Border Run For Dual Citizenship Holders

[robitusson]

Question: For those with dual citizenship, it possible to leave the kingdom on a border run on one passport, then re-enter on another?

I'm here on a tourist visa on one passport (UK). I have a non-B, just issued, in the other (IRE). (It had been delayed in the consulate back home so I came here on my UK passport to avoid missing my flight and the other passport was couriered over.) I had thought I could just go to Cambodia, leave on the tourist visa in the UK pasport, then enter and leave Cambodia on the Irish passport and re-enter Thailand with the Irish one with the non-B in it. Is this possible does anyone know? Or is there a better way to do this?

[visarunner]

Not possible at any Thai landborder .

You have to fly out on your UK passport and return on your Irish passport.

[robitusson]

So the best option would be t fly out and return on the same day I suppose. Anyone have any experience with this?

[Mario2008]

Since visa for Thailand related moved to this part of the forum.

[thaiphoon]

So the best option would be t fly out and return on the same day I suppose. Anyone have any experience with this?

Yes, Visarunner is correct. You cannot do at a land border because they check your exit/entry stamps. Just book flights online with the likes of Air Asia; I sometimes do for border runs. If you fly to Singapore, Malaysia or Hong Kong you will not need a visa with UK passport.

[astral]

Beware. AirAsia does very quick turn arounds.

You may not have enough time to clear immigration on arrival and then catch the same flight back.

[heretostay]

I did the "change nationality" thing a couple of months ago - left Thailand on one passport, flew to Singapore where I got a visa in the second passort (at the Thai embassy on Orchard Road) and flew back to BKK. Piece of cake, really. You'll need to show a ticket out of Thailand during the initial duration period of your new visa. (I had bought a one-way ticket to KL on Air Asia for about 1200 baht - that did the trick.)

The embassy in Singapore requires you to apply in the morning of a given business day and then requires you to pick up your passport on the following business day. Impossible to do in a single day, difficult with a one-night stay. Do yourself a favor and plan on a two-night stay.

With that said, Penang may do a one-day service - I read that on this forum at one point. You may want to check into that.

Good luck.

[thaiphoon]

Beware. AirAsia does very quick turn arounds.

You may not have enough time to clear immigration on arrival and then catch the same flight back.

You need to leave a few hours between arrival and departure. The check in desk for departure closes 45 minutes before the flight leaves. You need to allow time to clear immigration on entry too. I've done it a few times. Take early morning flight, enjoy the day, come back late evening and you will be fine.

[mahjongguy]

Not possible at any Thai landborder.

Since I've haven't crossed a landborder here, I'm curious about the mechanics of it.

Is the above answer true because there is some connection between exiting Thailand and entering Laos (Cambodia, etc.)? Like the Thai exit officer hands your passport to the Lao entry officer? Or is it just Lao policy that their stamp must go next to the Thai exit stamp that was issued moments before?

[thaiphoon]

Not possible at any Thai landborder.

Since I've haven't crossed a landborder here, I'm curious about the mechanics of it.

Is the above answer true because there is some connection between exiting Thailand and entering Laos (Cambodia, etc.)? Like the Thai exit officer hands your passport to the Lao entry officer? Or is it just Lao policy that their stamp must go next to the Thai exit stamp that was issued moments before?

In your example Laos immigration will check the passport to see the exit stamp from Thailand. If you switch passports at a land border it will not be there and you will be denied entry.

[lopburi3]

The same will happen on return - Thailand will expect to see both the visa and the stamps in/out of Laos - without them you do not enter Thailand except as an illegal for transport to Bangkok and deportation.

A few people have managed to return without stamps - but in most cases it is closely checked.

[Sophon]

I'm here on a tourist visa on one passport (UK). I have a non-B, just issued, in the other (IRE). (It had been delayed in the consulate back home so I came here on my UK passport to avoid missing my flight and the other passport was couriered over.)

I think this brings up an interesting question.

It is generally accepted that it is not legal to apply for a visa while you are in Thailand (by sending your passport to a Thai consulate), and any such obtained visa would be invalid. It sounds like you applied for the visa while you were still in the UK, but the visa wasn't actualy issued until you had already arrived in Thailand. In effect, the visa was issued while you were in Thailand.

Would anyone care to speculate whether robitusson's visa under these circumstances is valid or not? I realize that is is probably unlikely that anyone will notice that he was in Thailand when the visa was issued, but if they did would his visa then be cancelled?

Sophon

[astral]

Is the above answer true because there is some connection between exiting Thailand and entering Laos (Cambodia, etc.)?

Like the Thai exit officer hands your passport to the Lao entry officer? Or is it just Lao policy that their stamp must go next to the Thai exit stamp that was issued moments before?

Not just Lao policy, it is the same for Malaysia and Cambodia,

also on the causeway between Malaysia and Singapore.

In the case of Cambodia, they will not stamp you out again on the same day,

unless you pay "tea money".

[thaiphoon]

I'm here on a tourist visa on one passport (UK). I have a non-B, just issued, in the other (IRE). (It had been delayed in the consulate back home so I came here on my UK passport to avoid missing my flight and the other passport was couriered over.)

