Max 4 Land Border Crossings.

[tropo]

There's a huge number of Filipinos who are working illegally in Thailand who use this method to stay in Thailand. This is going to cause them no end of trouble. I feel sorry for them actually, but it's not exactly surprising news.

Back to back tourist visas are also limited.

Tropo, you feel sorry for illegal workers?

Yes I do. They work hard for very little money, trying to support poor families back at home.

For you they're probably just faceless, worthless people. I know many of these people personally, so I have lots of sympathy.

One girl whom my wife met today works for 4000 baht per month and has some free time only on Sundays - when she wanted to attend church.

Get off your high horse.

Edited December 2, 2012 by tropo

[Baloo22]

Perhaps my contribution is a bit brrrrrrr...... when you think you know the rules, they change them. Why this visa issue all the time? Countries like Cambodia are very simple with providing visa. Just PAY 260 US to a visa office and the next day you have a year visa. No questions, No forms, No passphotos. Just hand in your passport and 260 US.

I would gladly pay more to the Thai Government, if I can simply have a new visa in my own province. ALL that trouble and being annoyed. Even to stamp every 3 months is a robbery. Thousants of waist Thai Bath, which I better can give to the Thai Officials, then waist it on other country visas, fuell, food and a stay overnight somewhere on the trip.

Have fun

The money spent may be a waste for you but it's a plus for the Thai economy. Imagine how many people are employed arranging these visa and border runs and add all the van drivers also. Lots of bus tickets purchased also. The food, fuel and, sometimes, lodging purchased also means "ka-ching" for the economy! Throughout Thailand the jobs provided by the visa run/border run business number in the hundreds at least (maybe thousand plus!), and the economic ripple effect means thousands more benefit.

I suspect that this is no accident!

[onthemoon]

There's a huge number of Filipinos who are working illegally in Thailand who use this method to stay in Thailand. This is going to cause them no end of trouble. I feel sorry for them actually, but it's not exactly surprising news.

Back to back tourist visas are also limited.

Tropo, you feel sorry for illegal workers?

Yes I do. They work hard for very little money, trying to support poor families back at home.

For you they're probably just faceless, worthless people. I know many of these people personally, so I have lots of sympathy.

One girl whom my wife met today works for 4000 baht per month and has some free time only on Sundays - when she wanted to attend church.

Get off your high horse.

Interesting that that "girl" agrees to work for that salary. I guess it's the law of supply and demand, right? How much would she make back in the Philippines?

It has nothing to do with a high horse if people mention there are laws.

Edit: And it is no excuse for an illegal worker to work illegally. Get a work permit.

Edited December 2, 2012 by onthemoon

[aidenai]

I personally can not understand why anybody would want to do 4 border runs instead of making a visa run for a tourist visa.

The cost would be less or only slightly more to get a 2 entry tourist visa in Vientiane that would give you a 6 month stay.

Of course if somebody is working illegally they might not be able to take the time off to get a tourist visa. Which is exactly why immigration reduced the border entries to 15 days. And now is apparently again limiting the number of border runs to 4.

There's a huge number of Filipinos who are working illegally in Thailand who use this method to stay in Thailand. This is going to cause them no end of trouble. I feel sorry for them actually, but it's not exactly surprising news.

Back to back tourist visas are also limited.

Also don't forget foreign teachers in general. In 2006 the rules for foreign teachers working in primary and secondary schools were set by The Teachers' Council of Thailand. Enforcement started in 2008 and as of April 2012 the strict rule of holding a university degree was set. No university degree means no provisional teaching permit or teacher license and therefore no extension of the permission of temporary stay (777/2551) or work permit (WP.1 and WP.5) as the TCT rules have been fully adopted by Immigration and Labour. Nothing else to do for these teachers than doing border runs with tourist visas or visa exemptions. That all seems to come to an end now.

