Tourist visa holders denied entry to Thailand and left stranded in Malaysia

[GAZZPA]

i stop being suprised here years ago.... ..buy a legal visa from a THAI consul (WHO HAVE THE POWER TO REFUSE) and then be refused entry at teh border...idiotic to say the least

It's again worth remembering that possession of a visa doesn't guarantee the holder admission to a country, it's the Immigration Officer at the Border that has the final say, this applies to most countries in the World, including the likes of the UK, the Schengen Area and the United States of America.

This is true but there is one fundamental difference. The UK, USA and many other countries have always been strict on visa entry, Thailand has always been pretty relaxed. So, if Thailand now enforces to such a degree and also inconsistently (as it seems to be doing now) it will cause great confusion.

If they don't make a definitive statement soon and enforce consistently on all boarders then it will cause a lot of issues with genuine tourists which will be a very silly thing for them to do. Once word gets around that even with a tourist visa issued by the Thai embassies are being rejected at the boarder people will book holidays elsewhere.

[virtualtraveller]

To be fair, those denied were serial abusers of tourist visas. The guy quoted is probably not strong enough in English to be implicitly correct. Some initial zealous application will disappoint some. I feel sorry for those who come for the first time on a 60 day tourist and then decide to go to Angkor/Siem Reap halfway through, they are likely to get caught out.

Apparently, if you want to come back to Thailand more than once every 6 months, i.e. on business, you're going to get caught out.

[Pib]

OMG Thailand enforces its regulations!

And then enforce it in the typical Thai way...that is, a non-standard way. Enforce it one way at this checkpoint...enforce it another way at another checkpoint...but each time, point to HQ Bangkok for the way they are enforcing it.

[F K Thornbury]

I understand there's a new sheriff in town, and "rules is rules" and whatnot, but what is the actual motivation for the crackdown?

It certainly doesn't help the country financially. Was there a growing disdain for a certain type of farang that boiled over?, farangs in general?, is it just chest-thumping and trying to look productive?

Disclaimer: I have no real skin in this game as I'm on a new non-O multi. I'm just curious.

[hathairat2711]

Those people that abuse the system using multiple 30 day non-exempt and single/double/triple tourist visas although their original intention is to stay much longer in Thailand.

[BKKSnowBird]

I understand there's a new sheriff in town, and "rules is rules" and whatnot, but what is the actual motivation for the crackdown?

It certainly doesn't help the country financially. Was there a growing disdain for a certain type of farang that boiled over?, farangs in general?, is it just chest-thumping and trying to look productive?

Disclaimer: I have no real skin in this game as I'm on a new non-O multi. I'm just curious.

It seems the Russians working here illegally is a major target. They are taking jobs from the locals. It seems they have looked the other way for years if you are an English teacher.

[terryp]

until they change the LAW to state that tourist can only stay so many days a year ..none of these people are breaking the law...so all the smart ass would do well to remember this.......you could be next Jack

it is immigrations job to catch illegal workers INSIDE thailand and arrest , blacklist then deport them ..........not at borders before they have entered there is a declatation on the immigration card that you sign..that is how they get you INSIDE thailand

Edited July 14, 2014 by terryp

[Tatsujin]

Refusing entry to all people with tourist visas, how can you obtain a visa and then be denied entry to the country unless you fly into it?

Classic Thailand

You must have read a different article to me . . . they are not refusing entry to "tourists", they are refusing entry to people who consistently abuse the Tourist Visa, i.e. "visa runners", and with all the recent reporting on this subject, why are you surprised or shocked about this?

As per the article:

"All of the foreigners who were denied entry had a previous history of multiple visa exempt entries or back to back tourist visas."

Thailand is currently undergoing some fairly major changes, reducing corruption and following the law a lot more closely. I have no idea how long this will last for, but the message is clear . . . we're trying to do things better, and you (foreigners) need to follow the law as it is written now.

