No more Thai visa runs: Immigration will not let visa runners return after Aug 12

[AnotherOneAmerican]

i have a been a tourist in thailand for about 3 years,the last 3 years.i won lottery(or sort of) so i could stay long time with ordinary stamps(30 days) or 2 entries tourist visas(180 days) and i did not need to work

i rented an apartment in bangkok and when i was bored i went somewhere else,few days or 1 week or so(i went everywhere in thailand)

i am too young for retirement i am 33.i like to be single and having fun.sometime i went out of thailand(Bali,Hcm city,Tokyo or Vientiane) few days to apply for a tourist visa or just a 30 days stamp

i took a flight (nok air promotion) from don muang to hua hin i was the only passenger haha i had a short talk with the cabin crew about it

me " what the.."

cabin crew "we think our boss made a mistake"

the transfer from hua hin airport to town was free lol

anyway,i thought to take 1 more year holiday or so from october/november

but i cant do that anymore,right?the immigration will see my passport and assume i am an illegal worker

If you won loads why spend it all in Thailand?

Nepal is great, and the south is warm all year round, learn to para-glide or walk in the mountains.

Philippines have plenty of hookers, if that's what you are seeking.

Loads of great places to visit on holiday that aren't Thailand.

Nothing all that special or unique here!

[Muggi1968]

"I have done visa runs several times before, because my employers would not agree to seek a work permit until I passed their probation period. So, when you stop allowing visa runs, the lives of many foreigners in Thailand will be affected," a 46-year-old American said........

So you do not need a workpermit in the probation period. ????

[RTH10260]

I'm wondering how this nonsense will apply to those of us who live next door (in Cambodia)... many of us come to Bangkok regularly throughout the year (normally on visa exemption) for a few days to enjoy "big city" life and stock up on the things we can't get in the Reap. Will we be accused of staying in Thailand because we have a hat full of visa-exempt or tourist visa stamps in our passports?

As a Cambodian resident this does not apply to you, and you are not remaining long in TH. Visiting TH frequently is not what the targeted foreigners do, they visit frequently other countries to remain long in TH.

[OumarhindaOunsingha]

Ok. But I doubt this new rule has much intelligence in it. In my case, Thailand will lose 100% on it.

I am enrolled at my university in Denmark. I have 1,600 USD/month in grant and a bit of students loan. I live most of the year in Thailand, submitting 90% of the papers over the internet. In other words, I have managed to take a Danish degree while living 10+ months a year in Thailand.

And now? If I cannot stay here at the basis of visa runs (I go to KL once a month, pretty cheap flight)?

Listen, please: I get my money from Denmark. I take these money from Denmark and put directly into the Thai economy. It is a 100% win situation for Thailand. It is totally legal, I follow all rules, I never do anything bad here, etc. So, the question is: why do Thailand want me to go back to my home country and use my money there?

Thus the lack of intelligence from these politicians. Honestly, it has been my thought, over the past couple of years, that this planet would be better off without politicians at all. They only create problems or short-sighted solutions that will later turn out actually to be more of a problem than a solution.

Look at the West. How is it going there? There should be a law against politicians and politics.

[ilocos]

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I'm on double entry tourist visa spending a week in Vietnam and arriving back to Thailand on 14th for second half of my visa.

Wonder how this will go. I don't have any back to back visas in my passport, and I don't have any jvisa exemptions. I do have multiple double entry tourist visas over many years. Visa was acquired from home country, not a border country in Asia.

you'll be fine. youre not doing an Out/In7

I wouldnt be so sure!

the other thaivisa article (recently) stated clearly that people with VALID 60 day tourist visas were refused entry in the south of thailand.

even if a consulate gives you a VALID visa,,, the immigration officials may not let you in.

it says above that immigration is warning all foreigners to get the correct visa!!! but this is a stupid Catch22 situation where you get a CORRECT VALID VISA from a Thai Embassy and then you are refused entry with this CORRECT AND VALID VISA!!!!

