Denied Tourist Visa In Laos.

[happysanook]

She barely even glanced through my passport before telling me I was denied. She said she "knew i was doing something in thailand. That i had wife or family here. That I was doing SOMETHING".Denied.

[Richard4849]

Was she right? Or are you really a tourist?

[happysanook]

Was she right? Or are you really a tourist?

You should apply for a job there buddy. You'd be perfect.

[mystwoodcol]

Probably had a blew with her farang boyfriend and you were the first farang she saw to take it out on.

We are all the same us farangs

[Richard4849]

Thanks for answering the question.

[happysanook]

Probably had a blew with her farang boyfriend and you were the first farang she saw to take it out on.

We are all the same us farangs

[p_brownstone]

Was she right? Or are you really a tourist?

You should apply for a job there buddy. You'd be perfect.

Why avoid a straight answer to a straight - and quite reasonable - question?

Patrick

[dumpling]

you can't complain about the truth, anything more then 6 months = not a tourist.Plenty of options to get your self legal

[gosompoi]

My first three trips were as a tourist in Thailand and twice I stayed longer than six months. Did you show your outward flight from Thailand? 3 tourist visa in one trip is not a lot and especially if you only have total of 4 in passport. I would asked her how she would fix this problem, because I need to continue my holiday and meet friends in Thailand. Save face!

Edited January 29, 2011 by gosompoi

[Maestro]

From the OP:

She said she "knew i was doing something in thailand. That i had wife or family here...

This makes one wonder whether and to what extent the Vientiane consulate makes an effort to obtain additional background information on some tourist visa applicants. In this context it would be useful to know whether the consular official was right. Of course, she may just have been guessing but if she wasn't, she should have offered you a non-O visa to visit your family. This would have given you permission to stay for 90 days with the option of a 60-day extension.

[kuffki]

Was she right? Or are you really a tourist?

You should apply for a job there buddy. You'd be perfect.

Why avoid a straight answer to a straight - and quite reasonable - question?

Patrick

But even if she was correct, and OP is married or whatever, it should not make any difference to her.

Is there a limit on how long one can be a tourist?

If he was indeed doing something illegal, it is the responsibility of immigration or police, and since there was no mention of either being involved, i can not see a reasonable reason for refusal. Perhaps a warning be more appropriate.

[Ulysses G.]

From the OP:

She said she "knew i was doing something in thailand. That i had wife or family here...

This makes one wonder whether and to what extent the Vientiane consulate makes an effort to obtain additional background information on some tourist visa applicants.

I would guess none. I have been accused of working in Thailand by the Thai embassy now and then over the years when I wasn't. It seems to be SOP when the officials are in a bad mood.

[thailandbluegrass]

Just head over to Suvannakhet and enter through Mukhdahan.

Can you scan and post the page in your passport so we can see please?

[happysanook]

Was she right? Or are you really a tourist?

You should apply for a job there buddy. You'd be perfect.

Why avoid a straight answer to a straight - and quite reasonable - question?

Patrick

But even if she was correct, and OP is married or whatever, it should not make any difference to her.

Is there a limit on how long one can be a tourist?

If he was indeed doing something illegal, it is the responsibility of immigration or police, and since there was no mention of either being involved, i can not see a reasonable reason for refusal. Perhaps a warning be more appropriate.

A warning would of been great.

And wasn't interested in hearing anything I had to say. Only kept saying I was doing something in Thailand, that I had a wife etc...

I guess I should mention too that I went out to speak with the touts. He took a look at my passport and said impossible for them also to get me the visa.

In Chantaburi now. Will be going to Poipet and paying a agent I've used before. He says no problem, but guess I will find out soon enough. Christ... If it doesn't work out I'll of spent 10k baht for a 14 day entry.

[Maestro]

Happysanook was told that his visa application was denied, hence there is nothing about it in writing and a scan of his passport would serve no purpose.

[happysanook]

Just head over to Suvannakhet and enter through Mukhdahan.

Can you scan and post the page in your passport so we can see please?

I will when I get settled back in CM. No problem.

I wasn't aware there was a Thai embassy there... Wouldn't they see my passport and guess I'd just been unsuccessful in Vientienne? Guess it's a moot point since I'm 2 hours from Poipet right now...But good to know for the future.

[blabla1]

I was told at Chiang mai, imm, that now i am 50 i can get a letter from my embassy stating that my income or savings per year are equivelent to 800000TB, i asked, are my bank statements from Australia ok, or do i have to have a Thai,bank account, they said again,letter from embassy and bank statements,great i thought, so i went to BKK,did everything and came back to here the famous thai words "CANNOT" they now said that the income must be a regular pension of some sort AHHHHHHHHHHHH, so off to Lao, she asked what do you do in Thailand? I said i am retired, why not get retirement visa, i explained, she says,why you dont get non imm visa 90 days,same as last 3 years, i said because i want to stay as long as possible before coming back here, she advised me to get a 2x entry tourist visa, who am i to blow against the wind? :jap: thankyou.