Although the visa situation here isn't easy, simple or convenient, most of us manage to stay here for years at a time by doing things "properly" . . . I suggest some of these others start to do the same, and perhaps, just perhaps, when they see that we can do things correctly, they might just make it easier for us doing it properly to stay here even longer/easier at some future point in time.

[pizzachang]

"You are a tourist for 30 days, not more."

they mean business now, i hope it doesn't spread to the northern and eastern borders

Then a "60 Day Tourist Visa" is no longer issued? I would imagine that a more efficient way to limit "tourists" to 30 days, is to have all Thai Consulates/Embassies NOT issue any more 60 day tourist visas and let the ones already issued expire naturally!

[stevehaigh]

'8 refused foreigners include the UK, Italy, USA, Russia, Ukraine, Romania and New Zealand'

i guess no one can say they are targetting a particular nationality

[charmonman]

I have been legitimately visiting Thailand on 30 day entries and/or tourist visas for years. I retired young and have plenty of money and for years I have been coming to Thailand three times a year and staying for one or two months each time, with periods of 2-4 months in between back in my home country. I come here because I like the place and have plenty of friends here to hang out with. I do not work while in Thailand.

I don't seem to fall into the category of people they are trying to keep out, but they are casting such a wide net that I'm afraid on my next trip I might have trouble.

I wonder when the TAT is going to chime in on this issue? Only after "legitimate" tourists start cancelling their trips en masse and start going elsewhere?

[PlanetX]

If your a tourist (financially stable and not working in the country) why should it matter how many tourist visas you have? If you have the funds to support yourself and wish to visit a country without being over 50, married to a local, or teaching English then why should it matter?

All these Thai Visa clowns are so quick to judge everyone else when they married a bar girl or borrowed money to put in an account for a retirement visa (ooops - how does it feel to be judged based on a small minority of people?)

First the Cambodians were kicked out - and people blamed the Cambodians for overreacting to rumours

Then the Myanmar refugees were kicked out - and people turned a blind eye to that

Now legit Visa holders are being denied - and they are being blamed for being "multiple tourist visa holders"

Its coming for you next. Let's see how your lovely loyal Thai wife deals with the mutual Thai bank account/ business/ property when your marriage visa renewal is denied. One thing is for sure, the next group in line to be targeted will be too busy pointing fingers at your faults to see it coming for them.

[empireboy]

Bizarre behaviour!

[Tatsujin]

until they change the LAW to state that tourist can only stay so many days a year ..none of these people are breaking the law...so all the smart ass would do well to remember this.......you could be next Jack

it is immigrations job to catch illegal workers INSIDE thailand and arrest , blacklist then deport them ..........not at borders before they have entered there is a declatation on the immigration card that you sign..that is how they get you INSIDE thailand

They are all breaking the law . . . they are not "tourists" if you are using the people denied entry in the article as an example . . . they are using the tourist visa to enable them to stay long term in Thailand . . . that is NOT the purpose of the tourist visa, and THAT is what they are cracking down on.

And no, it's immigration's job to stop undesirable or illegal people at the border before they get into Thailand, not just once within the borders.

[kratiam]

So this is a taster of what is to come on a national scale in the next month.

This will put the brakes on many Thai girls marrying a farang from a nice western country.

No farang in their right mind would marry a girl within 30 days (or less) of knowing them just to get a non-imm visa.

Although you always get some stupid exceptions.

Maybe they are doing this to force tourists to shore up the struggling Thai Airways by making them fly for entry... who knows.

It may not end there either, if this is xenophobia induced then they are going to look for ways to give the non-imms some of their own problems.

I say we all move out of Thailand for Myanmar.... That'll screw em up

Brilliant thinking! Similar visa laws, more expensive (much!) accommodation, less amenities........

[Badbanker]

I lived my first 10 years in Thailand doing 30 and 60 day visa runs.

Plan ahead and buy a cheap air ticket and you won't have any problems!

The land borders are a no no from now on.

