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

[bangkoklasse]

But the visa expire 90 or 180 days from when it was issued. And you can't get as long time in Thailand if you wait with the first entry. You have lost 10 days.

It's actually 3/6 months rather than 90/180 days so depending on the months it covers (Feb is a bad month) you get a few days to play with. But sure, not as many as 10.

If he wait 10 days with his first trip to Thailand. Then he have lost 10 days. That's what he did

Off the top of my head I think it will be 6 days lost. Lots of people get caught out trying to get their last entry after their visa has expired. They get 60+30 then 60+30 and only find out that their visa has expired when they try for a final entry only to find they are 6-10 days late.

It doesn't matter but you will lose more than 6 days. Visa valid from 5feb to 4aug. That's 181 days. And you wait 10 days with your first trip. That's more than 6 days that will be lost. Not a big deal......

[gemguy]

Well... that day has finally come.

One wonders if immigration, in their usual farsightedness, has increased the capacity of neighbouring Thai consulates to deal with the huge influx of proper visa-seekers. Of course, each consulate has the autonomy to refuse to issue visas if the crowds prove too inconvenient for them. Expect chaos on your next visa run.

You can be assured it will be chaos and frustration at the Embassies in the region when people actually do start to leave the country and go to a Thai Embassy and get a new visa for more than 30 days..if they can obtain a visa for more than 30 days.

Many will be turned away because their current passport shows many border runs.

They can come back on the plane and get another 30 days at the airport.

While they are here for another 30 days they will have to find out how to arrange to stay longer with an official Visa....or just over stay and pay when they leave...maximum fine is still 20,000 baht...but you get a bad boy stamp in your passport while the Thai Embassy officials do not like to see that and they will often enough not give a visa of any kind...but you can still enter at the airports and get 30 days again, for most nationalities.

The Embassy officials will get all pissy about that issue and ask if the people with all the border run stamps seen in their passports are actually tourists for so long or...... are they working...while we know that most of the people will lie because they will have to lie about working and not having a Non Immigrant "B" visa and the work permit.

You can be assured that there will be some interesting developments on the side or on the outside if this new rule is actually enforced to a significant degree.

When I first came to reside in Thailand back in 1986 everyone had to do a tax assessment before you could exit the country

Does anyone remember those days??

If your passport did not have a tax assessment stamp then you would be turned away at the airport or the border.

It caused a whole lot of grief for a whole lot of people while it was in effect up until 1989 , if I recall correctly.

Edited May 12, 2014 by gemguy

[jollyman]

Another crack down, soon to blow over

[theGadabout]

Made an account just for this. This is a particularly big problem for my Vietnamese fiance and I, from the USA. I can get a 1 year visa but we were planning on doing visa runs when she wasn't traveling back to Vietnam. We just got a home in Thailand because it was the easiest for both of us to have visas here before we get married. Now we don't know if we should stay here or if we need to find another country or go back to our home countries until we get married in a year or so.

I am not sure what we are going to do or how this will play out but I hope we can both get visa's here. We will find out Thursday if and how this affects us and we will report back.

I don't know but the Mods will know and will no doubt be along shortly to advise

Good luck BTW

Thank you. We are hoping for the best. We just spent 50,000THB on this place. If we can't stay here now it's likely we'll be forced to either Indonesia, Cambodia or Malaysia. We can both get visa's relatively easily there, but it's really quite terrible timing for us since we just paid all of this money for a place, we had planned on buying a hotel here and already have all the bank documents completed. Now we don't know if we can invest here or not for our future. This might be a minor inconvenience for some, but really is a life altering decision for us. My friend woke me up today and told me to read this thread and I instantly got sick. Like I said, we will report back.

Maybe an ED visa would be suitable for her? Thai language course or Massage course, then when you open a business maybe you can get her a work permit?

Good luck.

This is starting to look like the only option left. It seems we had better act now, it didn't seem like a huge priority before but it seems we had better act now or possibly leave Thailand for another country or just spend a year apart. The thought of the latter makes me sick.

