Immigration clarifies Phuket visa run 'crackdown'

[phuketrichard]

I have a querstion concerning this;

When u go to Ranong, u go to thai immigration at the pier where you are stamped out, you then take a boat across to Kawthong, pay $10 get stamped in and out of Burma, take the boat back to Ranong where you go to immigration again

SO where are you refused?

If you take the boat back ur already on thai soil, so what will they do?

Send you back to Burma on a boat?

Or do they give you a 7 day stamp and allow you in and than tell you, you need to leave in 7 days and get a visa??

So we are going to be seeing lots more people overstaying/remaining in Thailand without a visa or anything.

[simon43]

Or do they give you a 7 day stamp and allow you in and than tell you, you need to leave in 7 days and get a visa??

I think that is how it works. In any case, one could simply walk straight out into the Ranong streets after returning from Kawthaung, without bothering immigration with the 'hassle' of stamping you back in again......

[StefanBBK]

I am all for simplification. If one wants to stay longer than a month, charge a daily fee and get it over with. 200 baht a day would be reasonable. Payable in advance at the immigration office.

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[N47HAN]

A friend returned from Penang yesterday.

Went by coach to get his one year non b visa after obtaining his wp.

For him with all the correct paperwork no problems at all.

But not for 2 unlucky people on the bus when it arrived at the thai border were refused entry back in.

He didnt know why but did say they were both Russian. And more Russians on the bus had a hard time from immigration before eventually being let through.

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[stevenl]

A friend returned from Penang yesterday.

Went by coach to get his one year non b visa after obtaining his wp.

For him with all the correct paperwork no problems at all.

But not for 2 unlucky people on the bus when it arrived at the thai border were refused entry back in.

He didnt know why but did say they were both Russian. And more Russians on the bus had a hard time from immigration before eventually being let through.

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Any idea if they (the ones refused) were on visa or visa exempt? I would presume visa, also kind of visa + visa history would be interesting to know.

[N47HAN]

Will ask , but not sure if he knows

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[honoluabay]

I just did the Ranong visa run or I drove my car there. No visa mini vans for me but anyway as I was checking in at the Andaman club pier customs office I had to produce my flight info as I'm on a 30 day tourist visa. Then she got out her iphone5 and pulled up The Phuket News cover picture. "Visa Runs Are Dead" at this point senior customs guy comes out and nods his head to me like Hey we're getting it now ,Tripped me out, had all info needed and got 30 visa.

All this happened on first day of coup in the early morning.

People with the ways and cash to stay here should have an easier way to get long term visa. time will tell how this all plays out.

Aloha

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[NamKangMan]

A friend returned from Penang yesterday.

Went by coach to get his one year non b visa after obtaining his wp.

For him with all the correct paperwork no problems at all.

But not for 2 unlucky people on the bus when it arrived at the thai border were refused entry back in.

He didnt know why but did say they were both Russian. And more Russians on the bus had a hard time from immigration before eventually being let through.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Any idea if they (the ones refused) were on visa or visa exempt? I would presume visa, also kind of visa + visa history would be interesting to know.

You would not be happy if the Thai Embassy granted you a 60 day visa, only to be knocked back at the boarder by a lowly Immigration Officer.

If they are going to "crackdown" on on people living here on tourist visas, the 60 day visas should not be issued from the Thai Embassy and the 15 or 30 day land boarder visa exemption stamps should be the ones turned away at the land boarder.

Then, you have the issue of these people flying in, like the Russian girl did. They can't make the airlines pseudo Thai Immigration Officers by not allowing these people to board their flight.

The whole thing is a mess, and comes at a time when the whole country is in a mess.

[N47HAN]

A friend returned from Penang yesterday.

Went by coach to get his one year non b visa after obtaining his wp.

For him with all the correct paperwork no problems at all.

But not for 2 unlucky people on the bus when it arrived at the thai border were refused entry back in.

He didnt know why but did say they were both Russian. And more Russians on the bus had a hard time from immigration before eventually being let through.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Any idea if they (the ones refused) were on visa or visa exempt? I would presume visa, also kind of visa + visa history would be interesting to know.

Hi Steven ,

Did ask yesterday for you , unfortunately hes not sure what visa if any that they had.

But the driver didnt wait for them or ask what the problems were , just left them to it.

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