-- completely bad!! its the Thai Embassys job to NOT issue a visa in the first place!!! the government should make more effort to communicate to their embassies throughout the world of this new rule!!!

i'm sure its just ONE email that needs to be sent as a group message to all their embassies. so why on earth hasnt this been done? why dont foreigtn thai embassies know this rule? why are they issuing visas to people that are not allowed visas?

or,, is it the immigration checkpoints that are misunderstanding this rule?

if the cut off date is in August,, then why are people getting stopped today and yesterday?????

this is VERY BAD and costly to people... immigration is NOT following its own rules!!!

i personally (kind of) understand the rules and I am trying to make the necessary changes. I am happy to play their game.. but they have to abide to the rules!! its really so bad for them to not follow the rules.

ok I'll teach you the rules. Immigration officer has the right to assess whether you are a genuine tourist even if you have a tourist visa. It's a very subjective assessment. If he feels you will work in Thailand he has every right to stop you entering Thailand.

[englishoak]

You get a double or multiple entry and leave to come right back in its a NO GO as THAT IS BACK TO BACK that means your holiday winters are out and your condo is only useable for 30 days and NOT that lovely multiple entry visa you were issued back home...

You understand that ALL multiple entry visas if used back to back either by land or an airport can now be refused and very possibly will be ... with all your stuff stuck in Thailand and poss your air ticket home or route out of swampy too

If you take extended hols here, say retired and have a condo your now stuffed if you have a family you spend time with for any more than 30 days your stuffed unless you leave and go tour around another country while out here... yea great use of the time when your here to spend your winters or dont get to see family every year so do a 6 weeker or more. How about your family coming to spend the winter with you or a few months on a multiple entry which btw is LEGAL and carries no info on back to back ? they are also stuffed now... think about it you people who think its so great they "enforcing things" they really are messing this one up. ... or maybe you dont have any family who want to spend more than 30 days with you..

Parties over unless your on a work visa or retirement or a married visa...an ED or a package or 30 day max stay... anything else and your winging it.... ive sent this thread and another to all people I know... I suggest you do the same before some get badly caught out and maybe worse, stranded at some border.

So you are saying that people with multiple non O-A and non O visas will be stopped if used back to back. No way I belive that

im saying id not be taking that chance atm with the lack of detail and the immigration njubs at some land border not the way they interpret things as they wish sometimes no.

m8 ive been refused at south land border 5 or 6 years ago with a triple multi when they messed about with the penang embassy issues on a stupid crackdown only i got mine in the UK and had been for a couple of years already then so dont tell me it cant happen.

If they can refuse people with legit embassy issued 60 days they can refuse a back to back multi or say someone who has been using that method over and over, they are clearly as much abusing the visa system to stay, why not, because you dont like that possibility or think thats fair or you dont think that land border immigration arnt that stupid ?

[Mudcrab]

Did anybody read this line in the story: "Visa runners are those who leave Thailand and return immediately for the purpose of extending their stay."

Seems pretty clear to me.

So what about those with O visas doing a "visa run"? They don't say "except those with O and B visas".

Just as well I'm having a week in Penang or I'd be stressing now.

The directive does state it's concerning tourist visa!

Read it again.

In line 5 starting with the words "is aimed to" and then continues prevent visa runners who abuse the visa exemption scheme from working illegally in Thailand.

I cannot see where it mentions a tourist visa unless you mean where it states it the encouragement of obtaining the appropriate visa prior to their arrival.

I think a bona fide visa holder has nothing to worry about, be it a single, double or triple entry visa.

The people who should be worried are those that have had multiple visa exempt entries over a continuous period and/or have had continuous tourist visas without any discernible break in between.

Most people would understand that - it's not that hard.

Sure we can get bogged down in the pedantics of what is meant by back to back visas and how long can we stay out of the country to appear clean, but lets get real and assume most posters here have a level of intelligence.

What would you call someone who has, from his passport entries spent, say, over 2 years in Thailand pretty well continuously with only the odd day/week here and there (coincidentally every 90 days or so) actually out of the country? And usually at a neighbouring country

Many of the entries are visa exempt and a few are tourist visas with 90 day stamps issued at bordering countries. Would you call him a genuine tourist?

All the scaremongering of people who have just got their first multiple entry tourist visa is just plain foolish. They are doing exactly what immigration wants them to do.

The recent spate of refusals were from people who matched the profile I mentioned above and are what are considered to be visa runners.

Whether they had a valid visa (and it seems that they did) the reason for the visa (for the purpose of tourism) it seems was questioned. And rightly so.