[jollyman]

soon to blow over as ever

[jollyman]

Its been on the cards for a few years and it will cause a lot of problems,but many times they have said it will stop, every one should have have had a plan B not good news for many

[jollyman]

Why not just stay Put, hole up,keep quite. The worst they can do in the end is 20,000 bhat fine.

[notmyself]

It doesn't matter but you will lose more than 6 days. Visa valid from 5feb to 4aug. That's 181 days. And you wait 10 days with your first trip. That's more than 6 days that will be lost. Not a big deal......

Big deal for me which is why this thread is worth reading. I spend close to 10 months here which is 270 days (triple entry visa) and one visa exempt entry at the end. If I lost 10 days I would need two visa exempt entries and that could cause me problems now.

[christiecent]

So...come August Thailand can kiss goodbye to all the oil and gas and mining lads who fly in and out on month on, month off rosters?

That is possible, would be sad as most of those guys are actually good spenders. I could think of a solution for them.

Retirement visa age is also supposed to be increased to 55. That will make things even worse!

Somehow I doubt they will be affected. Seeing that they are not living on back-to-back 30 day visa exempt entries. Rather, my understanding is that these guys are coming to Thailand on 30 day exempt entries, spending lets say 29 days in Thailand, going back to work for a month or 6 weeks then coming back. These people are NOT visa runners and thus I don't see how they would be affected. It would be different if they were doing 2 or 3 back-to-back 30 day entries but seeing they are on 1 month on/off rosters I doubt it.

This is the situation that i face... I am an oil & gas worker & I've been living in Thailand for a few years now.. I've always just entered on the 30day visa as i am on a 28day on/off rotation so it works out good in the respect that ive never had to do a "border bounce"... I'm kinda worried though come August whats gonna happen me & the many like me in the same situation. Will i all of a sudden be turned away at the airport? or does my situation even count as a border bounce?? Surely it cant be as im out of the country every 2nd month for a period of 28/30days... if any1 could shed some light on this for me it would be much appreciated... Thanks.

[Soutpeel]

So...come August Thailand can kiss goodbye to all the oil and gas and mining lads who fly in and out on month on, month off rosters?

That is possible, would be sad as most of those guys are actually good spenders. I could think of a solution for them.

Retirement visa age is also supposed to be increased to 55. That will make things even worse!

Somehow I doubt they will be affected. Seeing that they are not living on back-to-back 30 day visa exempt entries. Rather, my understanding is that these guys are coming to Thailand on 30 day exempt entries, spending lets say 29 days in Thailand, going back to work for a month or 6 weeks then coming back. These people are NOT visa runners and thus I don't see how they would be affected. It would be different if they were doing 2 or 3 back-to-back 30 day entries but seeing they are on 1 month on/off rosters I doubt it.

This is the situation that i face... I am an oil & gas worker & I've been living in Thailand for a few years now.. I've always just entered on the 30day visa as i am on a 28day on/off rotation so it works out good in the respect that ive never had to do a "border bounce"... I'm kinda worried though come August whats gonna happen me & the many like me in the same situation. Will i all of a sudden be turned away at the airport? or does my situation even count as a border bounce?? Surely it cant be as im out of the country every 2nd month for a period of 28/30days... if any1 could shed some light on this for me it would be much appreciated... Thanks.

I really cant see it affecting you on a 28/28 swing

[Maestro]

Am I maybe right in assuming the Thai govt got a stern talking to from some of the powers-that-be in the world due to those two stolen passports that ended up on the MH370 Malaysian flight? Is that maybe why this is happening?

"You enjoy being our ally and friend? Well, let's have a chat about your immigration rules, to help ensure our friendship continues"???

You got it right:

Thailand visa: Missing MH370 ‘behind visa run crackdown’. Fingerprints next

[ovenman]

Can anyone confirm this apples to all nationalities? Me and my girlfriend read this over and we don't understand why it says "เช่น เกาหลี ฯลฯ" and specifically singles out Korea. We just called the Chiang Mai immigration office and they said we still get 4 entires x 30 days without a valid visa AND on the 11th 9:00PM at Mae Sai I was given 30 days (tourist visa expired on the 13th) and was told in no uncertain terms we get 4 entires at 30 days each. I'm getting suspicious this doesn't apply to all nationalities or they're profiling certain countries.

