Final crackdown for border runners - New strict Immigration regulation in force from today

[Feesbay John]

Admitted is a visa to stop here for another 30 days, I NO WHAT A VISA LOOKS LIKE FROM THE THAI EMBASSY. I have been here for 10 years.

Thats what they are stopping the 'another 30 days' if you want to stay longer than 30 days get a visa its hardly rocket science. Of have you stayed all of you 10 yrs on border runs?

and its NOT a Visa it's Visa exempt!! which means you dont need a visa to stay upto 30 days which is applicable to certain countries!!

Expattaff1308 you are so up on yourself,,, this is not about me,, I have the right visa I need to work and stay here in Thailand, This is about them that want to stay longer and help with what they can.

This is about money the 30 days you do not have to pay to get into Thailand, BUT with any other visa one has to pay. JUST SIT BACK AND THINK ABOUT IT. Not every one is taken the piss, only 5% is and the other 95% have to pay the price.

[beowolf2012]

nice info my self i have non imigrante O

[baboon]

nice info my self i have non imigrante O

Great to hear. Thanks for sharing.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Order of RTP No. 608/2549 dated September 8, 2006 Clause 3

Any holder of a passport or substitute passport whose nationality falls under the category for which the Minister permits a stay for tourism purposes, by consent of the Cabinet, shall, according to Clause 13(3) of the Ministerial Regulation Stipulating the Criteria, Procedures, and Conditions for verification, exemption, and change of Visa B.E 2545 (A.D 2002), dated August 16, 2002 be granted multiple entries. The permitted period of temporary stay foe each entry shall not exceed thirty days from the date of entry into the Kingdom. In addition, within a period of six months from the date of first entry into the Kingdom, the total period of temporary stay shall not exceed ninety days.

Yes, that was the police order then... But that policy you reference was subsequently changed/dropped (not exceeding 90 days of visa exempt entries within any six month period).

And now lately, they appear to be changing it, or at least the enforcement of it, again.

[Expattaff1308]

Admitted is a visa to stop here for another 30 days, I NO WHAT A VISA LOOKS LIKE FROM THE THAI EMBASSY. I have been here for 10 years.

Thats what they are stopping the 'another 30 days' if you want to stay longer than 30 days get a visa its hardly rocket science. Of have you stayed all of you 10 yrs on border runs?

and its NOT a Visa it's Visa exempt!! which means you dont need a visa to stay upto 30 days which is applicable to certain countries!!

Expattaff1308 you are so up on yourself,,, this is not about me,, I have the right visa I need to work and stay here in Thailand, This is about them that want to stay longer and help with what they can.

This is about money the 30 days you do not have to pay to get into Thailand, BUT with any other visa one has to pay. JUST SIT BACK AND THINK ABOUT IT. Not every one is taken the piss, only 5% is and the other 95% have to pay the price.

I too have the correct visa, but you are missing the point completely, and as for up on youself...well it seems its you who cant get it right. why are you getting so angry, as you say it doesnt concern you. Try reading it again and try to understand the difference of what im trying to explain.

I dont know where you come from but I dont think a Thai could border hop every 30 days in and out of your country, they certainly cant in mine...and your right not everyone is taking the piss but in cases like this the blanket falls on everyone or it would be impossible to police, thats life it happens everywhere not only here!

[Timwin]

Order of RTP No. 608/2549 dated September 8, 2006 Clause 3

Any holder of a passport or substitute passport whose nationality falls under the category for which the Minister permits a stay for tourism purposes, by consent of the Cabinet, shall, according to Clause 13(3) of the Ministerial Regulation Stipulating the Criteria, Procedures, and Conditions for verification, exemption, and change of Visa B.E 2545 (A.D 2002), dated August 16, 2002 be granted multiple entries. The permitted period of temporary stay foe each entry shall not exceed thirty days from the date of entry into the Kingdom. In addition, within a period of six months from the date of first entry into the Kingdom, the total period of temporary stay shall not exceed ninety days.

You might try to keep up with the visa regulations. That order has been invalidated long ago.

[SUSHI SHOGUN]

Yesterday I called Visa Run company in Phuket, and ask about Visa RUN

Ranog Border has a problem if over 4 times visa run experience before

Satun(Thailand)-Lang Khaui(Malaysia)border has no problem

Visa Run tour every day, departure morning back to Phuket at night.

