Why Do Thai Passport Holders Need To Get Visas To Go Almost Anywhere?

[eyrek]

Hi all:

Does anyone know why a Thai passport holder needs to get a visa to go to almost everywhere in the world? I am so frustrated that I am going to apply for an American passport. I mean....even Mexido requires a visa in Thai passport. I don't think Mexico is a popular destination for Thai illegal immigrants. When I browse ANY lists of the countries that require a visa to enter, I swear, Thailand is on ALL the lists while many other countries with lower GDP and standard of living (than Thai's), unstable political situations, or bad economics can enter those countries without a visa. Meanwhile, almost any non-Thai can enter Thailand without any visas.

[Thaiquila]

Retribution for xenophobic land ownership policies?

[eyrek]

What the heck are you talking about? Please donn't confuse your agenda with my question. I just simply wonder why Thai people have to get visas to the countries whose citizens enjoy free entrance to Thailand. Does anyone know?

[GuestHouse]

The reason relates to the failure (for what ever reason) of Thailand to negotiate visa privalages with other nations.

[jdinasia]

GH is at least on the surface correct .... (probably totally)

However ... my home country is getting harder for ANYONE to get into that is not from the West ... and even then with watch lists etc ... you can be screwed if your name just happens to match someone elses ....

Basically Thailand is SMART ... though it would be nice to see more forethought) Bringing in foriegn currency is an IMPORTANT thing here ... and tourism is a big part of that ... plus happy tourists buy Thai products when they go home

[Thaiquila]

Well, the answer is obvious in regards to Thais travelling to Western nations. The western governments assume, and with some great evidence too, that if Thais are allowed to enter unscreened as tourists, a large percentage of them will overstay and join the other millions of illegal migrants to their countries. This isn't a nice answer or a nice reality, but isn't that the way it is?

Edited June 10, 2006 by Thaiquila

[ColPyat]

Hi all:

Does anyone know why a Thai passport holder needs to get a visa to go to almost everywhere in the world?

Because the world isn't exactly what can be considered as fair.

[eyrek]

I agree with the last two replies. But why the countries that are worse off than Thailand don't need to get a visa? How do they pull it off? Does anyone know?

[KhunMarco]

It is not very nice to be considered second class citizens, of the world in this case, isn't it?

As they say what goes around comes around...sometimes.

Say thanks to your government.

Edited June 10, 2006 by KhunMarco

[Sophon]

I mean....even Mexido requires a visa in Thai passport. I don't think Mexico is a popular destination for Thai illegal immigrants.

<snip>

Meanwhile, almost any non-Thai can enter Thailand without any visas.

Probably not the best example, as I believe mexicans need a visa to enter Thailand.

Sophon

[eyrek]

Marco: Can you claify your reply?

Sophon: My Mexican freinds just went to Thailand....no visas needed.

[Thaiquila]

Marco: Can you claify your reply?

Sophon: My Mexican freinds just went to Thailand....no visas needed.

Are you sure about that?

http://www.consulmexny.org/eng/visas_fmt.htm

[eyrek]

Yes, that is exactly my point.... Thai citizens need to apply for a visa to go to Mexico unless you are permanent residence of US or US citizen. But, Mexican citizens can enter Thailand without visa. What are you trying to say? Please be clear when respond.

[Sophon]

Marco: Can you claify your reply?

Sophon: My Mexican freinds just went to Thailand....no visas needed.

Mexico is neither on the Tourist Visa Exemption list nor on the Visa on Arrival list.

I believe the rules are different for mexicans who are legal residents in the U.S., is that the case with your friends?

Sophon

[Boon Mee]

Marry an American - get a US Passport and you can go anywhere short of Cuba (until Castro kicks it anyway) and some other no-account places!

[rcm]

Marry an American - get a US Passport and you can go anywhere short of Cuba (until Castro kicks it anyway) and some other no-account places!

Last thing i want is an US Passport....than i rather have the Thai passport and difficulties with Visas .

rcm

[Thaiquila]

Marry an American - get a US Passport and you can go anywhere short of Cuba (until Castro kicks it anyway) and some other no-account places!