[RTH10260]

I assume the Out/In that takes place on a double or triple entry tourist visa will not fit the criteria for refusal

Well yes if its back to back usage ??

What is so difficult to understand about immigration targeting people returning with a freshly acquired visa, not using their second or third entry? Note that visas given the home country are not under scrutiny, but those that are from THs neighbour countries given to non-residents.

[Iumentum]

Did anybody read this line in the story: "Visa runners are those who leave Thailand and return immediately for the purpose of extending their stay."

Seems pretty clear to me.

So what about those with O visas doing a "visa run"? They don't say "except those with O and B visas".

Just as well I'm having a week in Penang or I'd be stressing now.

The directive does state it's concerning tourist visa!

Read it again.

In line 5 starting with the words "is aimed to" and then continues prevent visa runners who abuse the visa exemption scheme from working illegally in Thailand.

I cannot see where it mentions a tourist visa unless you mean where it states it the encouragement of obtaining the appropriate visa prior to their arrival.

I think a bona fide visa holder has nothing to worry about, be it a single, double or triple entry visa.

The people who should be worried are those that have had multiple visa exempt entries over a continuous period and/or have had continuous tourist visas without any discernible break in between.

Most people would understand that - it's not that hard.

Sure we can get bogged down in the pedantics of what is meant by back to back visas and how long can we stay out of the country to appear clean, but lets get real and assume most posters here have a level of intelligence.

What would you call someone who has, from his passport entries spent, say, over 2 years in Thailand pretty well continuously with only the odd day/week here and there (coincidentally every 90 days or so) actually out of the country? And usually at a neighbouring country

Many of the entries are visa exempt and a few are tourist visas with 90 day stamps issued at bordering countries. Would you call him a genuine tourist?

All the scaremongering of people who have just got their first multiple entry tourist visa is just plain foolish. They are doing exactly what immigration wants them to do.

The recent spate of refusals were from people who matched the profile I mentioned above and are what are considered to be visa runners.

"The purpose of the scheme is for tourism only"

[rollrunna]

Not quite off topic but.................... there is no mention of Overstay penalties being applied retrospectively..... i am concerned that any Overstay stamps in a passport together with many B 2 B visas over a period of years, would influence any IO, even though a good period of time ( over 9 months ) has been spent out of the country since;. He could still feel it necessary to deny entry and initiate a ban from the country according to the new rules on overstay penalties .... i dont suppose i will know until after the aug 12 date, or rather when somebody tries to re-enter = being me ... i have considered a passport renewal, this could work if the overstays are not registered against my name in the computer...... when i left with O Stay stamp..i did enquire about possibilities of refusal of re-entry and was told no problem.... haha But now..????

I need to consider if it would still feel like paradise if you have worrying about serious re entry hassles every 3 months....

[WhamBam]

I guess they might relax the law once they have got rid of a few people

I have been thinking along these lines too.

Ram it home now, make those on I-O border crossings every few weeks go home / away and stop working illegally, then we can settle down with new rules.

Obviously there have been many abuses of the system and this seems a way of stopping much of that abuse. That seems fair enough.

For myself and others I know, the sooner some clarity is stated and writtem by the immigration authority, the better. Personally, I will hold off until the Immigration office do clarify the situation and possibly relax the law.

[RTH10260]

In other words

We only want illegal Khmer, Lao and Burmese workers, who work for peanuts in appalling conditions.

Not those pesky farang illegals who want more than locals.

Hint: nearly everwhere on the planet workers from neighbouring counties get preferential treatment over far away foreigners. As usual established specialists also get preferred treatment, get your qualifications to work inTH.

[OMGImInPattaya]

A lot of people are going to lose a lot. Including Thais. This is baby with bath water on steroids. Too inflexible and done too fast. It would be OK if there were now easier "real" visas, work permits, including legalization of online freelancing, etc. But there is not. On the condo market, no kidding, this is really bad for places like Pattaya. Cause and effect clearly not well considered on this one.

Thailand doesn't need the "in and out" crowd thank you. If they have skills, family, or are retired, they can get the appropriate visa. It's the same for tourists. That's all immigration is saying...no need to get the vapors over this.

