no visa, cause of concern for denied entry

[mehoo]

I am a retired Australian guy . For the last 6 years i've been coming to Thailand 2 sometimes 3 times a year always on the 30 day visa waiver.

I have never extended my 30 day stay or done any of the visa run stuff, I just have my 1 month holiday and return back to Australia . As a consequence

my passport has about 18/19 visa waiver stamps in it for Thailand. My last visit was in march / april this year before the change of government

and the new regime took over things.

some time ago I finalised all the reservations , flights etc to reurn to Thailand for another 30 days holiday and due to arrive in Bangkok end of October.

again I do not have a visa and still assuming that I will get the normal 30 day visa exempt/waiver on arrival, However I have been following all the new

developments and changes that has been announced and issued by thai immigration.

Lately I have read numerous instances on this thai visa forums whereby some tourists at the Bangkok airport have been denied entry because they

"had too many visa waiver/exempt" stamps in their passport, and i seem to recall a recent story on this forum where "somebody" was asked to pay a large

amount of money to a immigration officer because they had too many waiver stamps and no visa in their passport.

I am starting to get a little worried about If I should come now in view of all the changes and often contradictory announcements by immigration and

the martial law ruling government have been doing. BOTTOM LINE IS ___ SHOULD I SERIOUSLY CONSIDER CANCELLING MY TRIP THIS TIME ?

and WHAT IS THE RISK OF ME BEING DENIED ENTRY WHEN I ARRIVE BECAUSE OF ALL THE WAIVER STAMPS IN MY PASSPORT? ?

Edited October 14, 2014 by mehoo

[Satcommlee]

They are looking for back to back visa exempt entries, where people leave the country and return immediately basically abusing the system, and they are targeting people that they think may be working here illegally...

Don't worry, you are the quality tourist that Thailand wants.

You won't get turned away.

[mehoo]

They are looking for back to back visa exempt entries, where people leave the country and return immediately basically abusing the system, and they are targeting people that they think may be working here illegally...

Don't worry, you are the quality tourist that Thailand wants.

You won't get turned away.

thank you Satcommlee for your answer to my uncertainty about still coming there.

,

1. on another note about being in Thailand at present time, is that requirement to have to carry your passport with you at all times still the law,?

2. what about the stuff I have read that foreigners can be randomly searched and questioned in the street by police or immigration ? does that

realy happen now ? or was it just questionable hoo hah that some guys posted on this site ?

3. seeing that martial law is in effect has it made much difference to still be able to have enjoyable hassle free holiday there ?

(of course I realise the biggest hassle is probably denying ( on occasions only ) the ladies and boys of the night their offers of a good time ?

[bartender100]

Just get a 60 tourist visa before you arrive then you should have no problem when you arrive, you still have plenty of time

http://www.thaiconsulatesydney.org/country/a/australia $45 AU

[mehoo]

Just get a 60 tourist visa before you arrive then you should have no problem when you arrive, you still have plenty of time

http://www.thaiconsulatesydney.org/country/a/australia $45 AU

it is impractical for me to get a visa from the thai consulate in Sydney. because I live in country town means a 7 hour train journey to city, then visa applicaions only accepted between 10 am and 12.30 am. . the train from my place does not arrive until 4.15 pm. means I stay in a hotel in city overnight, submit application next morning then go home (another 7 hour trip) and go all the way there and back ( another 14 hour journey) 1 week latter to collect passport and visa.no way I am going to do that just for a visa that presumably should not be necessary in my case anyway

[jbaldwin]

Thai immigration is targeting people who are living permanently in Thailand while working illegally. They have also made clear that the particular problem is with Russians, Koreans and Vietnamese. About 50,000 people arrive in Thailand everyday as tourists. The reports suggest that about one or two are being refused. So the question you need to ask is out of 25,000 people arriving would you be the one who most fits the profile of working illegally in Thailand. Please do not believe any posts on Thaivisa that suggests that there is any crackdown that has any impact on ordinary tourists.

Yes. Illegal you must carry your passport - this is not a new requirement. I choose not to. I have live here for 12 years and have never been asked

Yes. You can be stopped and searched. I never have been and I not know anyone that has.

Martial law has no impact. If you do not read Thaivisa during your visit then there is no way you would know Martial law is in place.

