Border run crackdown in full force at Thai-Cambodian checkpoints

[MartinBKK]

This is not only about the abuse of the visa system but also about deterring illegal working and identifying criminal elements, particularly those peddling drugs.

If you are a law abiding person then what is happening should hold no fears for you.

This is only what happens in Western countries in any case.

How will this deter drug peddlers or other nefarious types?

It won't

[ubonjoe]

I'm a little confused. There is talk of tourist visas being cracked down on. Do they mean tourist exemptions or tourist visas? I have a double entry tourist visa. I used the 1st entry for 60 days and extended it at immigration for another 30 days. I now wish to do a visa run to Cambodia and enter back into Thailand after turn around to use my 2nd entry for 60 days on my tourist visa. I have never done this before. Am I going to have a problem?

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

You will not have a problem because you have a tourist visa.

This topic is only about visa exempt entries.

[ovenman]

I will smile wide when I cross through with my non-immigrant type O next week and receive another 90 days

First they stopped the border runners and I did not speak out

Because I was not a border runner.

Then they stopped the TR Visa holders and I did not speak out

Because I was not a TR visa holder

Then they stopped me and there was no one left to speak out.

Yeah but in the words of numerous luminaries on this board, "I'm sorted".

[Boatfreak]

Even with this political mess and martial law, they're not relenting on this visa run crackdown.

As I've said previously I have sympathy with some visa runners but you wouldn't be able to go in and out of say the UK, USA, or Aus without a proper visa, so it is understandable why Thailand, or any other country for that matter, would want to get rid of people who stay in the country without the correct documentation.

When you loose your job or decide to change job you get 7 days, even if you have a new job ready, the paper work for the new job can never be ready in such a quick period. So it is easy to say for all people with a retirement visa but a bit more complicated for the working class heroes.

[khwaibah]

Very quite at Chong Chom I wounder why.

Never has been especially busy with farangs. Just the Thai gamblers who seem to spend their lives and other peoples money at the casinos!

Even that has taken a nose dive. Very few white vans from Surin and hardly any silver gambler vans or tour buses and almost zero commercial trucking. Your wrong about the farang. its been steady up until they cracked down.

[baboon]

This is not only about the abuse of the visa system but also about deterring illegal working and identifying criminal elements, particularly those peddling drugs.

If you are a law abiding person then what is happening should hold no fears for you.

This is only what happens in Western countries in any case.

How will this deter drug peddlers or other nefarious types?

Go down onto Soi 4 Sukhumvit anytime and you will see many African people who are here to skim and deal. I even chatted to a few African ladies who were on the street trying their luck. I lived in The Gambia so I was pretty amazed to see them in Asia so I stopped to chat and find out their story - all on 30 day visas. Heavens knows what passports they were carrying :-)

I should imagine that this will cease and desist. But like all systems, visa rules can be bent but the more obvious will now disappear.

I am not convinced this crackdown will have any effect on such people. I doubt they can afford not to find a way around these measures one way or another, either through bribery or simply overstaying. What do they have to go back to in Sierra Leone or wherever?

I bet quite a few of you will disagree with me, though.

[hobz]

Won't this just send all the people to vientiane where they hand out tourist visas to anyone without questions?

[jeanpierre]

my neighbours russians for two years are gone always did the visa run young peopel about their 30 years

[Suradit69]

This is not only about the abuse of the visa system but also about deterring illegal working and identifying criminal elements, particularly those peddling drugs.

If you are a law abiding person then what is happening should hold no fears for you.

This is only what happens in Western countries in any case.

How will this deter drug peddlers or other nefarious types?

Go down onto Soi 4 Sukhumvit anytime and you will see many African people who are here to skim and deal. I even chatted to a few African ladies who were on the street trying their luck. I lived in The Gambia so I was pretty amazed to see them in Asia so I stopped to chat and find out their story - all on 30 day visas. Heavens knows what passports they were carrying :-)

I should imagine that this will cease and desist. But like all systems, visa rules can be bent but the more obvious will now disappear.

" all on 30 day visas."

You seem to have missed the point of this whole crack down and have invented a visa that doesn't exist.

The people targeted aren't here on any sort of visas. They are using visa exempt entries and, aside from South Africa, I don't think the citizens of most African countries qualify for those. There are no 30 day visas and most Africans would not be eligible for 30 day visa exempt entries. Possibly you imagined it all or you were talking to people with EU or USA passports, and it seems unlikely they would be here in great numbers for the purposes you describe.

Edited May 22, 2014 by Suradit69

[Bernard Flint]

Will there be less jobs for teachers now????

[phuketrichard]

For the last 2 years I've been living mostly in Cambodia on the yearly extendable visa but loved spending some time in Thailand occasionally - about 4-5 visits a year, not necessarily stayed full 30 days. This seems no longer be an option for me. I don't need any long-term visa for Thailand as I have no intention of living there permanently. And I will think twice before bothering to get a tourist visa, moreover, 60 days (+30) is a too long stay which I don't need in Thailand and it will also eat up my passport pages.