[kaobang]

i have a been a tourist in thailand for about 3 years,the last 3 years.i won lottery(or sort of) so i could stay long time with ordinary stamps(30 days) or 2 entries tourist visas(180 days) and i did not need to work

i rented an apartment in bangkok and when i was bored i went somewhere else,few days or 1 week or so(i went everywhere in thailand)

i am too young for retirement i am 33.i like to be single and having fun.sometime i went out of thailand(Bali,Hcm city,Tokyo or Vientiane) few days to apply for a tourist visa or just a 30 days stamp

i took a flight (nok air promotion) from don muang to hua hin i was the only passenger haha i had a short talk with the cabin crew about it

me " what the.."

cabin crew "we think our boss made a mistake"

the transfer from hua hin airport to town was free lol

anyway,i thought to take 1 more year holiday or so from october/november

but i cant do that anymore,right?the immigration will see my passport and assume i am an illegal worker

You could consider spending your holiday studying a bit thai, and get a 1 year ED visa which will be around 30.000 baht for both visa and school. I won't recommend to get ED visa for studying thai, and skip school though, because they does sometimes check up on you if you attend your class or interview you when you make your 90 day report.

why i should give money to a school i am not goin to attend?i want to be a tourist and having fun,not going to school.then even if i get that type of visa,maybe the immigration guard at the border with malaysia(or any border) will see my stamps and not let me in.i may be rich,but i am not goin to waste 30000 baht

look what happened to the guys in malaysia they got valid visas but at the border the immigration assumed they were illegal workers.what if that happens with valid ed visas

For a very long time, it has not been ok by law to be tourist for a whole year. So what you are asking for is not to be tourist, and just folly.

I was just giving a suggestion for how you could stay for a year, and attend to class a few hours 2 times a week, and actually stay here 1 year without being concerned about anything. For the issue here, it's about tourist visa border run, not ED visa. Also, with ED visa, you do not have to go to Malaysia to get a stamp, you make your 90 report at the immigration office. So in the end, using 30.000 on such visa wont be that much more expensive that the money used making visa runs.

but i like to make visa run because i like to be a tourist and visit some areas in thailand,as sungai kolok dannok hat yai koh lipe trang....or nong khai..or huai xuai(sorry if i typed it wrong) in Lao where i have a good friend.next time i planned to visit as tourist Ratchaburi Kanchanaburi and Sangkhlaburi before visa run

yes i want to be tourist for 1 year and maybe more.i like to spend my money for visa runs because its part of my tourist life.but school is not part of it

[Mudcrab]

The directive does state it's concerning tourist visa!

Read it again.

In line 5 starting with the words "is aimed to" and then continues prevent visa runners who abuse the visa exemption scheme from working illegally in Thailand.

I cannot see where it mentions a tourist visa unless you mean where it states it the encouragement of obtaining the appropriate visa prior to their arrival.

I think a bona fide visa holder has nothing to worry about, be it a single, double or triple entry visa.

The people who should be worried are those that have had multiple visa exempt entries over a continuous period and/or have had continuous tourist visas without any discernible break in between.

Most people would understand that - it's not that hard.

Sure we can get bogged down in the pedantics of what is meant by back to back visas and how long can we stay out of the country to appear clean, but lets get real and assume most posters here have a level of intelligence.

What would you call someone who has, from his passport entries spent, say, over 2 years in Thailand pretty well continuously with only the odd day/week here and there (coincidentally every 90 days or so) actually out of the country? And usually at a neighbouring country

Many of the entries are visa exempt and a few are tourist visas with 90 day stamps issued at bordering countries. Would you call him a genuine tourist?

All the scaremongering of people who have just got their first multiple entry tourist visa is just plain foolish. They are doing exactly what immigration wants them to do.

The recent spate of refusals were from people who matched the profile I mentioned above and are what are considered to be visa runners.

"The purpose of the scheme is for tourism only"

Agree. That is the purpose of the visa exempt scheme.

[gabruce]

What I find unbelievable is their statement that stopping the visa run people will reduce crime! Personally, I doubt very much that any of the visa run people are criminals.

Working illegally is a crime, and as we are all aware many of those affected do in fact work without permits, so yes it will reduce crime. Also there are those in BKK that are drug dealers and the like that use the tourist visas, so again iradicating undesirable criminals. The only ones truly affected are the under 50s,not married or working, everyone else has an option of obtaining the correct visa....