[mehoo]

Thai immigration is targeting people who are living permanently in Thailand while working illegally. They have also made clear that the particular problem is with Russians, Koreans and Vietnamese. About 50,000 people arrive in Thailand everyday as tourists. The reports suggest that about one or two are being refused. So the question you need to ask is out of 25,000 people arriving would you be the one who most fits the profile of working illegally in Thailand. Please do not believe any posts on Thaivisa that suggests that there is any crackdown that has any impact on ordinary tourists.

Yes. Illegal you must carry your passport - this is not a new requirement. I choose not to. I have live here for 12 years and have never been asked

Yes. You can be stopped and searched. I never have been and I not know anyone that has.

Martial law has no impact. If you do not read Thaivisa during your visit then there is no way you would know Martial law is in place.

hello jbaldwin,, thank you for your comment I very much appreciate what you say.

[Aachen]

Do not worry... Nothing changed for you. Behavior of Police same before. The Passport rule applies. I never been asked. Because of the martial laws everything is a little bit safer.

Hve a nice time in Thailand, Land of smiles....

,

1. on another note about being in Thailand at present time, is that requirement to have to carry your passport with you at all times still the law,?

2. what about the stuff I have read that foreigners can be randomly searched and questioned in the street by police or immigration ? does that

realy happen now ? or was it just questionable hoo hah that some guys posted on this site ?

3. seeing that martial law is in effect has it made much difference to still be able to have enjoyable hassle free holiday there ?

(of course I realise the biggest hassle is probably denying ( on occasions only ) the ladies and boys of the night their offers of a good time ?

[bartender100]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Just get a 60 tourist visa before you arrive then you should have no problem when you arrive, you still have plenty of time

http://www.thaiconsulatesydney.org/country/a/australia $45 AU

it is impractical for me to get a visa from the thai consulate in Sydney. because I live in country town means a 7 hour train journey to city, then visa applicaions only accepted between 10 am and 12.30 am. . the train from my place does not arrive until 4.15 pm. means I stay in a hotel in city overnight, submit application next morning then go home (another 7 hour trip) and go all the way there and back ( another 14 hour journey) 1 week latter to collect passport and visa.no way I am going to do that just for a visa that presumably should not be necessary in my case anyway

You don"t have to go in person, post it by register mail, get it back by return

[theoldgit]

This would be better in the Thai Visa Forum.

[ubonjoe]

No need to get a tourist visa. With your plans and past history you will have no problem entering the country and getting a 30 day entry.

It has always been a requirement you should have your passport with you. I would not worry about it to much though.

No worries about martial law and it is still safe to visit here.

[Happyman108]

Info is correct and although is an old requirement to carry passport with you, but even now with martial law is still the same. Just carry your hotel key card will be good enough (or copy passport or even your local ID card etc to prrove your indentity). Thailand need tourism money especially they knew the tourists arrivial is falling.

Thai immigration is targeting people who are living permanently in Thailand while working illegally. They have also made clear that the particular problem is with Russians, Koreans and Vietnamese. About 50,000 people arrive in Thailand everyday as tourists. The reports suggest that about one or two are being refused. So the question you need to ask is out of 25,000 people arriving would you be the one who most fits the profile of working illegally in Thailand. Please do not believe any posts on Thaivisa that suggests that there is any crackdown that has any impact on ordinary tourists.

Yes. Illegal you must carry your passport - this is not a new requirement. I choose not to. I have live here for 12 years and have never been asked

Yes. You can be stopped and searched. I never have been and I not know anyone that has.

Martial law has no impact. If you do not read Thaivisa during your visit then there is no way you would know Martial law is in place.

hello jbaldwin,, thank you for your comment I very much appreciate what you say.

[jacksam]

As usual ubonjoe answer is the correct one. Why waste the $45 plus $20 (two way registered post)

You have no worries with stamp.

I'm waiting for one of the members who like me have been living here for some time and leave Thai every 30 days for a few days and reenter using stamp. I'm retired don't work in Thailand etc. Used to love the excuse to gf that I had to leave every month for week or so. I have numerous stamps. Currently have tourist visa. Surprised no one seems to have been refused at airport with history similar to mine and trying to gain entry with stamp. Or have I missed these posts.

[NoshowJones]

Thai immigration is targeting people who are living permanently in Thailand while working illegally. They have also made clear that the particular problem is with Russians, Koreans and Vietnamese. About 50,000 people arrive in Thailand everyday as tourists. The reports suggest that about one or two are being refused. So the question you need to ask is out of 25,000 people arriving would you be the one who most fits the profile of working illegally in Thailand. Please do not believe any posts on Thaivisa that suggests that there is any crackdown that has any impact on ordinary tourists.

