New rule limiting the number of 30 day visa exemption entries to six only

[STUDMEYER]

Without going back thru the whole thread, it seems to me that maybe, there is a lady IO officer, and maybe 1 supervisor at DMK that have no idea.... I *think* most people who have reported a similar problem there, the officer has been a woman? If not, I stand corrected.... where I work, some of the people I work with have no idea about interpreting directives as they come, and put their own spin on things... So u get an even application of directions........... Seems to me, this may very well be the case at DMK.

Even if the supervisor knew the officer was wrong she would be forced to support her in front of a foreigner.

However, also see the post above mentioning the "yellow box" on the computer screen.

I should also mention that neither of us have been back since the yellow box incident.

Some more details - it was a female imm. officer, she called someone over, then took my wife into the office. There were three females in the room with her explaining the situation to her. We assume one of them was the supervisor.

[winnerinsix]

Without going back thru the whole thread, it seems to me that maybe, there is a lady IO officer, and maybe 1 supervisor at DMK that have no idea.... I *think* most people who have reported a similar problem there, the officer has been a woman? If not, I stand corrected.... where I work, some of the people I work with have no idea about interpreting directives as they come, and put their own spin on things... So u get an even application of directions........... Seems to me, this may very well be the case at DMK.

Even if the supervisor knew the officer was wrong she would be forced to support her in front of a foreigner.

However, also see the post above mentioning the "yellow box" on the computer screen.

I am sorry mate, but I have seen the yellow box numerous times and means really nothing..... Usually, they just cancel it out.....I think the Officer has misunderstood her role in the implementation of the V/E rules as they stand.... It seems to me, that you were unlucky to strike her... Next time, try a queue, where there is a man, and see what happens. I am of the opinion, that what you say is true, re your experience, but the I/O is not interpreting her role correctly. Just my opinion tho.

I have seen nothing remotely like what you have described coming from immigration in way of regulation or directive, and they usually find their way into the press...

You are correct..... there really is a very small chance of the supervisor chastising the I/O in front of the punter.... I would not do it with my staff, so why would I expect them to?

[mngmn]

What Thai Embassy website was that? There is no such rule!

http://thaiembassyuk.org.uk/?q=node/55

Foreigners who enter Thailand under the Tourist Visa Exemption category and would like to leave and re-enter may only stay for a cumulative duration which does not exceed 90 days and is within a 6-month period from the date of first entry. (Passport or travel document must be valid for at least 6 months after the date of first entry).

I read that as 90 days in any six month period rolling ! , does anyone concur ?

That rule was cancelled 6 years ago when they changed it to 15 days at border crossing.

We know that but do they?

[mngmn]

Without going back thru the whole thread, it seems to me that maybe, there is a lady IO officer, and maybe 1 supervisor at DMK that have no idea.... I *think* most people who have reported a similar problem there, the officer has been a woman? If not, I stand corrected.... where I work, some of the people I work with have no idea about interpreting directives as they come, and put their own spin on things... So u get an even application of directions........... Seems to me, this may very well be the case at DMK.

Even if the supervisor knew the officer was wrong she would be forced to support her in front of a foreigner.

However, also see the post above mentioning the "yellow box" on the computer screen.

I am sorry mate, but I have seen the yellow box numerous times and means really nothing..... Usually, they just cancel it out.....I think the Officer has misunderstood her role in the implementation of the V/E rules as they stand.... It seems to me, that you were unlucky to strike her... Next time, try a queue, where there is a man, and see what happens. I am of the opinion, that what you say is true, re your experience, but the I/O is not interpreting her role correctly. Just my opinion tho.

I have seen nothing remotely like what you have described coming from immigration in way of regulation or directive, and they usually find their way into the press...

You are correct..... there really is a very small chance of the supervisor chastising the I/O in front of the punter.... I would not do it with my staff, so why would I expect them to?

Thanks for your thoughts on this - very useful.

Seems like the yellow box might just be an alert to maybe look at other aspects of the passenger and most officers know to just cancel it if there is nothing they don't like about the passenger.

My confidence to try for a visa exempt entry again is growing but for various reasons I can't control which airport.

Funny if massive queues form in front of male officers while everyone ignores female officers. Love the idea I am a "punter".

[ubonjoe]

That rule was cancelled 6 years ago when they changed it to 15 days at border crossing.

We know that but do they?

Of course immigration knows about it. It's not like it happened recently.

There are reports from people on this topic that have not any problem after having numerous visa exempt entries.

[mngmn]

That rule was cancelled 6 years ago when they changed it to 15 days at border crossing.

We know that but do they?

Of course immigration knows about it. It's not like it happened recently.

There are reports from people on this topic that have not any problem after having numerous visa exempt entries.

Sorry but since joining this forum find it hard to contain my sarcasm regarding "rules".

There just seems to be an endless stream of posts describing cases like mine where the rules have simply been misapplied or ignored.

I know it comes with the territory (i.e. Thailand) but frustration bubbles to the surface sometimes.