They have just removed an important degree of freedom which made Thailand attractive to me. As I can see from this thread too, many Westerners hate freedom so now they celebrate. No way will I ever want to live in a Western country, particularly because of the lack of freedom, although they maybe fun to visit and i did a lot. Now Thailand seems to go the same direction to lifelessness. Good luck !

you will have zero problems as your NOT living or hanging out in Thailand but only visiting short time which is exactly what the visa exempt is for.

[MoTheo]

Even with this political mess and martial law, they're not relenting on this visa run crackdown.

As I've said previously I have sympathy with some visa runners but you wouldn't be able to go in and out of say the UK, USA, or Aus without a proper visa, so it is understandable why Thailand, or any other country for that matter, would want to get rid of people who stay in the country without the correct documentation.

Or in Europe for that matter....

However, we have this rule's in Europe because people come here to take advantage of our welfare systems.

Last time i checked, there wasn't any in Thailand.

I find it very hard to believe that many people are in fact working in Thailand, and those who do, are they really causing a big problem for the Thai citizens?.

There are some people here that live here for various reasons, but not have the cash to deposit the money in the bank,not married to a Thai.

Yet those people still bringing cash to the country,maybe they have income from pension overseas or saved up a little bit of money to get them self going.

So far i haven't seen a single report as dokumentation for why it's so important to have this crackdown.

For me it look's like a pure money machine, and as mush as i love Thailand, i really hope they will get punished from this.

If the russians are the problem, why on earth did they relaxed the visa rules for them them. What stops them for roll it back...

[thesweetsoul]

Seems a bit sad that now first time entry from Cambodia at PoiPet only getting 7, when itd seem they should legitimally be getting 15 or 30. Not nice for those touring SE Asia, starting in Cambodia thru heading Thailand, expecting they'd get 15/30 days.

[Moo2cm]

This is not only about the abuse of the visa system but also about deterring illegal working and identifying criminal elements, particularly those peddling drugs.

If you are a law abiding person then what is happening should hold no fears for you.

This is only what happens in Western countries in any case.

You're exactly right. Good points, well made.

Most of us having nothing to worry about

Nothing at all to worry about. I am looking forward to when they crack down on the real law breakers, those foriegners breaking the spirit of the Thai law

and owning property by various means. Seems a lot more serious than extending a holiday. We can all rejoice then.

Just kidding. We will never all rejoice.

[empireboy]

This is not only about the abuse of the visa system but also about deterring illegal working and identifying criminal elements, particularly those peddling drugs.

If you are a law abiding person then what is happening should hold no fears for you.

This is only what happens in Western countries in any case.

You're exactly right. Good points, well made.

Most of us having nothing to worry about

Yup... it's pretty simple really. Don't keep running thru the red lights and your chances of happiness increase dramatically.

[phuketrichard]

Very quite at Chong Chom I wounder why.

Never has been especially busy with farangs. Just the Thai gamblers who seem to spend their lives and other peoples money at the casinos!

Even that has taken a nose dive. Very few white vans from Surin and hardly any silver gambler vans or tour buses and almost zero commercial trucking. Your wrong about the farang. its been steady up until they cracked down.

I think that is more to do with the current ploitical situation than anything

Thais are not travelling or spending Baht until things get back to normal

[Suradit69]

Will there be less jobs for teachers now????

Thai teachers don't require visas and the better quality schools, if they want to recruit teachers from abroad, will need to get their act together rather than just signing up itinerants found wandering the streets. If potential foreign teachers have to do at least some of the paperwork before arriving here, maybe the ones who can't read or spell will be weeded out.

[rumbo1]

They give them 7 more days to regulate their situation/papers.

Enough time to plan a genuine 90 days tourist visa. Good. Where is the problem ?

I wasn't aware you can get a 90 day tourist visa ?

I arrived here on a triple entry tv and am now nearing the end of my double entry tv which I got from Laos , I'm only 49 so at the moment limited to my visa options so for those that keep saying get the correct visa it's not that easy , I just hope I can get another double entry tv next month. I am not working out here and have proof of funds in a Thai bank ac to show I can support myself ( and gf ) but there's no guarantee I'll get a visa

[John1thru10]

This is not only about the abuse of the visa system but also about deterring illegal working and identifying criminal elements, particularly those peddling drugs.

If you are a law abiding person then what is happening should hold no fears for you.

This is only what happens in Western countries in any case.

You're right, it has nothing at all do to do with the possibilitiy of a coup. It's only to appeal to whatever emotions will make you the most in favor of it.

[stevenl]

Seems a bit sad that now first time entry from Cambodia at PoiPet only getting 7, when itd seem they should legitimally be getting 15 or 30. Not nice for those touring SE Asia, starting in Cambodia thru heading Thailand, expecting they'd get 15/30 days.

That is not the case, border runners are being warned 'get a real visa, you have 7 days', legitimate tourists get the normal 15 or 30 days.