Yes. Illegal you must carry your passport - this is not a new requirement. I choose not to. I have live here for 12 years and have never been asked

Yes. You can be stopped and searched. I never have been and I not know anyone that has.

Martial law has no impact. If you do not read Thaivisa during your visit then there is no way you would know Martial law is in place.

I don't carry my passport with me all the time, because I don't agree with that law. I do have my car and motorbike licences with me most of the time, because I do agree that you should have some identification with you.

[SoiBiker]

We get to choose which laws we comply with now?

Awesome!

[Gillyflower]

You know, Thailand is not the only country where you must have an identity card on you at all times. I asked a cop Saturday whether it is the law here and he told me 'yes'. I asked what would happen to me, if for some reason, they stopped me and I didn't have any. Answer - taken to the 'shop' for 4 hours until identity can be verified. And this is in Europe. Most people here wouldn't dream of going out without their identity card. It's not such the big deal that so many of you make it out to be.

Edited October 15, 2014 by Gillyflower

[F4UCorsair]

Just get a 60 tourist visa before you arrive then you should have no problem when you arrive, you still have plenty of time

http://www.thaiconsulatesydney.org/country/a/australia $45 AU

it is impractical for me to get a visa from the thai consulate in Sydney. because I live in country town means a 7 hour train journey to city, then visa applicaions only accepted between 10 am and 12.30 am. . the train from my place does not arrive until 4.15 pm. means I stay in a hotel in city overnight, submit application next morning then go home (another 7 hour trip) and go all the way there and back ( another 14 hour journey) 1 week latter to collect passport and visa.no way I am going to do that just for a visa that presumably should not be necessary in my case anyway

Securing a visa shpuldn't be necessary? But if you want the peace of mind, do so, and you don"t need to take the train to Sydney.

Download the form, post it and include a registered post pack for return. It should all be done within 2 weeks.

This is 2014, not 1914, and embassies/consulates havs got their acts togethsr? Even Thailand's

.........believe it or not!

Edited October 15, 2014 by F4UCorsair

[rethaier]

Just get a 60 tourist visa before you arrive then you should have no problem when you arrive, you still have plenty of time

http://www.thaiconsulatesydney.org/country/a/australia $45 AU

it is impractical for me to get a visa from the thai consulate in Sydney. because I live in country town means a 7 hour train journey to city, then visa applicaions only accepted between 10 am and 12.30 am. . the train from my place does not arrive until 4.15 pm. means I stay in a hotel in city overnight, submit application next morning then go home (another 7 hour trip) and go all the way there and back ( another 14 hour journey) 1 week latter to collect passport and visa.no way I am going to do that just for a visa that presumably should not be necessary in my case anyway

I did mine by post thru Brisbane. Since when did you have to show up in person?

[mehoo]

Just get a 60 tourist visa before you arrive then you should have no problem when you arrive, you still have plenty of time

http://www.thaiconsulatesydney.org/country/a/australia $45 AU

it is impractical for me to get a visa from the thai consulate in Sydney. because I live in country town means a 7 hour train journey to city, then visa applicaions only accepted between 10 am and 12.30 am. . the train from my place does not arrive until 4.15 pm. means I stay in a hotel in city overnight, submit application next morning then go home (another 7 hour trip) and go all the way there and back ( another 14 hour journey) 1 week latter to collect passport and visa.no way I am going to do that just for a visa that presumably should not be necessary in my case anyway

Securing a visa shpuldn't be necessary? But if you want the peace of mind, do so, and you don"t need to take the train to Sydney.

Download the form, post it and include a registered post pack for return. It should all be done within 2 weeks.

This is 2014, not 1914, and embassies/consulates havs got their acts togethsr? Even Thailand's

.........believe it or not!

hello all who have given me their advise on this issue , however AS FOR POSTING A VISA APPLICTION THE THAI CONSULATE IN SYDNEY DOES NOT ACCEPT APPLICATIONS BY POST ANY LONGER.

that is what they have told me numerous times when I have phoned them further they said they do accept applications delivered by courier or from travel agencies but they do not post back passports , only can be collected in person or by an authorised person or courier service, no courier service operates from my town to Sydney. nearest such courier service to my town asks 180 Australian dollars to deliver and pick up in Sydney. that plus the visa fee total $250.

[ubonjoe]

It says they do them by post on their website. Courier means a service like DHL, UPS and etc. It mentions express mail service on the website which is equal to courier. http://www.thaiconsulatesydney.org/english/visa

But anyway for your trip you don't need a tourist visa. You can get a 30 day entry without a problem.