Thanks, you along with many others pointed out that working without a work permit is illegal and that if many of those doing multiple tourist visa's and/or doing many in and outs are working here, then if they no longer are in Thailand, an INVISIBLE crime is eliminated. True enough. Next up, eliminate the foreigners who drive without a thai license or without a helmet.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Will this affect Lao freelancers ,who work in Pattaya and do 30 day visa runs at Vientienne. A work permit for hookers r us lol

That would be a bummer...some of my favorite pattaya ladyboys are Lao girls.

[laxman1960]

They don't want foreigners to come here and open up small businesses to compete with Thai's. They want companies to hire Thai labor. What advantage to Thailand is there for you or I to come here and open up our 1 person shop other than the taxes we would pay on our income? Likely we would be competing with other Thai businesses and taking business away from them potentially. So they make this requirement (which is a real pain, I know) so that at least the foreigners who come here to open businesses will create some jobs and technology/knowledge transfer to Thai people. At least in theory, as many people go the route of opening up a company, putting names on the payroll, paying the social tax on the minimum earnings but not actually employing anyone.

From the Government perspective they want big foreign companies to come here, invest big money and hire a lot of Thai's, that is what they are targeting. Not you and I.

We may not like this policy, but unfortunately that is the reality.

In other words

We only want illegal Khmer, Lao and Burmese workers, who work for peanuts in appalling conditions.

Not those pesky farang illegals who want more than locals.

And are better educated as us smarter and independent.

Why do you think there need to be 4 Thais to every foreigner in a company. Without that stupid rule many more foreigners would start businesses and get a work permit. Plenty of people who don't need Thais to work for them.

They should abolish that stupid rule

[kaobang]

i have a been a tourist in thailand for about 3 years,the last 3 years.i won lottery(or sort of) so i could stay long time with ordinary stamps(30 days) or 2 entries tourist visas(180 days) and i did not need to work

i rented an apartment in bangkok and when i was bored i went somewhere else,few days or 1 week or so(i went everywhere in thailand)

i am too young for retirement i am 33.i like to be single and having fun.sometime i went out of thailand(Bali,Hcm city,Tokyo or Vientiane) few days to apply for a tourist visa or just a 30 days stamp

i took a flight (nok air promotion) from don muang to hua hin i was the only passenger haha i had a short talk with the cabin crew about it

me " what the.."

cabin crew "we think our boss made a mistake"

the transfer from hua hin airport to town was free lol

anyway,i thought to take 1 more year holiday or so from october/november

but i cant do that anymore,right?the immigration will see my passport and assume i am an illegal worker

If you won loads why spend it all in Thailand?

Nepal is great, and the south is warm all year round, learn to para-glide or walk in the mountains.

Philippines have plenty of hookers, if that's what you are seeking.

Loads of great places to visit on holiday that aren't Thailand.

Nothing all that special or unique here!

I have no interest in both of them,thank you

Philippines is too dangerous in my opinion

and i like the beach and the sea(but after 1 week beach is boring thats why i lived in Bangkok)

Bali too noisy and often the atm cards get stuck in the machine

[transam]

For many months I have read here about Russian mafia taking over, as well as other nationals. Seems to me the cleansing has started, first look at entries, then look at establishments. To me it is a start to clean things up, this is Thailand and should be their show, whether girly bars or what ever. You farangs that are pouring pints in your "girls" bar will be sent home if you don't have a visa for "your" business.

[jonaz]

I have a triple entry tourist visa of which my 1st entry is due to expire. I am due to go to the border this Thursday to activate the 2nd entry. I have 2 previous back to back tourist visas in my passport. I had planned on doing the Bangkok visa run to the Cambodian border.

Are they already enforcing this at the Northern borders or just in the South. Or will this begin only after August 12th?

In short...am I likely to be refused re-entry at the land border this Thursday, given my situation or will I be ok this time around?

I don't think there has been any reports of problems on the northern borders, so i think you will be ok before 12th August.

Thanks. I hope so. I have to try I suppose. I thought the very least would be that they would let all current visas expire and just not issue another one to those who have exceeded their limits. I certainly wasn't expecting this.