That seems to be unclear. The directive says something like "targeted nationalities", without telling what these targeted nationalities are.

It never specially says all nationalities and I don't see where it mentions "targeted nationalities" (I don't see the word nationality repeated ever expect in the context of "Korea etc..." at the top). They did make it clear they are targeting visa runners however but I don't see where is places restrictions on certain kinds of visas etc... My Thai isn't great and there are words here I don't understand but it seems like this could apply to buying back to back visas. I'm going to make more calls and read this over with my girlfriend to make sure our reading is matching what people are saying here. Is the original poster Thai of fluent and did they translate this correctly for all of us?

Indeed the targeted nationalities part seems to be my mistake.

Another member gave a decent translation.

It does give Koreans as example, without explaining North or South Koreans which does make a difference.

But the first rule gives as intend is to stop In-and Out border runs. I take that as long term stays on visa exempt entries (and maybe even tourist visas). These kind of entries are meant for short visits, not a long stay.

A person visiting Asia and traveling around and visiting Thailand several times should not be effected. Try to enter Thailand several time in a row wihout staying in another country and you are affected.

Perhaps you weren't mistaken. In an article that comprises the OP in a News forum thread: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/725592-thailand-visa-missing-mh370-behind-visa-run-crackdown-fingerprints-next/

a Thai immigrations official is quoted in regards the Ranong border point crackdown, “But we are being strict with just four nationalities: Lao, Korean, Vietnamese and Russian.”

[larsjohnsson]

It doesn't matter but you will lose more than 6 days. Visa valid from 5feb to 4aug. That's 181 days. And you wait 10 days with your first trip. That's more than 6 days that will be lost. Not a big deal......

Big deal for me which is why this thread is worth reading. I spend close to 10 months here which is 270 days (triple entry visa) and one visa exempt entry at the end. If I lost 10 days I would need two visa exempt entries and that could cause me problems now.

Then you have to go to Thailand the same day the visa start. And not wait those ten days.

[notmyself]

It doesn't matter but you will lose more than 6 days. Visa valid from 5feb to 4aug. That's 181 days. And you wait 10 days with your first trip. That's more than 6 days that will be lost. Not a big deal......

Big deal for me which is why this thread is worth reading. I spend close to 10 months here which is 270 days (triple entry visa) and one visa exempt entry at the end. If I lost 10 days I would need two visa exempt entries and that could cause me problems now.

Then you have to go to Thailand the same day the visa start. And not wait those ten days.

That would be more than perfect though slightly risky. I get mine Tuesday (issued Monday) and fly out Thursday which generally gives me 269 days in the end even with a loss of the odd day because I don't like doing a bounce on the very last day of an extended entry.

[paz]

/// we had planned on buying a hotel here and already have all the bank documents completed. Now we don't know if we can invest here or not for our future. This might be a minor inconvenience for some, but really is a life altering decision for us. My friend woke me up today and told me to read this thread and I instantly got sick. Like I said, we will report back.

You mean, "planned to place our money into someone else name, in a country in which we have no rights, and of which we don't even understand the language". Maybe these news will help making the right decision.

[Maestro]

Removed a post that violates a newspaper's copyright.

[carstenp]

I was reading somewhere else that Pol Maj Gen Chatchai said The clampdown does not affect holders of non-immigrant visas or holders of tourist visas.

• the crackdown aims at foreign visitors, particularly westerners, who do not hold a visa.
• "visa runs", as many foreigners call them even though no visas are actually involved, will end for those using land borders. They will also be restricted or ended by air as of Aug 12.
• It will also prevent corruption as there are officials who claim they could help these foreigners

So for me it seems like they want everybody living in Thailand to have a proper visa. This will hurt alot of people i know there is doing the visa run because of age, no money or only small state pension like UK

[paz]

What happend with Countries that doesnt need visa to enter to Thailand(Chile,Argentina,Brazil,etc).....Is it still possible for them to cross the border and comeback with another 90 days as usuall.....thanks for your help!