Cost 1,900THB

[Timwin]

If you don't fit into one of the designated categories deserving of a visa and/or an extension of stay, then that's unfortunate, but not everyone on the planet has some fundamental right to take up residence in Thailand. Life is like that. You can't always get everything you want when you want it.Thailand gets to determine who can enter the country and for how long just like every other country.

Another hypocrite <deleted>.

[Feesbay John]

Admitted is a visa to stop here for another 30 days, I NO WHAT A VISA LOOKS LIKE FROM THE THAI EMBASSY. I have been here for 10 years.

Thats what they are stopping the 'another 30 days' if you want to stay longer than 30 days get a visa its hardly rocket science. Of have you stayed all of you 10 yrs on border runs?

and its NOT a Visa it's Visa exempt!! which means you dont need a visa to stay upto 30 days which is applicable to certain countries!!

Expattaff1308 you are so up on yourself,,, this is not about me,, I have the right visa I need to work and stay here in Thailand, This is about them that want to stay longer and help with what they can.

This is about money the 30 days you do not have to pay to get into Thailand, BUT with any other visa one has to pay. JUST SIT BACK AND THINK ABOUT IT. Not every one is taken the piss, only 5% is and the other 95% have to pay the price.

I too have the correct visa, but you are missing the point completely, and as for up on youself...well it seems its you who cant get it right. why are you getting so angry, as you say it doesnt concern you. Try reading it again and try to understand the difference of what im trying to explain.

I dont know where you come from but I dont think a Thai could border hop every 30 days in and out of your country, they certainly cant in mine...and your right not everyone is taking the piss but in cases like this the blanket falls on everyone, thats life!

The point is about money,,, if someone is doing the 30 day hop each mouth then they are not paying to stop here. As for were I am from, A Thai can get a 1 year visa or upto a 5 year visa, BUT they do not have to check in every 90 days like we do here.

This is not a problem to me. BUT as I help some foundations it is a problem for them and that is what it is going to effect, NOT YOU OR I BUT THEM.

[Expattaff1308]

The point is about money,,, if someone is doing the 30 day hop each mouth then they are not paying to stop here. As for were I am from, A Thai can get a 1 year visa or upto a 5 year visa, BUT they do not have to check in every 90 days like we do here.

This is not a problem to me. BUT as I help some foundations it is a problem for them and that is what it is going to effect, NOT YOU OR I BUT THEM.

Unfortunatly its the law, maybe your foundations need to speak to someone to see what they can do, but Immigration dont make the law,but if these people can travel here for 30 days back to back get work permits etc why cant they get a visa? all Immigration is saying the 30 day exemt was for 30 days and if you want to stay longer get a visa. Like you and I have both said in cases like this the blanket catches everyone not just the piss takers.

[ALFREDO]

That new stricter enforcement,

is maybe the reason, why the Thai Immigration officer, walked away, today, with my new temporary Passport at the Nong Khai border,

had one Land border entry already, from 2 weeks ago.

He came back after some minutes and said OK, very good!

Possibly because his supervisor saw my extension from Udon Thani Immigration for family stay,

living with my Thai children?

Anyway, I had already planned to get a Non Immigrant O Visa next time, is, soon, in 2 weeks.

[Kripe]

Order of RTP No. 608/2549 dated September 8, 2006 Clause 3

Any holder of a passport or substitute passport whose nationality falls under the category for which the Minister permits a stay for tourism purposes, by consent of the Cabinet, shall, according to Clause 13(3) of the Ministerial Regulation Stipulating the Criteria, Procedures, and Conditions for verification, exemption, and change of Visa B.E 2545 (A.D 2002), dated August 16, 2002 be granted multiple entries. The permitted period of temporary stay foe each entry shall not exceed thirty days from the date of entry into the Kingdom. In addition, within a period of six months from the date of first entry into the Kingdom, the total period of temporary stay shall not exceed ninety days.

You might try to keep up with the visa regulations. That order has been invalidated long ago.

And is still to be found on http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/doc/temporarystay/policy778-2551_en.pdf ?

