please go immediately. If you can´t get a Visa because of problems, please go back to the place you came from.

I have my work permit every year stamped, also my 1 year Visa. I pay my tax, I have no problems at all.

May be because I plan better? May be because I see this country different? And I know a lot of foreigners who have the same thinking than I do........

When you read this forum you see only low budget people crying all the time. You see people who mention that more foreigners die in Thailand, than in any other countries in the world. It seems that you have enough money to buy a computer and pay a flat rate.

If your pension is not enough to live here, well how about working something? Oh you can´t? Well time to go back home!

And I have the feeling that many of the foreigners in Thailand are bored to death. They hang in front of their computers, drink a lot of alcohol and behave like elephants in a porcellan store. No respect to government and authorities. No respect about buddhism and culture.

Yes Thailand is different. Yes the people are sometimes weired. But why do you see that as a problem????

This is not your country, folks. This is Thailand.

Again: If you don´t like this country - go back to the fuc_king place, you are coming from. And stay there and gossip about your own stupid governments. You are guests here, if you don´t pay taxes you have not the same rights, than those who work here every day.

I am really fed up to read you comments full of tears, hate, ambivalence and cynical sentences. It is enough. Low budget farangs are much more disgusting than a Thai person without education. Because the Thai person is easy to train. But you people are hopeless....

Zappergeck

How original!

a go back where you came from thread! Wondered how long that would take.

Well that can go in the bin with the rest of them.

[Oberkommando]

If you want to go to Cambodia you can apply and receive a tourist visa online.

Why doesn't Thailand offer a similar service?

[humfurry]

disagree with all complaining!

ever considered the rules when a Thai goes to Europe? Even as a tourist it is difficult to enter without....etc..

Try to see this without your personal biased view.

Apparently I am not the only one which disagree with you.

I'd say the reasons for "many Thais" visiting Europe or The West are far more different than Europe or The West visiting Thailand.

Edited June 1, 2009 by humfurry

[norwayeagle]

LOS is truely : land of stupids

what is next...

falong no want anymole hele, falang go home, stay home

Hey .Do not say so.That is not true.I dont know if Thai people Love You,but they do Love me.

they sure will love you long time as long as you got some green in your pocket or bank account, afterwards it is: astalavista baby, till you get some cash again, in the meanwhile, you work a few months in your home country and only come back when you have plenty to spend... so far for your loving or welcome feeling... me love you long time, neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeext

Hehe well.....When it comes to me ,they Love me for who i am, what i stand for and my behavior .Not my cute "tiny" wallet. This is my experience ( the good onse)..( i know about the "dark" side to)..ps.But,i will, without a doubt, open it(my wallet) if i see some needs!

[12DrinkMore]

Thai immigration is a mixed bag, some policies liberal, some downright paranoid. For example for retirement extensions allowing people to qualify on bank account only is liberal, but making people do address reports every 90 days, often old frail people, some who have been here for over 20 years, is basically insane.

Please correct me if I am wrong, but I thought this reporting could also be done by post?

[Jingthing]

Yes, illegal economic refugees from poor countries sometimes become a burden to their host countries. A westerner in Thailand has nothing to be a parasite on here, unless you consider the monkey house a good time. Again, comparing first and third world immigration policies is inane.

[Jingthing]

Thai immigration is a mixed bag, some policies liberal, some downright paranoid. For example for retirement extensions allowing people to qualify on bank account only is liberal, but making people do address reports every 90 days, often old frail people, some who have been here for over 20 years, is basically insane.

Please correct me if I am wrong, but I thought this reporting could also be done by post?

Depends on the office I believe. Even by post, it is a burden, and something you don't find commonly in other third world countries when you have a long term visa. Also, I think some people are forced to travel great distances to do these reports when their office is not nearby. Bloody ridiculous.

Edited June 1, 2009 by Jingthing

[dudemeister]

Thiks like they dont want us any more !

They dont need our $$ ars !

They have sized mld from Thaksin,

its enough for the moment 1

After next election again !

farang

can someone please translate this for me?

Will give it a try:

Thiks (Thicko’s or thickhead’s) like they dont want us any more ! (they still want me )

They dont need our $$ ars ! (but they don’t want my 2 dollar a*s)

They have sized mld from Thaksin, (they have size medium, large or damn big - meaning Thaky tore them a new a*s /screwed them over)

its enough for the moment 1 (at present his a*s can only accommodate 1)

After next election again ! (typo: just you wait until my next erection)

farang (original name)

[Gulfstream]

Is it possible that Thailand is making and enforcing this regulation for a reason? Could it be to get rid of those who cannot get a visa due to, Criminal Records, Lack of Income, Communicable Diseases (can't get a health cert), or have other serious problems which would preclude a legitimate visa?

Look to all the "1st World" countries and see which ones allow "Border Run Visas".

Finally a clean-up is underway.

[Moonrakers]

I wouldn't be surprised to see border runs stopped altogether within the next 3 years or so. There's not much that long term expats can complain about though because it shouldn't be a problem for us anyway, they may need to re-asses how much it will affect tourists though.

Once the border runs have gone then they may start looking at restrictions on tourist visas. That'll be interesting.

[humfurry]

Is it possible that Thailand is making and enforcing this regulation for a reason? Could it be to get rid of those who cannot get a visa due to, Criminal Records, Lack of Income, Communicable Diseases (can't get a health cert), or have other serious problems which would preclude a legitimate visa?

Look to all the "1st World" countries and see which ones allow "Border Run Visas".

Finally a clean-up is underway.

"legitimate" ?

[venturalaw]

I agree 100% and to the guy thats 3 years overstay, its because of tw*ts like you that this has happened. I get a non-b from Hull each year and abide by the visa rules, if you can't then you shouldn't be here. IMHO

And you are genuinely here on business trips are you? Year after year, all year long?

Exactly.

Live and let live. All Farang are more-or-less in the same boat, and I can't imagine any of us benefit from tightening of the rules. Whatever your legal pretext for being in Thailand is, it can be restricted by the Thais, and as the current trend goes, it will.

Schadenfreude is disgusting.

Dark clouds are gathering. I wonder what it would take to reverse the trend.

I am really curious to find out how Thai immigration laws evolved over time. When were immigration regulations loosened or tightened? What influenced this? Was it only loosened during the economic expansion while Prem was PM? If one of the old-timers could give hints on this, it'd be great...

Here is how the immigration laws evolve. When Thailand has political problems leading to a significant reduction in tourism (which provides the highest percentage of income to the country), the genius law makers decide to make it more difficult for tourists. What good is it to add restrictions? Where is the benefit? There is none. More Thai logic. We need to reverse the adverse effects caused by the closing of the airport, etc, so let's impose more tourism restrictions. Yes, of course, that makes perfect sense. I know - we'll introduce a new cocktail! That will fix everything! GIVE ME A BREAK!

Edited June 1, 2009 by venturalaw

[Jingthing]

I wouldn't be surprised to see border runs stopped altogether within the next 3 years or so. There's not much that long term expats can complain about though because it shouldn't be a problem for us anyway, they may need to re-asses how much it will affect tourists though.

Once the border runs have gone then they may start looking at restrictions on tourist visas. That'll be interesting.

Well I have been following this for ten years now, and there seems to be a constant ebb and flow, tightening, loosening, tightening, loosening. I don't expect that to change anytime soon. Also legit tourists need to do land border crossings. If you eliminated so called border runs you would kill Thailand as a tourist hub for some kinds of travelers, probably mostly backpackers. Bottom line, I think you are wrong.