It is exactly about countries that do not need a visa, like all Europe, USA, Australia, etc. Then I think the number of allowed daysfor each specific country doesn't matter.

[gk10002000]

Classic case of many abusing the system. I have made a total of four border runs over the last 10 years on my 13 trips to Thailand. It was convenient as my vacations are rarely planned as my work contracts end with little notice and I just jet out to Thailand. Loved the ease of visiting Thailand without having to get any advance visa or paperwork. A few times I extended my stay and the border runs were great. Last year it was great when the land crossings were relaxed to allow G-7 country citizens to get the 30 days instead of 15. The post had a good article and claimed that 90% of the border runs were by people working in Thailand, many teachers. It also said Russias were the largest group of people using the 30 days continuously. Well, remember a few years ago when Thailand gave Russians the special ability to get 30 days on a land crossing while most foreigners would only get 15.

[Nautilus05]

Am I maybe right in assuming the Thai govt got a stern talking to from some of the powers-that-be in the world due to those two stolen passports that ended up on the MH370 Malaysian flight? Is that maybe why this is happening?

"You enjoy being our ally and friend? Well, let's have a chat about your immigration rules, to help ensure our friendship continues"???

You got it right:

Thailand visa: Missing MH370 ‘behind visa run crackdown’. Fingerprints next

Hmmm... so I wonder how this will play out in say 3 months from now? It sounds as though Thai govt themselves don't have a problem with the border runners, which makes sense. Even though some / many probably only spend 20k - 30k THB/month, it's still decent amount of money flowing around in Thailand much of which is from outside countries, which does help support the livelihoods of many Thais, mainly in the tourism industry.

Not to mention, what are they going to do? Just all of a sudden kick out like 15,000+ teachers? That would put a good dent in any countries education system.

So I wonder if this is just a charade that will die down later, or will the powers-that-be in the world keep a constant eye on Thai immigration enforcement for quite a while, or? Maybe a whole lot more black market / underground / favors from immigration officers will begin happening? Maybe a new VISA class or two will appear? If the Thai govt is doing this because they have to, and not because they want to, then that changes the situation quite a bit.

Edited May 12, 2014 by Nautilus05

[nicolas18]

What happend with Countries that doesnt need visa to enter to Thailand(Chile,Argentina,Brazil,etc).....Is it still possible for them to cross the border and comeback with another 90 days as usuall.....thanks for your help!

It is exactly about countries that do not need a visa, like all Europe, USA, Australia, etc. Then I think the number of allowed daysfor each specific country doesn't matter.

He is talking about the countries that get an actual "visa on arrival," which is a real visa that you get at the airport or at the border, not the visa exemption stamp Westerners, Japanese and Koreans get.

[paz]

Hmmm... so I wonder how this will play out in say 3 months from now? It sounds as though Thai govt themselves don't have a problem with the border runners, which makes sense. Even though some / many probably only spend 20k - 30k THB/month, it's still decent amount of money flowing around in Thailand much of which is from outside countries, which does help support the livelihoods of many Thais, mainly in the tourism industry.

Not to mention, what are they going to do? Just all of a sudden kick out like 15,000+ teachers? That would put a good dent in any countries education system.

So I wonder if this is just a charade that will die down later, or will the powers-that-be in the world keep a constant eye on Thai immigration enforcement for quite a while, or? Maybe a whole lot more black market / underground / favors from immigration officers will begin happening? Maybe a new VISA class or two will appear? If the Thai govt is doing this because they have to, and not because they want to, then that changes the situation quite a bit.

As someone has correctly pointed out before, this is happening at a time when there is little if any gov.t. action on anything but self-preservation. It could even be just the will of some high ranking officers on a power trip, as opposed to a political decision. If and when a strong gov.t will be in place things may change again for good, bad or worse. The upcoming ASEAN rules will further complicate everything. For sure for a lot of people that is not old/married/filthy rich/labor slave is each for oneself, and any attempt to infer rationality is futile.