[Timwin]

Every time the same story. They make these sudden changes and never inform the visa run companies or anybody else beforehand. Few years ago the Thai Embassy in Cambodia got one day really strict in issuing of visas and people were stranded there. Don't be so cocky even if you have retirement or business related visa, those requirements can be changed on a whim too. What if they want 2 million Baht in your bank account or 200000 Baht income per month...

[Feesbay John]

The point is about money,,, if someone is doing the 30 day hop each mouth then they are not paying to stop here. As for were I am from, A Thai can get a 1 year visa or upto a 5 year visa, BUT they do not have to check in every 90 days like we do here.

This is not a problem to me. BUT as I help some foundations it is a problem for them and that is what it is going to effect, NOT YOU OR I BUT THEM.

Unfortunatly its the law, maybe your foundations need to speak to someone to see what they can do, but Immigration dont make the law,but if these people can travel here for 30 days back to back get work permits etc why cant they get a visa? all Immigration is saying the 30 day exemt was for 30 days and if you want to stay longer get a visa. Like you and I have both said in cases like this the blanket catches everyone not just the piss takers.

Until today they did not break the law,,, BUT they are now stock in Burma as the Thai's have given no warning to this change that they have given until today, for the last 6 months all was OK to do back to back. It is not always as clear as you think it is with many people, they come out here to help with a 30 day visa and want to stop here for longer to help, Why cant the boarder just charge an extra fee for them to stay and help, as all this is about is money,,,

[ukrules]

I don't think anyone's stuck in Burma.

I do wonder what the Burmese think about this situation. Suddenly their immigration offices are taking no money.

I suspect this will be causing some issues on the Burmese side, especially at places like the Ban Phu Nam Ron border crossing which only recently opened...

They're not preventing people from entering Thailand, they're preventing people from leaving aren't they ?

There's no money in it for the Thai's as there is no entrance fee to Thailand but there is an entrance fee to Burma. Some people (in Burma) aren't going to be happy about this.

[Feesbay John]

I don't think anyone's stuck in Burma.

I do wonder what the Burmese think about this situation. Suddenly their immigration offices are taking no money.

I suspect this will be causing some issues on the Burmese side, especially at places like the Ban Phu Nam Ron border crossing which only recently opened...

They're not preventing people from entering Thailand, they're preventing people from leaving aren't they ?

There's no money in it for the Thai's as there is no entrance fee to Thailand but there is an entrance fee to Burma. Some people (in Burma) aren't going to be happy about this.

Think again,,, They let people leave Thailand not telling them they can not come back as they have 1,,, 30 days in there passport already,, Its not leaving Thailand that is a problem BUT getting back in if you already have a 30 day extension. BUT THE THAI'S FORGET TO GIVE ANY NOTICE OFF THIS CHANGE.

[ukrules]

I don't think anyone's stuck in Burma.

I do wonder what the Burmese think about this situation. Suddenly their immigration offices are taking no money.

I suspect this will be causing some issues on the Burmese side, especially at places like the Ban Phu Nam Ron border crossing which only recently opened...

They're not preventing people from entering Thailand, they're preventing people from leaving aren't they ?

There's no money in it for the Thai's as there is no entrance fee to Thailand but there is an entrance fee to Burma. Some people (in Burma) aren't going to be happy about this.

Think again,,, They let people leave Thailand not telling them they can not come back as they have 1,,, 30 days in there passport already,, Its not leaving Thailand that is a problem BUT getting back in if you already have a 30 day extension. BUT THE THAI'S FORGET TO GIVE ANY NOTICE OFF THIS CHANGE.

Are you sure ?

My understanding of this is that it's happening in places where there's nothing to do and nowhere to go on the Burmese side apart from come back to Thailand and there are crowds of people who were prevented from leaving Thailand standing around unable to leave the country.

[Feesbay John]

I don't think anyone's stuck in Burma.

I do wonder what the Burmese think about this situation. Suddenly their immigration offices are taking no money.

I suspect this will be causing some issues on the Burmese side, especially at places like the Ban Phu Nam Ron border crossing which only recently opened...

They're not preventing people from entering Thailand, they're preventing people from leaving aren't they ?

There's no money in it for the Thai's as there is no entrance fee to Thailand but there is an entrance fee to Burma. Some people (in Burma) aren't going to be happy about this.