Even though I know that you aren't guaranteed entry with a visa,I'd expect to be refused at the embassy before I'd paid for my flight , planned my trip and paid my well earned money to the Thai embassy for a visa which isn't valid

[ParadiseLost]

Ok. But I doubt this new rule has much intelligence in it. In my case, Thailand will lose 100% on it.

I am enrolled at my university in Denmark. I have 1,600 USD/month in grant and a bit of students loan. I live most of the year in Thailand, submitting 90% of the papers over the internet. In other words, I have managed to take a Danish degree while living 10+ months a year in Thailand.

And now? If I cannot stay here at the basis of visa runs (I go to KL once a month, pretty cheap flight)?

Listen, please: I get my money from Denmark. I take these money from Denmark and put directly into the Thai economy. It is a 100% win situation for Thailand. It is totally legal, I follow all rules, I never do anything bad here, etc. So, the question is: why do Thailand want me to go back to my home country and use my money there?

Thus the lack of intelligence from these politicians. Honestly, it has been my thought, over the past couple of years, that this planet would be better off without politicians at all. They only create problems or short-sighted solutions that will later turn out actually to be more of a problem than a solution.

Look at the West. How is it going there? There should be a law against politicians and politics.

Hmm sorry but your 50k a month is not going to make a ripple on the Thai economy.

Why not go to Oz, or USA and do this? Cannot get a visa? Too expensive?

Lets face it Thailand became the Dollar store of countries when it comes to cost of living, and visa leniency - sure they don't want to remain there.

[Iumentum]

You get a double or multiple entry and leave to come right back in its a NO GO as THAT IS BACK TO BACK that means your holiday winters are out and your condo is only useable for 30 days and NOT that lovely multiple entry visa you were issued back home...

You understand that ALL multiple entry visas if used back to back either by land or an airport can now be refused and very possibly will be ... with all your stuff stuck in Thailand and poss your air ticket home or route out of swampy too

If you take extended hols here, say retired and have a condo your now stuffed if you have a family you spend time with for any more than 30 days your stuffed unless you leave and go tour around another country while out here... yea great use of the time when your here to spend your winters or dont get to see family every year so do a 6 weeker or more. How about your family coming to spend the winter with you or a few months on a multiple entry which btw is LEGAL and carries no info on back to back ? they are also stuffed now... think about it you people who think its so great they "enforcing things" they really are messing this one up. ... or maybe you dont have any family who want to spend more than 30 days with you..

Parties over unless your on a work visa or retirement or a married visa...an ED or a package or 30 day max stay... anything else and your winging it.... ive sent this thread and another to all people I know... I suggest you do the same before some get badly caught out and maybe worse, stranded at some border.

So you are saying that people with multiple non O-A and non O visas will be stopped if used back to back. No way I belive that

im saying id not be taking that chance atm with the lack of detail and the immigration njubs at some land border not the way they interpret things as they wish sometimes no.

m8 ive been refused at south land border 5 or 6 years ago with a triple multi when they messed about with the penang embassy issues on a stupid crackdown only i got mine in the UK and had been for a couple of years already then so dont tell me it cant happen.

If they can refuse people with legit embassy issued 60 days they can refuse a back to back multi or say someone who has been using that method over and over, they are clearly as much abusing the visa system to stay, why not, because you dont like that possibility or think thats fair or you dont think that land border immigration arnt that stupid ?

I didn't say that it cannot happen, but ED is a proper visa and not to be a part of this crackdown.

Also as i wrote, you wont have to go over border to make visa run with ED visa, you can get so you just make 90 report at immigration office.

It is no longer a legit visa, if you been tourist in Thailand for more than the allowed days per year, as before this, maximum 180 days every 360 day. In such case, you're not entitled to be able to make visa run and receive 30 extra upon the 60 day tourist visa.

Anyway, it was just a suggestion, you don't have to give me reasons or excuses for why not to do it, that is up to you. I simply just tell what could be a solution for you to stay 1 year, which is not allowed as tourist.

[Mudcrab]

Way back in this thread one poster made the comment that this was all about getting many 20k baht overstay payments.

He may be in for a shock if he thinks this is the only penalty to be paid as some of the regular visitors to TV will be aware of.