[mngmn]

I should probably mention that I have got a couple of PMs from people who had the same thing happen to them but don't want to run the gauntlet of disbelief and derogatory comments that seems to follow a public posting.

[paz]

I should probably mention that I have got a couple of PMs from people who had the same thing happen to them but don't want to run the gauntlet of disbelief and derogatory comments that seems to follow a public posting.

That seems a strange attitude. One can just say "so it happened" and it ends there. Please ask them to report when it where it happened.

[mrtoad]

I should probably mention that I have got a couple of PMs from people who had the same thing happen to them but don't want to run the gauntlet of disbelief and derogatory comments that seems to follow a public posting.

I don't doubt it happened, it's just sound ridiculous but they often seem to make it up as they go along.

[ubonjoe]

Some posts have been removed that crossed the line a bit for not being civil.

[mngmn]

Some posts have been removed that crossed the line a bit for not being civil.

Noted and appreciated.

[joepattaya1961]

Rubbish

Do you mean I am talking rubbish or that I was told rubbish?

Most probably the latter.

Rules in Thailand are made up in your presence.

If the immigration officer has a bad day or didn't sleep well or doesn't like your face he will come up with this kind of c_r_ap.

[Prbkk]

Please let the OP tell me why he got excluded from this new rule. If there was that rule in place for a month (which nobody has read about in official papers) he would be refused.

The supervisor told me I was "lucky" to be granted entry this time but would definitely be refused next time.

I think we all agree that this is not an official, published rule. I am certain that in many other countries I could appeal or make a complaint but I feel that doing so in Thailand would only serve to make my situation worse.

I will be leaving again next week (not sure if Don Muang or Swampy) and will talk to immigration at the airport when I leave. However, I have already been reassured once by an immigration officer at the airport that I would not have a problem continuing my current pattern of entries into Thailand.

Yes, same here. I have asked twice and received conflicting answers. The first, consistent with the advice from the regular posters here, was that my pattern of travel ( usually 10 days a month in Thailand, always from and to long distance origin/destination) represented tourism and that I should continue to use the visa exempt entry without concern ( this advice from the senior officer at the exit point just after immigration at BKK). Great , I was comfortable with tat.

Following discussion on here and after being questioned on arrival about the frequency of my entry stamps, I asked again on exit and got an entirely different answer: " you must get visa", "this is visa running". The rather unpleasant chap in charge looked at my passport, saw an old Lao visa, and without any real information ( and certainly not interested in what I was asking was FIRM that this represented too many visa exempt entries and had to stop ( he wasn't interested in the fact that my entry to Laos was not from Thailand or that I exited laos to Vietnam and then on to Japan).

This guy just saw farang, frequent, laos...and jumped to conclusions. He kind of shouted, in a Thai way.

I do have investments in Thailand but I am passive in their management. I am a high spending tourist rather than a resident. I had planned to consider retirement visa but having second thoughts.

While I have been back to Thailand a couple of times since that incident( without issue), I have reduced the frequency and duration of my trips. I like Thailand but don't need the hassle and uncertainty about the visa exempt.

maybe the unpleasant chap at BKK was having a bad day...who knows...but it was sufficiently disconcerting for me to choose to spend more leisure time in other destinations and less in Thailand. How Thailand wins from that scenario, repeated X thousands probably, is a mystery.

When I related the incident to someone I know in a senior role in the tourism industry, he groaned and put his head in his hands. He knows this is damaging the high value , repeat tourist market.

[mngmn]

Please let the OP tell me why he got excluded from this new rule. If there was that rule in place for a month (which nobody has read about in official papers) he would be refused.

The supervisor told me I was "lucky" to be granted entry this time but would definitely be refused next time.

I think we all agree that this is not an official, published rule. I am certain that in many other countries I could appeal or make a complaint but I feel that doing so in Thailand would only serve to make my situation worse.

I will be leaving again next week (not sure if Don Muang or Swampy) and will talk to immigration at the airport when I leave. However, I have already been reassured once by an immigration officer at the airport that I would not have a problem continuing my current pattern of entries into Thailand.

Yes, same here. I have asked twice and received conflicting answers. The first, consistent with the advice from the regular posters here, was that my pattern of travel ( usually 10 days a month in Thailand, always from and to long distance origin/destination) represented tourism and that I should continue to use the visa exempt entry without concern ( this advice from the senior officer at the exit point just after immigration at BKK). Great , I was comfortable with tat.

Following discussion on here and after being questioned on arrival about the frequency of my entry stamps, I asked again on exit and got an entirely different answer: " you must get visa", "this is visa running". The rather unpleasant chap in charge looked at my passport, saw an old Lao visa, and without any real information ( and certainly not interested in what I was asking was FIRM that this represented too many visa exempt entries and had to stop ( he wasn't interested in the fact that my entry to Laos was not from Thailand or that I exited laos to Vietnam and then on to Japan).