Last thing i want is an US Passport....than i rather have the Thai passport and difficulties with Visas .

rcm

Why? A US passport is an excellent one to travel on.

Actually, I just thought of a good reason not to want one ... taxes.

As far as travel restrictions, the only place that is restricted that anyone in their right mind would want to go to is CUBA. And if an American really wants to travel to Cuba, it is very easy. Just fly from Cancun and ask the Cubans not to stamp your passport.

Thailand is one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

No moral fiber or integrity.

Who wants them?

Oh, come on, that is really rude. Thailand does have a lot of corruption but it is really unfair to paint all Thai people this way. Alot of us on this board have alot of affection for alot of Thai people.

Edited June 10, 2006 by Thaiquila

[Guest endure]

Marry an American - get a US Passport and you can go anywhere short of Cuba (until Castro kicks it anyway) and some other no-account places!

Marry a Brit - get a UK passport and you can go anywhere. We don't allow our government to tell us where we can or cannot go

[rcm]

Marry an American - get a US Passport and you can go anywhere short of Cuba (until Castro kicks it anyway) and some other no-account places!

Last thing i want is an US Passport....than i rather have the Thai passport and difficulties with Visas .

rcm

Why? A US passport is an excellent one to travel on.

Actually, I just thought of a good reason not to want one ... taxes.

As far as travel restrictions, the only place that is restricted that anyone in their right mind would want to go to is CUBA. And if an American really wants to travel to Cuba, it is very easy. Just fly from Cancun and ask the Cubans not to stamp your passport.

Got along with the European Passport just fine ...and i travelled close to 100 Countries......why not to have a US Passport? Just the Image....

Thailand is one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

No moral fiber or integrity.

Who wants them?

Oh, come on, that is really rude. Thailand does have a lot of corruption but it is really unfair to paint all Thai people this way. Alot of us on this board have alot of affection for alot of Thai people.

I agree on that one this is a generalisation- and that isn't right anywhere . But he (skipper)got some bad experience in the past (look his previous posts) so i guess he is getting some steam off.

rcm

Edited June 10, 2006 by rcm

[Heng]

Hi all:

Does anyone know why a Thai passport holder needs to get a visa to go to almost everywhere in the world? I am so frustrated that I am going to apply for an American passport. I mean....even Mexido requires a visa in Thai passport. I don't think Mexico is a popular destination for Thai illegal immigrants. When I browse ANY lists of the countries that require a visa to enter, I swear, Thailand is on ALL the lists while many other countries with lower GDP and standard of living (than Thai's), unstable political situations, or bad economics can enter those countries without a visa. Meanwhile, almost any non-Thai can enter Thailand without any visas.

If you already have the ability to apply for an American passport, why would you whinge about the limitations of your Thai passport? IMO/IME you may eventually come to appreciate being able to have both. Much easier for a Thai to end up with another passport than a foreigner trying to get a Thai passport. Imagine travelling to the US for work, study, or perhaps living there for a few years and then discovering that you have to bounce out of the country to "exotic" locations like Vancouver, Tijuana, and/or Nuevo Laredo every 3 months and paying an entry fee every single time.

[dave111223]

Thailand is one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

No moral fiber or integrity.

Who wants them?

Oh, come on, that is really rude. Thailand does have a lot of corruption but it is really unfair to paint all Thai people this way. Alot of us on this board have alot of affection for alot of Thai people.

Thailand is only about half way down on the corruption scale:

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0781359.html

[Kerryd]

Most countries have reciprocal agreements regarding visas and travel.

If country "A" imposes a visa requirement on citizens from country "B", usually country "B" will then enact similar requirements towards citizens from country "A".

For example, A couple of years ago, Canada made slight changes and raised the price of visas for Indian citizens. When I applied for a new transit visa to India (my 2nd one within 6 months), I was informed of the new rules and prices that Canadians had to pay for an Indian visa. India had changed the rules for Canadians, to reflect the changes Canada made regarding Indians.

As I mentioned, most countries follow similar procedures. How ever, individual countries may make exceptions for various reasons. Political relationships between different countries can have an effect. A country's international reputation can have an effect as well.

