Urgent Visa Help. Can i do a border run and change passports?

[Geeforce]

Hi,

I have 2 passports, UK & Aussie.

I have been coming and going into Thailand for the last 4 months on my Uk passport. 2 straight in / out visa runs to Mai sai, a 2 week trip to Aus by air, and most recently a week long trip to Luang Prabang and back via land crossing. All on UK passport.

I have just recently got a 2 month tourist visa in my Aussie passport and had it sent to me here. I now want to go out of the country and come back in using the Aussie passport and use my tourist visa.

Can i do this at Mai Sai, walking out and then back in?

Any help would be much appreciated as i only have a few days left on my 30 days on arrival via.

cheers

[ubonjoe]

You cannot do it at a border crossing. They check for entry and departure stamps for the other country when you re-enter. The other country will also check for a Thai departure stamp.

You can only do it by air. Immigration at the airport does not check for the stamps.

[Geeforce]

Many thanks for the speedy reply Ubonjoe, much appreciated. You're a legend!

[maswov]

If you enter any country other than the one the passport is issued in then you must at some point leave the country with that passport. Regardless of whether the stamps are checked at immigration, you are still in the database as being in the country. If at anytime you ever go back to that country using the same passport there could be some problems. UAE actually contacted my Navy command about a guy who flew in to the country and left on the ship and never stamped out. A few months later they were looking for him to collect a hefty fine.

[FiestyFarang]

Hi,

Maybe I am missing something here but why can't you leave on your UK Passport which has your Entry stamp and then re-enter on your Australian Passport, too easy? Ubonjoe might be right in most cases (I am not sure if it is now on the computer) but I have been delayed at an airport whilst they checked my Passport for a long time, I presume the stamps, anyway this should not apply to you. I am gld I have a one year Visa now where I just go to the local Immigration about 10kms away every three months, so sick of Visa Runs. If you re-enter on your Australian Passport and they query it show them your UK Passport. The real problem you might have is if you are regarded as a real "Tourist" If you are not working and can prove you have adequate funds, recent bank statement, or cash it should not be a problem, I think but not sure for an individual it is 20,000THB per month of stay but you can call Immigration and ask if needed.

[Scouse123]

GeeForce,

I have two passports and have done what you wish to do and what Fiestyfarang has mentioned. I did it for different reasons which was I was filling up a new passport too quickly and had a few spaces left on my old one. As you all know the amount of space a visa takes in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia etc.

My last trip, I actually left by air on one passport and entered the next country using another. No problem at all. I have done it at land crossings too in the past, if you have actually left a country, your legal visa obligations are finished to that particular country. Entering a new country, your visa regulations start. There are plenty of frequent travellers who use two legal passports.

I think if passport officers are looking at length at a passport they are more likely to be looking at back to back entries for their own country and not interested beyond that.

[ubonjoe]

No problem to do a passport swap by air.

There have been many reports on this forum about people trying to do one at a border crossing and almost getting stuck in no mans land. And ending up coming back on the original passport.

Not allowed to enter the other country on the 2nd passport. Entered and departed on the one they left Thailand on. Then not allowed to enter Thailand because of no departure stamp for Thailand in their other passport. Etc, etc and etc.

[misterphil]

I had to do this before. Like Ubon Joe says, you cant do it at a border crossing, but you can do it by air. I flew to Singapore, took the wife out for dinner and flew back the next day. Just switched passports on my way back to Thailand. No problem at all.