BTW: the clampdown was largely announced like 2 months ago, I can reference where in this forum. But people refused to believe it claiming it was "unfounded rumors". Gotta love the know-it-alls..

Edited May 12, 2014 by paz

[paz]

What happend with Countries that doesnt need visa to enter to Thailand(Chile,Argentina,Brazil,etc).....Is it still possible for them to cross the border and comeback with another 90 days as usuall.....thanks for your help!

It is exactly about countries that do not need a visa, like all Europe, USA, Australia, etc. Then I think the number of allowed daysfor each specific country doesn't matter.

He is talking about the countries that get an actual "visa on arrival," which is a real visa that you get at the airport or at the border, not the visa exemption stamp Westerners, Japanese and Koreans get.

No. Citizens of aforementioned countries, as well South Korea and Peru are completely visa exempt for 90 days on air or land arrival.

http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/123/15383-List-of-countries-which-have-concluded-Agreements.html

Edited May 12, 2014 by paz

[SailingHome]

...and what about the policy of only 2 tourist visas in your passport? We retired, under 50 pensioners go back West?

[jethro69]

...and what about the policy of only 2 tourist visas in your passport? We retired, under 50 pensioners go back West?

Not West, but maybe East or North.....

[BAFC]

OK another question, which hope someone can help with. I returned to Thailand by air on 21-04-2014 without a visa, after spending 3 months working in Belgium and travel on a UK passport. I came back on a one way ticket as normal as due to the freelance work i do, i am never sure if i want to stay a week or two months.So i was outside Thailand for 3 months can i do 1 land crossing or not? If not and i fly out without any overstay how soon can i come back and get 30 days on arrival. Before people start to say go home and get a visa, i am expecting to leave in approx 3 weeks for work. Not sure if a problem but i have a number of tourist visas and Mae Sai border crossings in my passport.

Hope someone can give a clear answer to my questions.

[paz]

I returned to Thailand by air on 21-04-2014 without a visa

that means you are admitted until May 20th. This information is stamped in your passport.

am expecting to leave in approx 3 weeks for work.

3 weeks from today will be June 2nd. Getting a 7 days extension at any immigration office for Bt 1,900 would give you until May 27th. If that is not enough for you then I'm afraid the clampdown might prevent you from doing a border run and you will have to pay the overstay fine at 500 Bt/day. I'm saying 'might' because the way it's written makes it totally unclear, actual reports are needed to say what the officers will be doing at the different places.

Edited May 12, 2014 by paz

[JohnThailandJohn]

Why is this running in two places? The other topic is titled:

"CRACKDOWN only affects SAME-DAY exit and return"

which if is more accurate or up-to-date would answer most concerns.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/725209-crackdown-only-affects-same-day-exit-and-return/

Edited May 12, 2014 by JohnThailandJohn

[paz]

Why is this running in two places? The other topic is titled:

"CRACKDOWN only affects SAME-DAY exit and return"

which if is more accurate or up-to-date would answer most concerns.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/725209-crackdown-only-affects-same-day-exit-and-return/

There is nothing accurate or definitive in the other thread, and it's up to the Mods to decide in how many place they want the discussion.

[JohnThailandJohn]

Why is this running in two places? The other topic is titled:

"CRACKDOWN only affects SAME-DAY exit and return"

which if is more accurate or up-to-date would answer most concerns.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/725209-crackdown-only-affects-same-day-exit-and-return/

There is nothing accurate or definitive in the other thread, and it's up to the Mods to decide in how many place they want the discussion.

Doesn't seem to be much definitive here either, unless buried in the near 1,000 post, but the title of the other thread is pretty definitive and should be deleted if not accurate or confirmed. The other thread also comes up from the link (Thai Immigration Visa run crackdown - the latest ) on the main TV page. So, I assumed it had some credibility.

Edited May 12, 2014 by JohnThailandJohn