[Beara]

DAVID MAVEC, The industry you refer to is about 80% for Thais

[phuketrichard]

This is not only about the abuse of the visa system but also about deterring illegal working and identifying criminal elements, particularly those peddling drugs.

If you are a law abiding person then what is happening should hold no fears for you.

This is only what happens in Western countries in any case.

How will this deter drug peddlers or other nefarious types?

Go down onto Soi 4 Sukhumvit anytime and you will see many African people who are here to skim and deal. I even chatted to a few African ladies who were on the street trying their luck. I lived in The Gambia so I was pretty amazed to see them in Asia so I stopped to chat and find out their story - all on 30 day visas. Heavens knows what passports they were carrying :-)

I should imagine that this will cease and desist. But like all systems, visa rules can be bent but the more obvious will now disappear.

I am not convinced this crackdown will have any effect on such people. I doubt they can afford not to find a way around these measures one way or another, either through bribery or simply overstaying. What do they have to go back to in Sierra Leone or wherever?

I bet quite a few of you will disagree with me, though.

According to the Interior Ministerial Announcements, passport holders from 28 countries and territories may apply for visas at the immigration checkpoints for the purpose of tourism for the period of not exceeding 15 days.

No african countries

The VISA EXEMPTION RULE allows tourists from 48* countries to enter without a visa. They are granted a stay of maximum 30 days but only if entering Thailand via an international airport.

ONLY south africa quaifies.

Brazil, the Republic of Korea and Peru. get 90 days visa exempt

So all the others need tourist or transit visas in advance

[Jack Mountain]

I will smile wide when I cross through with my non-immigrant type O next week and receive another 90 days

Don't forget the 20000 cash ....

[marylin manson]

now you have to ask yourself why there isnt a thai embassy/consulate in poipet.

you will note there are a number of cambo missions in thai. even one close-ish to the border in sakaew.

Edited May 22, 2014 by marylin manson

[Khun P]

So if I cross over the thai border by land and re-enter with a single entry 60 day tourist visa, how long will I be able to stay in Thailand?

[piersbeckett]

Even with this political mess and martial law, they're not relenting on this visa run crackdown.

As I've said previously I have sympathy with some visa runners but you wouldn't be able to go in and out of say the UK, USA, or Aus without a proper visa, so it is understandable why Thailand, or any other country for that matter, would want to get rid of people who stay in the country without the correct documentation.

Thank Buddha visa requirements here aren't the same here as a few of the countries we come from too.

Hopefully not eminent, but imagine the impact of this, if next a certain command of the country's language became a requirement and how the majority of self-righteousness might change

Be careful that the wish list doesn't become a bucket list.

Yes, most unlikely to be immanent or even 'ever considered' in Thailand because we (foreigners who apply to stay here long-term) have to prove that we can support ourselves so as not to be a 'drain' on the county's resources - if other countries did this too - speaking the language wouldn't be necessary.

[ubonjoe]

So if I cross over the thai border by land and re-enter with a single entry 60 day tourist visa, how long will I be able to stay in Thailand?

You can apply for a 30 day extension at immigration giving a total of 90 days. Cost is 1900 baht.

[watso63]

How will this work for the likes of people who work off-shore, and say come to thailand every 2nd month, and only require an entry stamp for the duration of their stay here?

It doesn't affect me, but im more curious than anything.

I do hope it helps sort out the illegals and the no hopers from coming/staying here, all in all it will contribute to a safer Thailand, again, i hope.

I guess they'll have to dig deep and get a tourist visa. No other alternative is there?

[MaksimMislavsky]

For the last 2 years I've been living mostly in Cambodia on the yearly extendable visa but loved spending some time in Thailand occasionally - about 4-5 visits a year, not necessarily stayed full 30 days. This seems no longer be an option for me. I don't need any long-term visa for Thailand as I have no intention of living there permanently. And I will think twice before bothering to get a tourist visa, moreover, 60 days (+30) is a too long stay which I don't need in Thailand and it will also eat up my passport pages.

They have just removed an important degree of freedom which made Thailand attractive to me. As I can see from this thread too, many Westerners hate freedom so now they celebrate. No way will I ever want to live in a Western country, particularly because of the lack of freedom, although they maybe fun to visit and i did a lot. Now Thailand seems to go the same direction to lifelessness. Good luck !

you will have zero problems as your NOT living or hanging out in Thailand but only visiting short time which is exactly what the visa exempt is for.

Hope so but not sure about it as there are quite a number of Thai exemption stamps in my passport by now...

[samran]

This is not only about the abuse of the visa system but also about deterring illegal working and identifying criminal elements, particularly those peddling drugs.

If you are a law abiding person then what is happening should hold no fears for you.

This is only what happens in Western countries in any case.

Slight deviation, but as do you mention "..what happens in Western countries .." In those Western counties, when one has a visa, such as a study or retirement visa, you have it, that's it, and you can get on with it. Only in Thailand does one have to report every 90 days, and hand over 1,900 Baht.

Bwahahaha5555

Look up HSMP ltd vs Home office....

Edited May 22, 2014 by samran