Think again,,, They let people leave Thailand not telling them they can not come back as they have 1,,, 30 days in there passport already,, Its not leaving Thailand that is a problem BUT getting back in if you already have a 30 day extension. BUT THE THAI'S FORGET TO GIVE ANY NOTICE OFF THIS CHANGE.

Are you sure ?

My understanding of this is that it's happening in places where there's nothing to do and nowhere to go on the Burmese side apart from come back to Thailand and there are crowds of people who were prevented from leaving Thailand standing around unable to leave the country.

They can not stop you leaving ( unless you have done something wrong in Thailand) At the boarder here in Kanchanaburi they are letting people leave BUT not telling them about the new rule. Going out is one side and coming back in is another. They are just not talking to each other until it is to late.

[ukrules]

I don't think anyone's stuck in Burma.

I do wonder what the Burmese think about this situation. Suddenly their immigration offices are taking no money.

I suspect this will be causing some issues on the Burmese side, especially at places like the Ban Phu Nam Ron border crossing which only recently opened...

They're not preventing people from entering Thailand, they're preventing people from leaving aren't they ?

There's no money in it for the Thai's as there is no entrance fee to Thailand but there is an entrance fee to Burma. Some people (in Burma) aren't going to be happy about this.

Think again,,, They let people leave Thailand not telling them they can not come back as they have 1,,, 30 days in there passport already,, Its not leaving Thailand that is a problem BUT getting back in if you already have a 30 day extension. BUT THE THAI'S FORGET TO GIVE ANY NOTICE OFF THIS CHANGE.

Are you sure ?

My understanding of this is that it's happening in places where there's nothing to do and nowhere to go on the Burmese side apart from come back to Thailand and there are crowds of people who were prevented from leaving Thailand standing around unable to leave the country.

They can not stop you leaving ( unless you have done something wrong in Thailand) At the boarder here in Kanchanaburi they are letting people leave BUT not telling them about the new rule. Going out is one side and coming back in is another. They are just not talking to each other until it is to late.

Well it will be interesting to hear from anyone stuck on the Burmese side at the border near to Kanchanaburi as there's literally nothing there.

I've been there and the offices are opposite each other on different sides of the road. I really doubt anyone's stuck on the 'no mans land' road between Thailand and Burma right now.

[Time Traveller]

Immigration used the term "visa run" - does this mean it only refers to people with visas, or are they just making it confusing?

In anycase, I don't quite understand the logic behind this "crackdown" (whatever that is?) on visa runners. What is the problem? Who are these people and why are they so evil?

Never experienced any problem with a visa runner in my life and it seems they were just doing what the thai laws allowed them to do. Namely visa free entry for people from certain countries. The irony is that the problem is not with the "runners" but the Law the Thais created themselves. Do they really think making them get visas will change anything?

It'll just create another legal method for them to continue doing what they are doing.

Either you accept freedom of movement of people and allow what had been happening - whether by visa free entry or visa only entry.

Or, you don't allow freedom of movement and restrict visitors to just one visit for no more than 30 days in a lifetime. No extensions, no renewals of visas.

Seems Thailand really doesn't know what it wants.

[inthepink]

It's obviously up to them what immigration policies they wish to implement but I think it would have been nicer if they'd let the people who turned up today without knowing about the change in policy to make one more entry. To say it serves them right or they should have an appropriate visa is nonsense because up until today, Thai immigration were happy to stamp people in on visa exempt entries. Personally it does affect me because I'd planned to do one more run before applying for a non-imm visa from a neighbouring consulate. Now I have to fly to KL and back instead to make that one more entry. It's not the end of the world but a little notice would have been nice.

[Beetlejuice]

About time this happened.

Yes, these measures have been on the cards for a long time as I have warned on here many times in the past.

The people to blame are those who abuse the system here and again as I have said many times in the past, the actions of others have a knock on affect for all of us.

The good part is that this will stop the forever tourists and undesirables from entering and leaving the country at will and encourage more Westerners to extend their visas via the Immigration department system where they have to prove their entitlements to stay long term in Thailand and be vetted.

In my opinion these new clampdowns are a good thing and long over due, but inevitable that it was going to happen, not if, but when.

For those of us that abide by the laws here and qualify for long stay under the imposed rules of the Immigration Department, there are no problems as yet, but again if there are those who continue to abuse the system, the illegal land, property and business owners, then who knows what types of new restrictions the authorities may place upon us in the future.