[harrycallahan]

All these Thai Visa clowns are so quick to judge everyone else when they married a bar girl or borrowed money to put in an account for a retirement visa (ooops - how does it feel to be judged based on a small minority of people?)

It only looks harsh compared to the established norm. Compared to most other countries this is quite normal. Limited stay entries by nature aren't supposed to provide an enduring stay.

[ezzra]

So finally, the $#it hit the fan.... wonder what more is installed for visa runners...

[Mario2008]

I lived my first 10 years in Thailand doing 30 and 60 day visa runs.

Plan ahead and buy a cheap air ticket and you won't have any problems!

The land borders are a no no from now on.

Immigration has announced that of 12 August they will get stricter at air borders too.

[glasswort]

As a matter of interest; if for example a Thai person is issued a visa in Bangkok to visit UK it is made very clear that the issuance of the visa does not guarantee entry, and that entry is at the discretion of the Immigration Officer in the UK.

[gk10002000]

I have been to Thailand 14 times. I am a contract engineer and I literally never know when a job will end. I typically get a few days notice, maybe a one week. No time to risk mailing my passport out to some embassy here in the USA or coordinating any sort of travel plans. One of the reasons i love Thailand is what had been the ease of entry. As a US citizen I fly in to BKK get a 30 day stamp and start my holiday. Twice in 10 years I extended my stay by making one visa run on each trip. On one of my trips, I made two visa runs each time getting another 30 days. I hardly think I was abusing the system. I have never gotten a Tourist Visa in advance. I get very concerned when I see some border official say things like the article quoted: "You are a tourist 30 days no more".

[lostsoul49]

Refusing entry to all people with tourist visas, how can you obtain a visa and then be denied entry to the country unless you fly into it?

Classic Thailand

You must have read a different article to me . . . they are not refusing entry to "tourists", they are refusing entry to people who consistently abuse the Tourist Visa, i.e. "visa runners", and with all the recent reporting on this subject, why are you surprised or shocked about this?

As per the article:

"All of the foreigners who were denied entry had a previous history of multiple visa exempt entries or back to back tourist visas."

Thailand is currently undergoing some fairly major changes, reducing corruption and following the law a lot more closely. I have no idea how long this will last for, but the message is clear . . . we're trying to do things better, and you (foreigners) need to follow the law as it is written now.

Although the visa situation here isn't easy, simple or convenient, most of us manage to stay here for years at a time by doing things "properly" . . . I suggest some of these others start to do the same, and perhaps, just perhaps, when they see that we can do things correctly, they might just make it easier for us doing it properly to stay here even longer/easier at some future point in time.

They were NOT abusing the system.

That is the system that has always been in place in Thailand for years, signed, sealed and delivered by none other than the immigration Bureau of Thailand.

You went to an embassy, they gave you a visa, sometimes they deny you a double entry and stick you with a single entry, but THEY issued the visas.

You wanted an extension, you went to immigration and THEY extended it for you... simple as that.

As a matter of fact, up until these new xenophobic changes, this is the very website where people came for advice on how to stay in Thailand long term on tourist visas and were helped by scores of members of all the tricks of the trade. Nobody used to chime in saying 'shame on you' or 'you are not a tourist, stop abusing the system'...

Yet most of you lot probably found your way onto this website in the first instance by looking for the very same info for your own needs.

I reckon there is a lot of hypocrisy in this thread coming from people who themselves have done their own fair share of visa runs, as a matter of fact I don't think I know many farang here who haven't and I have met many many farang in my time.

It is Thailand that has brought this culture of visa runs, and as far as I am concerned, no visa running farang has ever abused a system put in place by immigration themselves.