[SLESQ]

Don't worry, you are the quality tourist that Thailand wants.

You won't get turned away.

The above claim could not be more wrong. We had the experience two days ago of a denial of entry for a well known and world-travelled Vietnamese national who thought based on this website's advice of the new regs, updated 8th October 2014 that "Real Tourists arriving via an international airport will still obtain a 30 day stay...." URL can't be located but a screenshot is attached here.

This gentleman was refused a visa at the HCMC (Saigon) Thai Consulate a week before he left only because the officer there told him that no visa was needed for him to stay less than 30 days!

But on arrival, he was denied entry.... at first. There was rank confusion at the Suvarnabhumi CIQ immigration post as 10 officers in a cluster-#uck argued back and forth. When they gave the traveller a free sim card (handed to "international visitors who don't have the right to stay in the Kingdom" as the folder was plainly labeled in English), I had the opportunity to quote the cited reg and send it to them; they finally "relented" and he was granted entry but with a notation on his passport that he needs a visa the next time he comes here.

We together went to Chiang Mai immigration the next day and asked their interpretation of the published words at Paragraph 1 "Tourist Visa Waiver (visa exemption), no visa required prior to commencing travel to Thailand." The final authority at CM Immigration said (this is a true, exact quote): "This means the traveller is guaranteed a 30 days stay but he needs a visa to enter Thailand."

Haha, that is a good one; as clear as a black-out window is transparent from outside a car.

There is no good purpose in arguing with such an interpretation.

SUGGESTION: There is nothing wrong with insisting at Thai Consulates that a tourist visa be issued even when "they" say one is not needed. If a visa is denied at a Consulate for whatever subjective reason (that means it is wholly up to the immigration officer from whose decision there can be no appeal), the traveller will be spared the bother and cost of being rejected at the Thai border.

This is all the more strange as the Kingdom indeed favors visitors from Vietnam and other nations but the officials are not acting that way. Perhaps they are fearful of being criticized by the military government that they bend over backwards to NOT be criticized for allowing entry as that would be more harmful to them personally than if they wrongfully admitted even valued visitors. Rather than risk their own jobs or positions under current circumstances.... A safe even if not a good choice. There are not many government employees who would do differently.

[Mario2008]

The website you mention has nothing to do with this forum.

As far as I know Vietnamese nationals are entitled to a 30 day stay without a visa. But they are being checked if they are indeed tourists.

[TyJames]

Proof of Identity.

I do not know if the Thai authorities actually state that you have to have your passport on you at all times or simply some form of Identity. ie your Aussie Driving licence.

Many Tourist Falangs in Pattaya simply scan the Photo page of the passport, shrink it down to Wallet size, print it out and have it laminated and keep that in your Wallet, most photo shops can do this, I type my contact details on the back.It looks like an ID card.

If you are in serious trouble with the Police it will not matter if you have your Passport on you or not. Carrying your passport around greatly increases your chances of it being LOST or Stolen. If you lose your UK passport in Thailand it is a serious hazzle to get it replaced.

For long stay Falangs with the correct Visa it is well worth getting a Thai driving licence

(even if you don’t want to drive) as this is a legal Thai document with a Photo, address and your passport No. on it.

Enjoy your Holiday

Edited October 16, 2014 by ubonjoe
Changed to default font

[ToneG]

The UK Gov. website states that you have to carry your passport at all times by law. Must admit I don't like that for fear of losing.

I bought a safety wallet to carry mine around for that purpose. I've heard that in BKK stop and search has become more commonplace and they're

bound to ask to see passport so I will carry mine in BKK and then leave in the safe in HH. I've never yet been stopped by the Police so don't know if there is an increase in this in BKK, will find out in January.

[Tomtomtom69]

You know, Thailand is not the only country where you must have an identity card on you at all times. I asked a cop Saturday whether it is the law here and he told me 'yes'. I asked what would happen to me, if for some reason, they stopped me and I didn't have any. Answer - taken to the 'shop' for 4 hours until identity can be verified. And this is in Europe. Most people here wouldn't dream of going out without their identity card. It's not such the big deal that so many of you make it out to be.

Where is here? Presumably not Thailand?

You're right though - identity card is fine, passport is not. Why? Well apart from being a bulky document and the property of the respective government one is a citizen of (no it's NOT your own property) passports can be used for all sorts of fraudulent purposes if they get into the wrong hands. Also, the constant obsession with foreigner = passport screams NAZI or police state to me. OK, well Thailand is a police state now, but even before the current coup the law was the same.