[ukrules]

About time this happened.

Yes, these measures have been on the cards for a long time as I have warned on here many times in the past.

The people to blame are those who abuse the system here and again as I have said many times in the past, the actions of others have a knock on affect for all of us.

The good part is that this will stop the forever tourists and undesirables from entering and leaving the country at will and encourage more Westerners to extend their visas via the Immigration department system where they have to prove their entitlements to stay long term in Thailand and be vetted.

In my opinion these new clampdowns are a good thing and long over due, but inevitable that it was going to happen, not if, but when.

For those of us that abide by the laws here and qualify for long stay under the imposed rules of the Immigration Department, there are no problems as yet, but again if there are those who continue to abuse the system, the illegal land, property and business owners, then who knows what types of new restrictions the authorities may place upon us in the future.

I'm a 'forever tourist' as you call it, why don't you want me to live in Thailand ?

When I'm 50 I'll get a retirement visa the same as the rest of the guys. That's some time away for me though.

What kind of visa do you have ? Are you a wage slave or a retiree ?

[slipperylobster]

Every time the same story. They make these sudden changes and never inform the visa run companies or anybody else beforehand. Few years ago the Thai Embassy in Cambodia got one day really strict in issuing of visas and people were stranded there. Don't be so cocky even if you have retirement or business related visa, those requirements can be changed on a whim too. What if they want 2 million Baht in your bank account or 200000 Baht income per month...

What rattles my chain is the childish "glee" some of these posters have when they see other people having problems. They just got to jump up and post something goofy about how immigration is reading Thai Visa to adjust their policies just because somebody has done a back to back border run 2 or 3 times. Even trying to say we were wrong in doing so. Only a very few people have done more than 3.... After that, they get a visa. Nothing wrong with any of that. With two months back in my homeland, and another month spent in the Philippines.... a double entry with extensions gets me a long winter stay. A few days in Cambodia or Laos and crossing back in to get an extra month or two before my flight is darn handy.

You can bet most of those grinning idiots have done some back to backs when they first considered staying here longer....perhaps testing out the waters before moving all their cash here.

Who would want to move their life savings to Thailand at the present....????

Perhaps those gleeful individuals will be singing a different tune, very shortly.

[drewfromUSA]

Hey guys, I'm a bit confused by this and have a quick question.

My friend and I (both Americans who were planning on getting stamped on arrival for 30 days) are coming into Bangkok on 7/6, leaving 8/2 to go to Cambodia and Vietnam for 2 weeks. We were then planning to come back overland (getting a 15 day stamp) and going to Krabi for 2 weeks.

I've read through the whole thread and it sounds to me like this will be fine, as we're clearly not extended residents... just on holiday. But I'd rather not risk getting stuck at the border.

Can someone confirm we will be good to go?

[Beetlejuice]

About time this happened.

Yes, these measures have been on the cards for a long time as I have warned on here many times in the past.

The people to blame are those who abuse the system here and again as I have said many times in the past, the actions of others have a knock on affect for all of us.

The good part is that this will stop the forever tourists and undesirables from entering and leaving the country at will and encourage more Westerners to extend their visas via the Immigration department system where they have to prove their entitlements to stay long term in Thailand and be vetted.

In my opinion these new clampdowns are a good thing and long over due, but inevitable that it was going to happen, not if, but when.

For those of us that abide by the laws here and qualify for long stay under the imposed rules of the Immigration Department, there are no problems as yet, but again if there are those who continue to abuse the system, the illegal land, property and business owners, then who knows what types of new restrictions the authorities may place upon us in the future.

I'm a 'forever tourist' as you call it, why don't you want me to live in Thailand ?

When I'm 50 I'll get a retirement visa the same as the rest of the guys. That's some time away for me though.

What kind of visa do you have ? Are you a wage slave or a retiree ?

First I was here as working for a PR company based in Spain, then married to a Thai spouse, then when I reached 50 I changed to a retirement visa.

There are various ways that Westerners under 50 can stay long term in Thailand. A tourist means just that, someone who is on tour or a holidaymaker, not as a resident living in Thailand for the long term.