[al007]

i stop being suprised here years ago.... ..buy a legal visa from a THAI consul (WHO HAVE THE POWER TO REFUSE) and then be refused entry at teh border...idiotic to say the least

Surely it is obvious, the incorect facts were stated when applying for the visa, and the immigration officer has just done an excellent job, of correcting what should not have been issued

If you buy insurance and do not declare the facts your premium will probably be accepted but if you claim it will probably be rejected same thing

[jpinx]

I have been legitimately visiting Thailand on 30 day entries and/or tourist visas for years. I retired young and have plenty of money and for years I have been coming to Thailand three times a year and staying for one or two months each time, with periods of 2-4 months in between back in my home country. I come here because I like the place and have plenty of friends here to hang out with. I do not work while in Thailand.

I don't seem to fall into the category of people they are trying to keep out, but they are casting such a wide net that I'm afraid on my next trip I might have trouble.

I wonder when the TAT is going to chime in on this issue? Only after "legitimate" tourists start cancelling their trips en masse and start going elsewhere?

You have been abusing the system - time to get an Elite card or investment visa. TAT will be happy to help you -- they don't want system abusers either, no matter you're a millionaire

[hobz]

So this means that the northern borders will be more busy now.. Any reports from the north? Business as usual?

The worst thing that could happen now is that the border officers gets quotas to fill. This could mean that they may need to start refusing other types of visa holders too.. Highly unlikely, but let's hope it doesn't go that far...

[gk10002000]

I understand there's a new sheriff in town, and "rules is rules" and whatnot, but what is the actual motivation for the crackdown?

It certainly doesn't help the country financially. Was there a growing disdain for a certain type of farang that boiled over?, farangs in general?, is it just chest-thumping and trying to look productive?

Disclaimer: I have no real skin in this game as I'm on a new non-O multi. I'm just curious.

It seems the Russians working here illegally is a major target. They are taking jobs from the locals. It seems they have looked the other way for years if you are an English teacher.

It was just a matter of time before a group, in this case the Russians got called out. On my recent visit to Phuket an karon beach I was dismayed at the number of Russians, Russian Tour busses, pre-arranged tours, Russian controlled hotels. In Pattaya, the number of Russain employees that were legal was doubtful. All those travel agencies, heck, even the Russian girls on Walking street handing out fliers. Come on folks. They aren't tourists and they probably weren't working legally either. Sad to see such a wonderful country getting a bit difficult on legit tourists. I have been 14 times and never gotten a tourist visa in advance. Over 10 years I only made a total of 4 Visa runs, one each on three separate trips and in different years and only last year on my trip did I make 2 visa runs each time getting 30 day stamp.

[razer]

I do not understand why immigration doesn't have one set of rules and regulations, requirements and forms for every immigration officer, consulate and embassy.

[lostsoul49]

So this is a taster of what is to come on a national scale in the next month.

This will put the brakes on many Thai girls marrying a farang from a nice western country.

No farang in their right mind would marry a girl within 30 days (or less) of knowing them just to get a non-imm visa.

Although you always get some stupid exceptions.

Maybe they are doing this to force tourists to shore up the struggling Thai Airways by making them fly for entry... who knows.

It may not end there either, if this is xenophobia induced then they are going to look for ways to give the non-imms some of their own problems.

I say we all move out of Thailand for Myanmar.... That'll screw em up

Brilliant thinking! Similar visa laws, more expensive (much!) accommodation, less amenities........

That was a joke.

I see the sense of homour bypass was a roaring success.

[SaamBaht]

Maybe this crackdown is real. Let's hope so. I think we can all agree that allowing tourist visa holders to live in Thailand is wrong. People doing border runs are simply skirting legal, though more expensive, means of staying in Thailand long term.

This may be the beginning of a golden age where Thais begin to enforce existing law.

We can only hope so.

Tough luck to those rascally poverty packers who haven't a dime to their name.

[Tycoon]

Quiet Simple, the Thai's are saying you cannot live here on a tourist visa. It's been over abused especially by the mentioned countries. Want to live in Thailand ? Go through the proper process a get the proper visa. I welcome this and hope it clears out more and more of the less desirable types that think a tourist visa gives them the right to live and work in a country. Times are a changing !!!!