Warning For Visa Runs Sadao

[thailandfaq]

Last time i went to Sadao returning on a Multiple entry Non-O, the officers only stamped me in with a fifteen day visa on arrival. After i noticed (in Hat yai) and went back, they said that they dont look for your visa and that they stamp automatically Visa on entry unless you point to and show your Visa that is in your passport.

They then said i should publish this on the web to let others know that if you are entering on a Visa you have purchased, then you should show the officer stamping you in, if not then you might get the wring Visa stamped on entry.

This is what happened to me my wife and son.

We all had to spend hours going back to Sadao and back to hat yai, which cost us another night in a Hotel, and my son becoming ill from the rain and travelling.

[thaiphoon]

Did you enter your visa number on Form TM6? That is normally the sign to an immigration officer that you are not on visa exempt entry. Always pays to check permission to stay stamp is correct at the time to save unnecessary grief later.

[H2oDunc]

I came through there last week and had no problem. I do though always check the dates that they have stamped at the time so if there is a problem I can sort it out there and then as having to go back and try to sort it would be a nightmare.

[CharlieH]

Thaiphoon is 100% correct.......

Its been on this forum many times, that if you DONT enter the Visa number applicable on your ENTRY CARD the Immigration Officer will not know you have a Visa and very rarely checks for one.

If you dont enter the Visa number on your Entry card dont moan about it being wrong later, sorry but its your own fault.

Edited January 1, 2011 by CharlieH

[Richard4849]

Who would expect the immigration officer to search through your passport for a valid visa? That's not his responsibility -- it's YOURS to write the visa information on your TM form.

[thailandfaq]

Who would expect the immigration officer to search through your passport for a valid visa? That's not his responsibility -- it's YOURS to write the visa information on your TM form.

Haha so if i have a stamp in there saying 'forbidden to enter thailand'

its not his job to look for it ???

passports and visas are there for immigration officers to check

If they dont look through all pages and check, and only are there to stamp then why not make everything digital?

They have to check the book to see its in order. There is no other country i have ever been to where i have to point to the visa.

Immigration officers are not just there to stamp, they must assess and inquire

They must read situations and be alert

Of course i shall be pointing to my visas in future, but it is or should be the responsibility of the officer to check

What if i hadnt stamped out the last time? or a multitude of other possible scenarios?

As to the TM form i assume you mean the white card they give you on arrival and departure?

i did write my visa number correctly

It was not a mistake it was deliberate because my sons passport was brand new and had nothing in it except a thai tourist visa on first page so it is impossible for the officer to miss that

and he spent about five minuytes talking to me and flicking through the book

once in Ranong the officer took my passport to stamp out (going to Burma for visa run), made a stamping motion with his hand under the desk and gave me back

i go over to Burma with the longtail and as i get into the immigration there they tell me i haven't stamped out!

I said the officer took my pass and stamped his hand. The Burma cop told me thast they send farang back constantly and that Ranong immigration like to play this joke on tourists to make them go twice

I went back to Thai immigration and said 'sir you forgot to stamp me out!'

he smiled a wry smile and said 'oh dear' 'i must have forgotten'

Now was that my job too to see he had stamped for real?

maybe so, but it definitely wasn't his job to take my pass to leave thailand and pretend to stamp me out as a joke.

You can point at who you like to say who is 'technically and legally' responsible

But its still in truth a deliberate attempt to be bothersome to foreign visitors, i have no doubts about that.

One thing i did notice about modern Law all over the world especially consumer laws;

this seems to be the basic policy

It is not their job to inform us, it is our responsibility to inform ourself

This is obviously always the best thing, and i normally always check.

But it is always that one time you forget to check that they get you

Murphys law maybe

My main point however is, that perhaps it is so that we must inform the officer. But then it is also written that we must be psychic and know that we must inform ourself that we must point to the visa.

If we dont know that we must point to the visa and there is no info telling us when we apply for it, that we must show the visa to the officer, then how on earth will we know that we must inform ourself about something we dont know we need to be informed about?

There lies the problem Gentlemen;

It is legally not their job to inform us that we must inform ourself

And we cannot know every possible glitch which we should inform ourself about.

Which is why the Sadao immigration told me to post this info, so that at least thaivisa.com members will stumble across the fact that you have to point to the visa when crossing the border.

If you dont know you have to point to the visa, and you dont know you have to inform yourself (about something you are not aware of needing to be informed about), then how will you avoid this problem?

Edited January 4, 2011 by thailandfaq

[thailandfaq]

Example

we are going on a trip to the seaside

so we inform ourself about;

the weather forecast, if the beach is open, if the funfair is open, if there are rooms available

we check if we have the car in order, brakes, tires etc

we check our picnic hamper and baggage etc

swimsuits, medical..

then about ten kms before the destination, there is a massive roadworks and a 150 km detour.

We complain why they didnt put the news out

they say 'it is your job to go to the local council office and inform yourself'

can't think of the unexpected

[Richard4849]

I dunno, sounds like a lot of fuss about nothing to me. My passport is about two inches thick with all the extra pages. It would take the officer 10 minutes to fish through it and all the expired visas in it. I just stick the white card, with visa number written properly, in the passport at the right page. And double check that the passport has been correctly stamped before walking away.

This is probably advisable at any entry point anywhere, not just Sadao.

[Maestro]

...passports and visas are there for immigration officers to check...

And what, in your opinion, is the arrival card for? For the immigration officer to copy the visa number from your passport onto the card? This is not included in the price of your visa, I'm afraid.

[Maestro]

...passports and visas are there for immigration officers to check...

And what, in your opinion, is the arrival card for? For the immigration officer to copy the visa number from your passport onto the card? This is not included in the price of your visa, I'm afraid.

[tombkk]

Who would expect the immigration officer to search through your passport for a valid visa? That's not his responsibility -- it's YOURS to write the visa information on your TM form.

Haha so if i have a stamp in there saying 'forbidden to enter thailand'

its not his job to look for it ???

passports and visas are there for immigration officers to check

If they dont look through all pages and check, and only are there to stamp then why not make everything digital?

{...}

They have to check the book to see its in order. There is no other country i have ever been to where i have to point to the visa.

{...}

As to the TM form i assume you mean the white card they give you on arrival and departure?

i did write my visa number correctly

{...}

Now was that my job too to see he had stamped for real?

maybe so, but it definitely wasn't his job to take my pass to leave thailand and pretend to stamp me out as a joke.

{...}

If you dont know you have to point to the visa, and you dont know you have to inform yourself (about something you are not aware of needing to be informed about), then how will you avoid this problem?

1. I don't want the immigration officers to look through all pages in your passport, as I would be behind you in the queue.

2. I always point the immigration officer to my visa, in any country, what's wrong with that? Be cooperative, it's in your own interest. And in the interest in the people behind you in the queue.

3. I always check whether the stamp shows the correct date, whether entering or leaving the country, any country. (It always irritates me that I don't get an exit stamp when leaving the US, as I don't have proof that I left within the validity of the visa.)

If you don't really care about the stamp, you have just described what happens. This is not Thailand-specific.

You sound inexperienced in travelling issues. We all have started at some point and have learned our lessons. You have just become richer in experience and have learned how improtant these stamps are and why you have to check them immediately. Congratulations!

Edited January 5, 2011 by tombkk

[tombkk]

I came through there last week and had no problem. I do though always check the dates that they have stamped at the time so if there is a problem I can sort it out there and then as having to go back and try to sort it would be a nightmare.

I believe once you have left the check-point, you have to go to Bangkok immigration HQ in order to sort out a wrong stamp. At least that's what I heard a couple of years ago.