German embassy announces VISA problems for Tourists Visa in Thailand

[Saradoc1972]

Literal translation to stop all the guess-work:

Thai Immigration changes entry requirements for turn-around re-entries

According to a publication of Thai Immigration the border inspection posts are ordered to deny granting entries and exits meant to faciliate an ongoing stay (so-called Visa-run), effective immediately. Accordingly exceptions are only possible for tourist purposes. From August this order is meant to affect entries by air as well.

The way I read this it has been drafted by one of Auswärtiges Amt's many lawyers as in:

completely unhelpful, no specifics in here anyone could blame us pen-pushers for getting wrong.

Couldn't have done it better myself.

It's too short for revealing any in-depth knowledge they might or might not have, It's only meant to give a heads-up for the embassy's usual clientel and that's why the quote the term "visa-run" which is in all likelyhood not meant as a technical phrase. They want people to sort things out and not make emergency calls to the German embassy when they are stranded somewhere along the border with insufficient funds on hand to get back to civilisation or something.

There is no information in this statement that has not been going around this board for a month or so.

And mind the "sofortige Wiedereinreisen" i.e. turn-around re-entries. While the exact meaning is unclear (i.e. how long you'd have to stay abroad to not make it "trun-around"), there is obviously no reference to tourist visa.

Edited May 31, 2014 by Saradoc1972

[Saradoc1972]

Too curious to wait, I hunted for "It" myself and found this on the download page of the Royal Thai Honarary Consulate General in Amsterdam:

intended travelplan for the 2 / 3* requested entries into Thailand

intended travelplan for the multiple requested entries into Thailand for the non-immigrant visa

Both forms include the following text:

note 1*

I declare that I buy my returnticket to the Netherlands in Thailand.

note 2*

_______________________________

* fill out or circle what is applicable

Thanks for those links, that is helpful to me as my travel agent was unsure whether I would need an itinerary for my triple entry tourist visa.

Will make s.th. up, I actually plan on making an extended trip to Cambodia in between.

Edited June 1, 2014 by ubonjoe
moved reply from quoted text

[Maestro]

Back to the Amsterdam requirement for a travel plan. What is a visa applicant to do if he prefers to buy his return ticket in the Netherlands? This is what I would do:

1. Under "Note 1", strike out the entire text printed there.
2. Under "Note 2", write "I declare that I buy my return ticket to the Netherlands in the Netherlands"

Then I would wait and see if the consulate refuses to give me the visa because of this.

[Saradoc1972]

Back to the Amsterdam requirement for a travel plan. What is a visa applicant to do if he prefers to buy his return ticket in the Netherlands? This is what I would do:

1. Under "Note 1", strike out the entire text printed there.
2. Under "Note 2", write "I declare that I buy my return ticket to the Netherlands in the Netherlands"

Then I would wait and see if the consulate refuses to give me the visa because of this.

I think they want you to circle the note 1 text if you will buy your return ticket later and otherwise fill in the lines sub note 2 stating your return ticket has already been bought as per your travel agency's statement (or that you will have reached inner Mongolia by that time and no longer be their worry or something).

[Maestro]

By golly, you are right. That's how to read that form.

[oldthaihand99]

Tourist visas as of now are also affected as there are multiple reports the entry got denied even with fresh issued T1 visa from Vientiane.

Bye,

Derk

Where are these alleged reports? I haven't seen even one. Were they caught carrying drugs? Rude to immigration & unable to produce 20K baht or exit air tickets?

T1 visa = single entry tourist visa?

Edited May 31, 2014 by oldthaihand99

[ALFREDO]

Thailändische Einwanderungsbehörde ändert Einreisebestimmungen für sofortige Wiedereinreisen.

http://www.bangkok.diplo.de/Vertretung/bangkok/de/Startseite.html

= Thai immigration authority shall amend entry requirements for immediate re-entry. =

No panic, the German Embassy writes only about the Visa runs, which shall be now more closely monitored, nothing else!

I am Austrian, so I understand what is written in the LINK provided.

Edited May 31, 2014 by ALFREDO

[Naam]

I think you are misreading it. I don't see that it says tourist visas in a Google translate of it.

Change the Thai visa requirements

Thai immigration authority shall amend entry requirements for immediate re-entry.

According to a publication of the Thai immigration authority, the BIPs are instructed with immediate effect, and exits should be achieved by a continuing stay (so-called visa run) not to approve. Exceptions are therefore possible only for tourism purposes.

As of August this provision shall also apply to arrivals by

They though are calling visa exempt entries visas which is wrong.

here we go again

for the record: the German correct translation for the latin word "visa" is "Sichtvermerk" (meaning a written or stamped endorsement) which also applies for "visa waivers" which are stamped in a travelling document. that Thai, respectively Thaivisa diction differs from international perception does not make it right.

[flyingdoc]

There seems to be a great deal of confusion all round about this issue.

Is the former rule about 180 days within one year on Visa Exempt entry and occasional Visa entry now being re-introduced?

[maxisrael]

I was just given to understand by the Thai embassy in the Netherlands that it is a requirement for multiple non-immigrant visa(O) for one year (which I customarily get) to BUY THE RETURNTICKET TO THE NETHERLANDS IN THAILAND.

That would mean an extremely expensive one-way ticket to Thailand, and equally so back to Holland.

Does anyone have further information on this?

Buy a one year return ticket

[ubonjoe]

There seems to be a great deal of confusion all round about this issue.

Is the former rule about 180 days within one year on Visa Exempt entry and occasional Visa entry now being re-introduced?

It was never 180 days in a year. It was 90 days in 6 months on visa exempt entries.

That rule was dumped by immigration because in was ineffective and problematic for immigration and will not be brought back.