It is well known that many Thai women end up as prostitutes in foreign countries, either willingly or unwillingly. That could be a contributing factor in the decisions of other countries when it comes to deciding whether or not Thai citizens should have visas to visit their countries.

As another poster mentioned, many people will get a visa (tourist/transit/student) and use it as a means to enter another country, knowing that they have no intention of leaving when the visa expires.

If some of those countries started imposing financial penalties for over-staying visas, much like Thailand does (with the possibility of going to jail if you are unable to pay, and getting black-listed), it could/would cut down on the number of illegals entering other countries.

Think about it. How many of you would do 30/90 day border runs, if there was no penalty for over-staying your visa ? If you were able to enter the country on a free 30 day visa, and then stay indefinitely without fear of jail or fines, would you bother going through the proper procedures to get the proper visa and then follow the rules regarding reporting/renewing ?

There are a few here in the Kingdom that don't follow the rules for various reasons, like the guy they busted recently in Pattaya (was here with an expired passport, had outstanding warrants in his home country, so couldn't apply for a new passport). Others get too caught up in the lifestyle, end up broke and unable to pay their way home, let alone pay their overstay fine.

How ever, I think you'll find fewer illegal citizens in Thailand than in most western countries (yes, there are quite a few illegal Burmese and Cambodians, but if Thailand eliminated the overstay penalties, I think there'd be a lot more illegal farangs here.)

[Thaiboxer]

Thailand is not the only country that gets hit with a lot of travel restrictions. I think the Phillipines gets it worse than Thailand. Often, these rules work both ways: The US (my country) makes it hard for Thais to go live there and the Thai govt does the same for us expats. My wife and I lived in the US for over a year and had to put up with the INS and all their incompetence/paperwork. Now we live here and have to deal with the Thai govt.

[OldAsiaHand]

Marry a Brit......

Man, that's a high price to pay for a passport.

[Maestro]

The reason relates to the failure (for what ever reason) of Thailand to negotiate visa privalages with other nations.

Could it be that the Thai government wants to discourage foreign travel by Thais because this reduces Thailand’s foreign exchange reserves, and for this reason does not make much effort in negotiating easier entry for Thais into other countries?

---------------

Maestro

[Guest endure]

Marry a Brit......

Man, that's a high price to pay for a passport.

Nonsense! Yorkshire pudding and warm beer! What more could anyone ask for?

[GU22]

Meanwhile, almost any non-Thai can enter Thailand without any visas.

If "almost any non-Thai can enter Thailand without any visas" why do so many ex-pats in Thailand keep doing visa runs? Tourists can enter for up to 30 days via a visa on arrival, but longer than that you need a visa beforehand.

See this on Google Answers for a comprehensive list of countries Thais can enter with no visa, or a visa on arrival.

[Thaising]

The reason relates to the failure (for what ever reason) of Thailand to negotiate visa privalages with other nations.

Could it be that the Thai government wants to discourage foreign travel by Thais because this reduces Thailand’s foreign exchange reserves, and for this reason does not make much effort in negotiating easier entry for Thais into other countries?

---------------

Maestro

No, Thai government never imposed such rules in banning their citizens from traveling abroad. It’s more related to Thai citizen sneaking into foreign countries looking for job. If caught as illegal immigrate, there’s a lot of process and time consuming for the host country to send them back and all these added up to cost. That's why some foreign countries imposed visa requirement on thai.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

Although it is easy for foreigners to come to Thailand - it is a bit more tricky when they want to live long-term. Having a Thai wife isn't the automatic entry that it would be in other countries.

Okay to get into the UK is a pain in the butt - but once you are there it is straight-forward to stay there - if you can manage 3 years then you get a passport. No 90 day reporting, minimum salary requirements or any such rubbish.

[Sing_Sling]

I'm surprised that the OP even asked the question, or could it be he is just shit-stirring?

let's see, if visa and entry restrictions were not in place in Western countries:

Population census 2010

Philippines - 103

Australia - 102million

Mexico - 403

USA - 500million

Nigeria - 3

Algeria/Sudan/Morrocco/Tunesia - 285

Europe - 708million

Actually . . . good question, OP. Very logical.