Are Previous Visas Shown To Border Officials?

[gray42]

I have a few Thai tourist visas, but soon I'll be getting a new, blank passport. When I go to get a new tourist visa will the agent who is issuing my tourist visa be able to see my previous visas from my old passport on their computer and possibly deny a new tourist visa, or can he only see what's in my current (new) passport?

[Swiss1960]

what kind of Visa do you apply for and where (visa excempt, visa on arrival, visa from embassy)?

is there a reason why you could be declined a visa?

immigration will find you with your name, as I assume it will not change.

[gray42]

what kind of Visa do you apply for and where (visa excempt, visa on arrival, visa from embassy)?

is there a reason why you could be declined a visa?

immigration will find you with your name, as I assume it will not change.

It's a tourist visa from a neighboring county's Thai embassy. What I've read is after 3 or 4 Thai tourist visas, they may decline you a new tourist visa. Each one past 3 or 4 it gets more and more difficult to get another. I was hoping getting a new passport would solve this problem, as I'll have a new, blank passport.

[darrendsd]

Had a discussion with someone today about this, he has a language school here

He seems to think that no real records of visas are kept in BKK so in theory you should be ok

Question is when you leave Thailand would you leave on your old passport, enter say Cambodia on your new passport then get your tourist visa? If you do this will they want to know where you have just arrived from which means showing them your old passport also?

Personally I think you will be ok as when you enter Thailand/apply for a new visa somewhere they don't look at the computers to check how many visas you have had, they leaf through the passport

[harrry]

On the form you fill in to get a visa there is a question regarding dates of last visits to Thailand. Lie on theis and the penalties are very very serious if they want them to be. Having got the visa it does not actually get you across the border. If you are discovered on the computer and you may well be you will be taken to the IDC andthen have to return to your own country (not just a border run). Is it worth the risk?

[Maestro]

The consulate issuing a visa keeps your application on file. I don't know how long it must be kept, nor do I know if any data relating to your application is entered in a database and if this is shared with any other government agency.

[Pakaty]

Re: your topic title...I think that the border official will more than likely allow you to enter if you have been issued a new visa.

The concern is if you will be issued more visas when you apply, especialy if you had applied at same location 3-4 or more times before. A new passport would not hurt and may help you chances of not being denied one. I don't know, but I would like to. I got a stamp in my passport saying not to apply for any more visas in Penang years ago and was denied the visa as well. I have wondered what would happen there if I had a new passport and/or applied for a different type of visa.

[bangkokburning]

It is my opinion having crossed the Thai border tens of dozens of times that the computer system (software/WAN) is not capable of displaying all the visas in current form, you have ever obtained and if you think about it for most foreigners its sort of irrelevant as they come and go once a year.

Even if this were to change, unless this information is already in electronic form getting it into a db would be quite laborious.

Unless there is a system thay allows each visa to be entered as it is given or utilized, it's not there. Only other real possibility is data entering tm7 as it arrives wheteveri.

I have always wondered where all our tm7 forms are stored. My file must have a hundred.

I try to sneak a peek at the system. They strike me as "dumb terminals" most likely running a program in BASIC although I think I recall recently windows based program.

Spending a lot of times on the border so time to contemplate nonsense like this ☺

If the question pertains to emb/cons whether you are given a visa, it is my opinion that they do not have your entire visa history and don't care. If there is any pause, they just kick it back. Usually, in the region, if they accept your pp they will process it. In Vientiane they size you up and flip.thru your pp quickly. Much same in Penang. Other places vary.

Why would they kick your pp back? All visa runners have their secret methods they think work. I eas able to go ten years, no ted stamp (but did get kicked back in Penang once). Everyone has their strategy, everyone thinks they are the authority. I can tell you though, tourist visas perpetually are not ez to obtain now, even if from outside the region. Going to a more obsecure location can be pos or neg, its all experience and knowledge on thr ground.

That is why I slways do my own visa runs. This board is great source of info but also a great source of rumour and speculation. As much as single experience can make trend, I KNOW. Further, when I state something here, on ghid subject it is always first hand experience.

Sometimes visas services help, often they do not. Do not believe that they have secret connections. More often yhan not, they don't. Many of them require you to front up to the window yourself anyway. In ghis case pretty obvious there isno influence.

Edited March 8, 2013 by bangkokburning