It could be anything up to and including a lifetime blacklisting for those on long term overstay.

[lostmebike]

Will this affect Lao freelancers ,who work in Pattaya and do 30 day visa runs at Vientienne. A work permit for hookers r us lol

That would be a bummer...some of my favorite pattaya ladyboys are Lao girls.

Make that 'Lao boys' OMG

[OMGImInPattaya]

Wonder what will happen to all those foreigners that are married, have children, but don't have enough money to get a Non-Imm visa based on marriage.

Will Immigration start splitting up families?

It's not immigration splitting up families, it's people who got married and sired offspring without the financial means to support a family; and who knew all along what the minimum requirements were to live such a life in Thailand. In addition, nobody is splitting anybody up, anyone in this situation can do the responsible thing and decamp back to Farangland and get job to support his family (or get on benefits).

[kaobang]

You get a double or multiple entry and leave to come right back in its a NO GO as THAT IS BACK TO BACK that means your holiday winters are out and your condo is only useable for 30 days and NOT that lovely multiple entry visa you were issued back home...

You understand that ALL multiple entry visas if used back to back either by land or an airport can now be refused and very possibly will be ... with all your stuff stuck in Thailand and poss your air ticket home or route out of swampy too

If you take extended hols here, say retired and have a condo your now stuffed if you have a family you spend time with for any more than 30 days your stuffed unless you leave and go tour around another country while out here... yea great use of the time when your here to spend your winters or dont get to see family every year so do a 6 weeker or more. How about your family coming to spend the winter with you or a few months on a multiple entry which btw is LEGAL and carries no info on back to back ? they are also stuffed now... think about it you people who think its so great they "enforcing things" they really are messing this one up. ... or maybe you dont have any family who want to spend more than 30 days with you..

Parties over unless your on a work visa or retirement or a married visa...an ED or a package or 30 day max stay... anything else and your winging it.... ive sent this thread and another to all people I know... I suggest you do the same before some get badly caught out and maybe worse, stranded at some border.

So you are saying that people with multiple non O-A and non O visas will be stopped if used back to back. No way I belive that

im saying id not be taking that chance atm with the lack of detail and the immigration njubs at some land border not the way they interpret things as they wish sometimes no.

m8 ive been refused at south land border 5 or 6 years ago with a triple multi when they messed about with the penang embassy issues on a stupid crackdown only i got mine in the UK and had been for a couple of years already then so dont tell me it cant happen.

If they can refuse people with legit embassy issued 60 days they can refuse a back to back multi or say someone who has been using that method over and over, they are clearly as much abusing the visa system to stay, why not, because you dont like that possibility or think thats fair or you dont think that land border immigration arnt that stupid ?

I didn't say that it cannot happen, but ED is a proper visa and not to be a part of this crackdown.

Also as i wrote, you wont have to go over border to make visa run with ED visa, you can get so you just make 90 report at immigration office.

It is no longer a legit visa, if you been tourist in Thailand for more than the allowed days per year, as before this, maximum 180 days every 360 day. In such case, you're not entitled to be able to make visa run and receive 30 extra upon the 60 day tourist visa.

Anyway, it was just a suggestion, you don't have to give me reasons or excuses for why not to do it, that is up to you. I simply just tell what could be a solution for you to stay 1 year, which is not allowed as tourist.

even tourist visas were not supposed to be part of this crackdown,but they are

[Metapod]

I'm on double entry tourist visa spending a week in Vietnam and arriving back to Thailand on 14th for second half of my visa.

Wonder how this will go. I don't have any back to back visas in my passport, and I don't have any visa exemptions. I do have multiple double entry tourist visas over many years. Visa was acquired from home country, not a border country in Asia.

you'll be fine. youre not doing an Out/In

How do you define Out/In though? I'll be in Vietnam for 7 days. Is Out/In about people who cross back the same day? 1 day? 3 days? 1 week?

I wish the immigration rules were clearer.