[kainy83]

Hey Happysanook don't worry your not alone on the visa rejection i've just come back laos and got the same response but off 1 of the guys there he said"I had 2 many double entries" (I had 3 in my passport) but luckily he did give me a single entry but then said i wouldn't get another hear so am thinking the same as you cambodia, if you could would you please let me know how you get on in cambodia and maybe could exchange contacts

I've got a guy in phon penn gunna call him 2day and see wot he says i'll let u know

[lopburi3]

The requirement for retirement extension of stay is a non immigrant visa entry and proof of 800k in Thai bank account two months (passbook/letter) or 65k pension/income (Embassy letter) or a combination of the two to meet 800k per year. Very easy to do with the above documentation.

[JWJ]

I had to go to the Thai Consulate in Laos last year.

As I recall, the lady working there was miserable. She was disgusting.

[p_brownstone]

But even if she was correct, and OP is married or whatever, it should not make any difference to her.

Is there a limit on how long one can be a tourist?

If he was indeed doing something illegal, it is the responsibility of immigration or police, and since there was no mention of either being involved, i can not see a reasonable reason for refusal. Perhaps a warning be more appropriate.

One reason Countries impose a Visa regime is to weed out undesirables - and the definition of "undesirable" is decided upon by the front line staff at the point where the Visa is issued, that's a main reason they are there.

No-one has an automatic right to a Tourist Visa (or any other Visa of course) simply because they apply for one.

One should also remember that the next point where the potential Visitor is examined is at the actual Port of Entry - by the Immigration Official who allows you entry to the Country after you get off the 'plane (or boat). Simply having been issued a Visa is no guarantee that you will actually be alowed to enter the Country if the Immgration Officer finds cause to deny you entry.

Patrick

Edit : for clarity

Edited January 30, 2011 by p_brownstone

[ChoakMyDee]

It seems to me that there is no limit on re-entries since they changed a law a couple years ago. If she refused you, she refused you on a whim, not based on any law.

Anyone wanting to get a visa exemption stamp can get a 2 week stamp by land(simply by crossing the border and coming back) or a 4 week stamp by air.

I've done this many times, flying Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur return the same day new 4 week stamp...thank you; I've also crossed to laos and back the same day via the Mekong.

Did they change the law? <deleted>?

[beechguy]

It seems to me that there is no limit on re-entries since they changed a law a couple years ago. If she refused you, she refused you on a whim, not based on any law.

Anyone wanting to get a visa exemption stamp can get a 2 week stamp by land(simply by crossing the border and coming back) or a 4 week stamp by air.

I've done this many times, flying Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur return the same day new 4 week stamp...thank you; I've also crossed to laos and back the same day via the Mekong.

Did they change the law? <deleted>?

No they didn't change the law, it's always been up to their discretion to issue a visa or not, it's not mandatory.

[james.d]

Hi,

Crikey, are many people getting denied a new double entry visa? I have just checked and got 2 double entries in my 'new' passport and 1 in old passport. I'm leaving tomorrow night and have Laos visa and train ticket already.

Incidentally, could anyone confirm what paperwork is required incase i forget something?

Thankyou in advance and i will report what happened on visiting the Thai consulate as I always do,

Cheers,

James.

[Maestro]

It seems to me that there is no limit on re-entries since they changed a law a couple years ago. If she refused you, she refused you on a whim, not based on any law...

Judging from this notice put up by one Thai consulate, I suspect that the refusal was based on internal guidelines issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the consulates.

[Richard4849]

Seems to me it's the DUTY of the officer to determine if you are qualified for the visa you're applying for. If your passport indicates long-term residence, you are clearly not a tourist and thus not qualified for a tourist visa.

They may have been lax on this point in the past, but there doesn't have to be any change in the law for it to be enforced now.

[ChoakMyDee]

Seems to me it's the DUTY of the officer to determine if you are qualified for the visa you're applying for. If your passport indicates long-term residence, you are clearly not a tourist and thus not qualified for a tourist visa.

They may have been lax on this point in the past, but there doesn't have to be any change in the law for it to be enforced now.

But there was a change in the law a couple years ago. Before that, you could only have a maximum 30 days exemption with a possible 1 week extension and after that you had to stay out of the kingdom for a while.

A couple years ago they changed it to no restrictions on re-entry. You can perpetually leave the country every 4 weeks and re-enter, get a stamp, do the same thing 4 weeks later etc. ad infinitum.

The same thing applies over land...2 weeks, leave, come back...2 weeks etc. etc. etc.

I do it all the time. They never ask me if I am a real tourist or just a pretend tourist.

Now....why would they change the law and then try to stop some people from doing it, and allow others(like me) to re-enter multiple times?

I guess the question is rhetorical because nobody here can answer it.

[Richard4849]

I think you are talking about entering without a visa, while the OP is talking about applying for a tourist visa when he (apparently) is clearly not one.

[ChoakMyDee]

I think you are talking about entering without a visa, while the OP is talking about applying for a tourist visa when he (apparently) is clearly not one.

Oh I see what you mean! My bad. Thanks for that.

[Arkady]

If the OP is a genuine tourist, that is unfortunate but he has to blame all the foreigners hanging around in Thailand without without legitimate jobs who are either working illegally or engaged in criminal enterprises. If he is not a tourist, he should apply for the correct visa or not come to Thailand.