It is not that I have anything personal against you living in Thailand, providing it`s done via the correct procedures with visas that are applicable for long term stay, but allowing foreigners to enter and leave the country at will with virtually no questions asked is a threat to national security, plus giving easy access or sanctuary to criminals, terrorists and makes it extremely difficult to keep tabs on the activities of foreigners staying in the country. I know for a fact that there are many undesirables and those of little wealth who are working here or running businesses illegally using the visa run system and bypassing the visa application system to justify for long stay, many for obvious reasons that they do not want their true situation to be known here. The authorities are also fully aware of these facts and hence the situation today.

[slipperylobster]

Hey guys, I'm a bit confused by this and have a quick question.

My friend and I (both Americans who were planning on getting stamped on arrival for 30 days) are coming into Bangkok on 7/6, leaving 8/2 to go to Cambodia and Vietnam for 2 weeks. We were then planning to come back overland (getting a 15 day stamp) and going to Krabi for 2 weeks.

I've read through the whole thread and it sounds to me like this will be fine, as we're clearly not extended residents... just on holiday. But I'd rather not risk getting stuck at the border.

Can someone confirm we will be good to go?

sounds ok. You will get 30 days....not 15. That change was implemented a while back.

The only problem I see is that, once you come back overland, from Cambodia, you will not be able to do another land border run. Perhaps you already have your bookings and are not considering staying longer. Some people want that option. For them, they can do one border crossing in and out, and later take a flight for a short visit somewhere nearby...to get an extra 30.

[drewfromUSA]

Hey guys, I'm a bit confused by this and have a quick question.

My friend and I (both Americans who were planning on getting stamped on arrival for 30 days) are coming into Bangkok on 7/6, leaving 8/2 to go to Cambodia and Vietnam for 2 weeks. We were then planning to come back overland (getting a 15 day stamp) and going to Krabi for 2 weeks.

I've read through the whole thread and it sounds to me like this will be fine, as we're clearly not extended residents... just on holiday. But I'd rather not risk getting stuck at the border.

Can someone confirm we will be good to go?

sounds ok. You will get 30 days....not 15. That change was implemented a while back.

The only problem I see is that, once you come back overland, from Cambodia, you will not be able to do another land border run. Perhaps you already have your bookings and are not considering staying longer. Some people want that option. For them, they can do one border crossing in and out, and later take a flight for a short visit somewhere nearby...to get an extra 30.

Great. I wasn't aware the overland was 30 days now. We shouldn't need another land border run after coming back from Cambodia as we'll be leaving out of BKK.

Thanks for the reply!

[wolf5370]

Phew! Close one for me. I was planning on doing my first run of this kind today across the Chiang Rai border as my Tourist Visa was due to expire today. Thankfully, I decided to extend in Thailand for another 30 days instead before the long holiday weekend kicked in. I feel bad for those stranded on the other side of the border who may not have enough cash to take them to the nearest embassy and get the visa now required.

Why couldn't this be mentioned earlier?

'' I feel bad for those stranded on the other side of the border who may not have enough cash to take them to the nearest embassy and get the visa now required''

That's exactly the point. If someone doesn't have the money to make a short trip to the Embassy then how can they support themselves in Thailand..?? Obviously working illegally.

These are exactly the kind of people the authorities want to keep out.

Not necessarily. They might just be at the end of the month between money transfers from home. They may have kids here, but suddenly stranded in a country with insufficient funds to go anywhere and a 1 days visa to be there. With no warning, it is madness.

[easybullet3]

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It will be hardship for a lot of people and a lot of people will have to adjust their vacation plans.

This is big news that will affect a lot of people.

Kudos to Thai visa for getting the info out there.

I wouldn't fancy being a border runner right now - that said, going in and out of Thailand every 30 days means you aren't a tourist anyway and are probably milking the system.

Immigration seem to be on one at the moment!

About time this happened.

I dont see any difference at all !!!

how does this CRACK DOWN on back to back visa runners?

instead they just spend 1 or 2 days abroad and get a 60 days tourist visa and do the EXACT same thing!!!!

the only thing that changes is that immigration gets 1000 baht for the tourist visa !!!

so, all I can see is a a desperate attempt (by thai immigration) to get its hands on as much money as possible from the Long-Term back-to-back tourists.

this does absolutely nothing to crack down on people living here long term or people illegally working!!!

its just a money spinning idea!!!