I agree that they are a bit unclear. According to some officials at the southern border with Malaysia, they requested that some people stay in Malaysia a minimum of 1-2 nights. That is not a difficult thing to do and one would think if you are going all the way to a border crossing you would actually be staying in that country for a couple of days? If that's all it takes...a couple of days then I think a lot of people can breathe a sigh of relief. However, the impression I'm getting is that may not be enough if you've spent 350 days in Thailand on back-to-back tourist visas and/or visa exemptions and only 1-3 days in between visa/border runs. A clearer directive would certainly be welcome. In any case I fortunately do not fit the profile of a visa runner and always stay a few days, a week or two outside of Thailand between each entry I've made. Generally I have legitimate business reasons for doing so, but even in the rare case I had to leave to extend my stay, I spent some time outside of Thailand before returning. I've only ever done one in-out border run at a small crossing, which I had some trepidation at doing, but I knew I'd only be doing it once before going for a visa. That was shortly after my job and work permit ended so I was pretty OK.

I've also never done an immediate In/Out. I usually take 5-7 days and enjoy a holiday in another place. Bali, Myanmar, Vietnam, Hong Kong, etc

This time I'm off to Vietnam for 7 days. In spirit it is Out/In to activate my 2nd TR half, but I'm still a genuine tourist. Not all tourists travel only 2 weeks a year.

[thaibeachlovers]

Ok. But I doubt this new rule has much intelligence in it. In my case, Thailand will lose 100% on it.

I am enrolled at my university in Denmark. I have 1,600 USD/month in grant and a bit of students loan. I live most of the year in Thailand, submitting 90% of the papers over the internet. In other words, I have managed to take a Danish degree while living 10+ months a year in Thailand.

And now? If I cannot stay here at the basis of visa runs (I go to KL once a month, pretty cheap flight)?

Listen, please: I get my money from Denmark. I take these money from Denmark and put directly into the Thai economy. It is a 100% win situation for Thailand. It is totally legal, I follow all rules, I never do anything bad here, etc. So, the question is: why do Thailand want me to go back to my home country and use my money there?

Thus the lack of intelligence from these politicians. Honestly, it has been my thought, over the past couple of years, that this planet would be better off without politicians at all. They only create problems or short-sighted solutions that will later turn out actually to be more of a problem than a solution.

Look at the West. How is it going there? There should be a law against politicians and politics.

Hmm sorry but your 50k a month is not going to make a ripple on the Thai economy.

Why not go to Oz, or USA and do this? Cannot get a visa? Too expensive?

Lets face it Thailand became the Dollar store of countries when it comes to cost of living, and visa leniency - sure they don't want to remain there.

Thailand will never "get up there" as long as the infrastructure is as decrepit as it is. How many "rich" people want to come to a country where they can't even walk safely on the road because there are no pavements?

[Iumentum]

You could consider spending your holiday studying a bit thai, and get a 1 year ED visa which will be around 30.000 baht for both visa and school. I won't recommend to get ED visa for studying thai, and skip school though, because they does sometimes check up on you if you attend your class or interview you when you make your 90 day report.

why i should give money to a school i am not goin to attend?i want to be a tourist and having fun,not going to school.then even if i get that type of visa,maybe the immigration guard at the border with malaysia(or any border) will see my stamps and not let me in.i may be rich,but i am not goin to waste 30000 baht

look what happened to the guys in malaysia they got valid visas but at the border the immigration assumed they were illegal workers.what if that happens with valid ed visas

For a very long time, it has not been ok by law to be tourist for a whole year. So what you are asking for is not to be tourist, and just folly.

I was just giving a suggestion for how you could stay for a year, and attend to class a few hours 2 times a week, and actually stay here 1 year without being concerned about anything. For the issue here, it's about tourist visa border run, not ED visa. Also, with ED visa, you do not have to go to Malaysia to get a stamp, you make your 90 report at the immigration office. So in the end, using 30.000 on such visa wont be that much more expensive that the money used making visa runs.

but i like to make visa run because i like to be a tourist and visit some areas in thailand,as sungai kolok dannok hat yai koh lipe trang....or nong khai..or huai xuai(sorry if i typed it wrong) in Lao where i have a good friend.next time i planned to visit as tourist Ratchaburi Kanchanaburi and Sangkhlaburi before visa run

yes i want to be tourist for 1 year and maybe more.i like to spend my money for visa runs because its part of my tourist life.but school is not part of it

And i want a Mercedes, but we can't always get what we want. It's clear that by law it's not allowed to be tourist in Thailand for 1 year, simple as that.