I think this brings up an interesting question.

It is generally accepted that it is not legal to apply for a visa while you are in Thailand (by sending your passport to a Thai consulate), and any such obtained visa would be invalid. It sounds like you applied for the visa while you were still in the UK, but the visa wasn't actualy issued until you had already arrived in Thailand. In effect, the visa was issued while you were in Thailand.

Would anyone care to speculate whether robitusson's visa under these circumstances is valid or not? I realize that is is probably unlikely that anyone will notice that he was in Thailand when the visa was issued, but if they did would his visa then be cancelled?

Sophon

That is pure speculation. We have no knowledge as to the reason for the delay in issuing the visa, and that is none of our business either. The visa was applied for when the poster was in his own country which I think you will find is the legal requirement.

[astral]

In the case of the OP he was in his home country when he applied for the visa, so he is OK.

It is generally accepted that it is not legal to apply for a visa while you are in Thailand (by sending your passport to a Thai consulate), and any such obtained visa would be invalid

This statement is correct.

They may check on you if you trying to bend the rules.

A few years back there was a scam where passports were sent overseas for visas

whilst the holder was still in Thailand. I believe consulates now check previous stamps

before issuing a visa, and possibly the Immigration computer may flag you if try to enter using a visa

that was issued whilst you were in Thailand on a previous trip.

[thaiphoon]

In the case of the OP he was in his home country when he applied for the visa, so he is OK.

It is generally accepted that it is not legal to apply for a visa while you are in Thailand (by sending your passport to a Thai consulate), and any such obtained visa would be invalid

This statement is correct.

They may check on you if you trying to bend the rules.

A few years back there was a scam where passports were sent overseas for visas

whilst the holder was still in Thailand. I believe consulates now check previous stamps

before issuing a visa, and possibly the Immigration computer may flag you if try to enter using a visa

that was issued whilst you were in Thailand on a previous trip.

Yes, and one of the checks that I know the consulates do do is to check that you have a valid exit stamp from Thailand.

[Sophon]

In the case of the OP he was in his home country when he applied for the visa, so he is OK.

It is generally accepted that it is not legal to apply for a visa while you are in Thailand (by sending your passport to a Thai consulate), and any such obtained visa would be invalid

This statement is correct.

They may check on you if you trying to bend the rules.

A few years back there was a scam where passports were sent overseas for visas

whilst the holder was still in Thailand. I believe consulates now check previous stamps

before issuing a visa, and possibly the Immigration computer may flag you if try to enter using a visa

that was issued whilst you were in Thailand on a previous trip.

I have no idea whether it's the "applying for" or "issuing of" the visa that aren't allowed to happen while you are in Thailand, that's why I posed the question. But if the immigration computer flags the visa as issued while the owner was in Thailand, will the immigration officer then have access to information about when the visa was applied for? In other words, will the immigration officer be able to tell the difference between a visa applied for while the passport owner was still outside Thailand and one obtained illegally by sending the passport abroad while being in Thailand?

Sophon

[tropo]

They may check on you if you trying to bend the rules.

A few years back there was a scam where passports were sent overseas for visas

whilst the holder was still in Thailand. I believe consulates now check previous stamps

before issuing a visa, and possibly the Immigration computer may flag you if try to enter using a visa

that was issued whilst you were in Thailand on a previous trip.

They still do this, but your passport is stamped out of Thailand and into another country before you obtain a visa then stamped back into Thailand again.

[lopburi3]

And that is still illegal if you are not with that passport when it is stamped in/out of Thailand. When they discover such activity the stamps used (each is registered) will be checked by immigration and those people having them in there passport subject to investigation (which may include the innocent if done by an official). Do no allow your passport to travel out of Thailand without you with it. It is not only a legal issue but a real terrorist concern and the results could be death of innocent people - and in the best case trouble for you which may be found years after the fact. This is no longer an accepted practice.

[robitusson]

I got this question answered categorically. It's impossible to swap passports on the land border. It's also dodgy to do it entering on carriers like Air Asia or Tiger air.

I was advised to take a big international carrier to somewhere like Singapore, Hong Kong, or KL and return to Thailand and enter on the other passport that way, which is what I did. This way it appears to the Thai immigration that you have arrived from your home country. Though I certainly didn't tell them this. It worked too, no problems. Expensive, for sure, but no hassles and success swapping passports.

[TerryLH]

"In other words, will the immigration officer be able to tell the difference between a visa applied for while the passport owner was still outside Thailand and one obtained illegally by sending the passport abroad while being in Thailand?"

There shouldn't be a problem because the PP with the visa doesn't show he is/was in Thailand. He'll just look like he's arriving from somewhere with a Thai visa.

[astral]

It's also dodgy to do it entering on carriers like Air Asia or Tiger air.

It is only dodgy from a time point of view. See Thaipoon's comment

You need to leave a few hours between arrival and departure. The check in desk for departure closes 45 minutes before the flight leaves. You need to allow time to clear immigration on entry too. I've done it a few times. Take early morning flight, enjoy the day, come back late evening and you will be fine.

BTW all of the above applies if you have two passports in the same nationality.