[steve187]

Its my view that the people who do the correct method of staying in Thailand, (work permits, persons married to a Thai national, retired persons all with an extension of stay attached, or persons on multi entry visa's etc). are fine. It is the persons using the more 'shady' method of staying in Thailand that make these rule changes by the Thai immigration necessary, how can someone working here illigally for 4000 baht per month afford to do a border run every 14 days? .I think the changes made in the last year or so to the one year multi entry non 'o' 'retirement' visa were brought about by these 'shady' long time stayer.

I feel that the rules on visa exempt entry be it by land of air should be relaxed, to allow say a 90 day entry, but at the end of this entry, there should be a time limit before that person is allowed another visa exempt entry. I know this make it difficult for young retired persons.

My feelings are if you need to do constant back to back 14 visa runs there should be a limit ( as per the thread title)

just my 2 cents worth

[tropo]

Interesting that that "girl" agrees to work for that salary. I guess it's the law of supply and demand, right? How much would she make back in the Philippines?

It has nothing to do with a high horse if people mention there are laws.

Edit: And it is no excuse for an illegal worker to work illegally. Get a work permit.

Is that interesting for you? She was getting full board on top of the 4000, so it's not quite as bad as it sounds. How much would she get back in the Philippines? Well, 40% of the population lives below the poverty line, so take a guess. Most likely nothing.

They cannot get work permits. They're often exploited by Thais wanting cheap labour. Some of their employers are high profile people who I won't mention here. Cambodians and Burmese - similar situation.

It is a "high horse" attitude. He suggested that I shouldn't feel sorry for them because they're illegal... I can't see how the two are connected.

The difference - I know many of these people in person. For him it's just faceless people he'll never know.

Edited December 2, 2012 by tropo

[tropo]

, how can someone working here illigally for 4000 baht per month afford to do a border run every 14 days? .

Easy - their employers normally pay for the border run, which for a Filipino from Bangkok or Pattaya runs at around 600 baht all up.

[khwaibah]

Just returned from doing a 90 day report at Kap Choeng Immigration. ( 30 minutes ago). The boarder crossing at Chong Chom does NOT have a limit and you can make as many 15 day crossings as you want. I personally know people that have stayed hear for 6 months on these 15 day hops.

[lopburi3]

Several posts removed - no more flames please.

[edwinchester]

A further piece of advice if going to Mae Sot, make sure you take a passport or a good copy or Immigration police will turn you back. We came from Tak to go shopping in Mae Sot for a few hours, which is something we do on every trip, but without my passport, but this time we were not allowed to continue the journey after the 4th checkpoint, just after the big market. Apparently they are actually doing their job properly at some of the checkpoints and are checking all IDs. The police told me that foreigners were all being sent back if they had no ID.

A bit annoying, but if it catches drugs then thats fine with me.

Went to Mae Sot only last week on a visa run and was waved through every checkpoint. Passport only checked when stamped out on the bridge. Maybe I was lucky and agree it makes sense to always carry passport when close to the border.

[mickba]

The money spent may be a waste for you but it's a plus for the Thai economy. Imagine how many people are employed arranging these visa and border runs and add all the van drivers also. Lots of bus tickets purchased also. The food, fuel and, sometimes, lodging purchased also means "ka-ching" for the economy! Throughout Thailand the jobs provided by the visa run/border run business number in the hundreds at least (maybe thousand plus!), and the economic ripple effect means thousands more benefit.

I suspect that this is no accident!

Not forgetting that getting on for half of the cost of an average border run goes directly to Cambodia for the required Cambodia Visa.

[barefoot1988]

just a quick update aftermy crossing today, there is no limit in maesai border. will post more info once i get hands with my laptop. actually a limit to thisarea would be quite off, i got 4 stamps within a week for golf and casino. a number of malaysians and sinaporeans do this btw and fly back, if this limit really implies, had to farewell to regina

Edited December 3, 2012 by barefoot1988

[phuketrichard]

will be interested to see how this plays out;

4 stamps in a week they can see ur not abusing the system as you were not staying the full 15 days and than leaving to come back.

i didn't know there was golf up there on that border, cant find any in goggle

why would many Singaporeans and Malays be doing way up there as they have their own casinos?