I understand that in many European countries you must have some kind of identity card on you (only EU and Schengen citizen ID cards are accepted). That's not unreasonable since ID cards are the size of credit cards and can fit into your wallet. While they can also be forged and used for fraudulent purposes, compared to passports they are 1) cheaper 2) somewhat easier to replace and 3) less useful for travelling outside of Europe hence they are overall less likely to be a target for theft or being misplaced. Of course, non-EU foreigners must usually still carry their passports with them, which is why when I'm in Europe with Thai friends while I can travel around with just my Swiss or Belgian ID card, they must have their passports with them at all times.

Still, there are other countries which are far more free - Australia for example. Foreigners are not required to be in possession of their passports after arrival - just that they must adhere to their visa conditions; besides, apart from an entry stamp there is no other physical record of their stay. That's because Australia is one of the most advanced countries in the world - it no longer issues physical visa stickers but instead you get an "electronic visa", which anyone with the right to access this information can check online.

The USA is another interesting and contradictory example. In theory foreigners are supposed to carry their passports with them at all times, in practice there is legislation that prevents unreasonable searches, so normally a police officer or anyone else can't demand a passport as ID unless there is suspicion of a crime being committed. There are too many variations in the law between states for me to even know the exact rules or outline what they are here, but apart from Arizona I think your average non-citizen is NOT going to be stopped and asked for a passport just like that - besides profiling someone based on race, national origin, accent etc. is unlawful (and how would any of these factors even determine someone's nationality? Plenty of US citizens were born abroad, are brown, black or whatever but speak less than fluent English with a strong accent or fluent English but with an accent). The one exception is at border patrol checkpoints, which the US operates internally within a certain distance (up to 100 miles or 160 km) from a national border in the 4 southern states bordering Mexico and apparently in a couple of places near the Canadian border, though they tend to be a lot less likely to stop you up there. At these checkpoints, particularly the ones near Mexico, everyone is asked to verify their citizenship status and non-citizens are supposed to produce their passports.

Having said that I personally have never been asked to show my passport by a police officer or anyone else as part of any search here in Thailand. In some cases, the people I was travelling with, including citizens of such countries as Vietnam and Sri Lanka were asked, but only in isolated cases and mostly the request was made through me, not directly to them. In one case near Mae Sot heading to Myanmar my Sri Lankan friend was asked to show his passport (they only looked at the front page briefly) to verify that he isn't Burmese (i.e. Indo-Burmese). So racial profiling is ripe in Thailand but usually most of the time such checks are very brief and there some underlying assumptions which may not be unreasonable (for example, my friend who was heading to Myanmar but looked like he could be Indo-Burmese in a part of the country where illegal immigration is rife).

[ToneG]

We don't have ID cards in the UK and I move around sometimes without any form of ID. I wouldn't expect here to be holed up at the cops for 4 hours. I've travelled all over Europe and have never been advised to carry my Passport with me at all times on arrival. I've never been stopped by the Police

so I'm now wondering what would happen in say Netherlands or Spain where I go frequently with no ID card or Passport what would happen.

[paz]

We don't have ID cards in the UK and I move around sometimes without any form of ID. I wouldn't expect here to be holed up at the cops for 4 hours. I've travelled all over Europe and have never been advised to carry my Passport with me at all times on arrival. I've never been stopped by the Police

so I'm now wondering what would happen in say Netherlands or Spain where I go frequently with no ID card or Passport what would happen.

Usually in these countries if you're asked for an ID there is a good reason, so you would be delayed until you can produce one. The issue for them is to know who you are, not to fine you for not carrying an ID.

[ToneG]

_{I'm not against having an ID system in UK, but I know a lot of Human Rights type people are against it here. As said before I've never been stopped in the street I seem to fit the description to not worry the police unlike some people here in the UK. I usually carry the passport in bkk}

_{I've never been stopped there so far in my visits but I've heard there's a lot more stop and search stuff going on now.}

Edited November 15, 2014 by ubonjoe
Changed to default font

[SoiBiker]

I've been stopped by the police in the UK, in Europe, and here in Thailand. It's never been a problem, because I was never doing anything that I wasn't willing to accept the consequences of.

[TheSpade]

I've been stopped at a random checkpoint by coppers in BKK as I was in a taxi late one night. Had no passport on me. They never asked for it either.

Quick search through pockets and was sent on my way.