[Baxer]

Any news about this max 4 crossings?

Not that i am going to use visa exemptions to stay here, just curious.

[Mario2008]

Nothing heard of it since.....

[Russ McD]

In April this year, I can confirm that after doing 3 consecutive land entries at Mae Sai, I was clearly told on exiting the fourth time, that this was the last one !

[Avocadoandbacon]

Any news about this max 4 crossings?

Not that i am going to use visa exemptions to stay here, just curious.

I was told I could not cross at Mae Sai border anymore.

Was allowed to only cross once in Mae Sot due to the Mae Sai stamps.

[ubonjoe]

Time to get a tourist visa. Two entry from Viantiane would be best choice.

[Tomtomtom69]

A further piece of advice if going to Mae Sot, make sure you take a passport or a good copy or Immigration police will turn you back. We came from Tak to go shopping in Mae Sot for a few hours, which is something we do on every trip, but without my passport, but this time we were not allowed to continue the journey after the 4th checkpoint, just after the big market. Apparently they are actually doing their job properly at some of the checkpoints and are checking all IDs. The police told me that foreigners were all being sent back if they had no ID.

A bit annoying, but if it catches drugs then thats fine with me.

Not exactly and you're the first person I've heard this happening to (being denied further passage). It usually depends on your mode of transportation and your appearance - being either white or otherwise looking Thai helps, lol. I have been to Mae Sot about 20 times since late 2012, many times crossing over to Myanmar, but before the border opened properly to visa holders last August, and even since then, I have on occasions gone just to Mae Sot or north to Tha Song Yang or done a circular through Mae Sot to Mae Sariang over to Chiang Mai etc. All of these trips have been business related. Quite obviously I had my passport with me on each occasion that a border crossing was to be made, but not necessarily when I was only heading for Mae Sot or to Chiang Mai etc.

Not on one occasion was I questioned about ID, but rather about where I was going. Since I speak fluent Thai I can always talk my way nicely out of any situation but generally speaking it was always either a case of being waved on or being asked briefly about where I came from and where I was headed...whether the answer was Mae Sot, Tha Song Yang, Myawady, Hpa-an (both in Myanmar) or wherever, the outcome would always be the same - "please go ahead" - of course I was always driving myself. I hear that if you are a passenger in a bus or van, it may be quite different.

Also, one time we were stopped at the last checkpoint before heading to Mae Sot (on that day our final destination was Myawady on the Myanmar side, where we spent the night) and my Sri Lankan friend, who looks kind of Indian or Indo-Burmese was asked to present his passport (well actually the officer told me to tell him) - one cursory glance at the front page only and we were on our way. At no time was I or my dad asked for our passports. Burmese are generally the persons of interest at the checkpoints or otherwise drugs (the checkpoint at the Doi Musue market clearly states, in Thai, that it is a drugs checkpoint). Usually there is more interest leaving Mae Sot heading towards the interior of Thailand, but not always as you have mentioned or in my case, when my friend was questioned heading towards the border.

I even drove a Lao registered car down to Mae Sot once and was waved on after the curious officers quickly figured out I was driving a Lao car (the steering wheel on the wrong side, i.e. left grabbed their attention). On the way back (at night) there was no interest at all. On the other hand, some months later in November of last year a Lao driver driving a Lao car from the same company whom we met up with in Mae Sot was stopped and asked to show his passport on the way down to Mae Sot, but not on the way out.

On the road from Mae Sariang to Mae Sot there is also only one real checkpoint, armed with soldiers but they rarely seem to pull anyone over. They were quite disinterested in a group of some 20 Malaysian motorcyclists heading north there back in November...I mean, foreign registered vehicles are not an everyday sight in that part of Thailand yet they weren't asked to stop or anything.