This guy just saw farang, frequent, laos...and jumped to conclusions. He kind of shouted, in a Thai way.

I do have investments in Thailand but I am passive in their management. I am a high spending tourist rather than a resident. I had planned to consider retirement visa but having second thoughts.

While I have been back to Thailand a couple of times since that incident( without issue), I have reduced the frequency and duration of my trips. I like Thailand but don't need the hassle and uncertainty about the visa exempt.

maybe the unpleasant chap at BKK was having a bad day...who knows...but it was sufficiently disconcerting for me to choose to spend more leisure time in other destinations and less in Thailand. How Thailand wins from that scenario, repeated X thousands probably, is a mystery.

When I related the incident to someone I know in a senior role in the tourism industry, he groaned and put his head in his hands. He knows this is damaging the high value , repeat tourist market.

Thanks for sharing this information. Your story does rather put me off checking at the airport again on my way out. What's the point anyway? It seems that the so called "rules" are being applied in a totally arbitrary manner. Have now heard enough similar stories to form the opinion that there is definitely a trend here.

If you read the recent posts on this forum it seems like random "rules" are being applied to retirement and spouse visas as well. So I wonder if they are really an option unless you have all the time in the world time to organise your life around unwritten and ever-changing rules.

In the past, Thailand has done very well out of the people who have inclination, time and money to visit on a regular basis. Once we are gone it will most likely be difficult to convince us to come back.

Edited November 10, 2014 by mngmn

[mngmn]

OK just spent 15 minutes with two very professional immigration officers at Swampy. They are emphatic that there is no rule limiting the number of visa exempt entries if arriving by air. I explained my pattern of travel to Thailand and they confirmed that this was quite acceptable under the current rules.

They had no concrete advice on what to do if challenged again at Don Muang but we parted agreeing that I now had more "confidence" as a result of being clear on the rules.

Conversation was mainly English but with critical questions repeated in Thai and receiving the same answer.

[bkkbarnstormer]

OK just spent 15 minutes with two very professional immigration officers at Swampy. They are emphatic that there is no rule limiting the number of visa exempt entries if arriving by air. I explained my pattern of travel to Thailand and they confirmed that this was quite acceptable under the current rules.

They had no concrete advice on what to do if challenged again at Don Muang but we parted agreeing that I now had more "confidence" as a result of being clear on the rules.

Conversation was mainly English but with critical questions repeated in Thai and receiving the same answer.

I travel in/out of Swampy quite regularly on visa exemptions and have never had any problems. I also checked with Immigration officers there and was told what I was doing was fine. Last month I entered through DM and had a few dicey moments as she leafed through my passport counting entries.

DM seems to be interpreting rules differently perhaps because it is home to the low cost airlines and attracts more regional trips / visa runners?

[cgphuket]

I got the reverse last year. Was working in Malaysia and my company was too dodgy to get me a visa or work permit. After my 3rd return from holiday in Thailand Im was told by Malay immigration I would not be allowed another entry without an official visa. I am sure this happened to you in Thailand and like everything else here. There is no consistency from one office to another.

[mngmn]

I am sure that Air Asia, Nok, etc... are thrilled if they know. My experience is definitely pushing me towards Bangkok Air and a Swampy arrival for a trip to Cambodia later in the year.

But hey TIT after all Maybe that is what this is all about anyway.

[mngmn]

Just entered through Swampy on a 30 day visa exemption after three days out of Thailand without a hint of a problem.

My advice, avoid Don Muang like the plague. Cheaper airfare not worth the immigration hassle.

[jacksam]

Isn't this frustrating. Go to a certain airport to avoid hassle. I just wish there was set rules on visa exempt stamps. That way people could work out exactly when/if they needed a visa.

[mngmn]

Isn't this frustrating. Go to a certain airport to avoid hassle. I just wish there was set rules on visa exempt stamps. That way people could work out exactly when/if they needed a visa.

TIT? Will become even more frustrating for the airlines that operate out of Don Muang if this becomes widely known.

[Cat Samui]

Hello, Im a Philippine national with 1 year Non B Visa multiple and with work permit. I'm based in Koh Samui. Do I need to go for border run every 90 days or can I just go to Nathon Immigration to get a stamp? My thai employer insists I do the border run but the visa company who organize visa run says, I don't need to go out.

[Mario2008]

You need to do a order run, unless you qualify and apply for a 1 year extension of stay.

[ubonjoe]

Hello, Im a Philippine national with 1 year Non B Visa multiple and with work permit. I'm based in Koh Samui. Do I need to go for border run every 90 days or can I just go to Nathon Immigration to get a stamp? My thai employer insists I do the border run but the visa company who organize visa run says, I don't need to go out.

If you have multiple entry non-b visa from an embassy or consulate you have to leave the country every 90 days.

If actually have an extension of stay that you applied for at immigration and a multiple re-entry permit you do 90 day reports to immigration.

[shoboshi]

Hi, I need ur help urgent!

I came to bkk last night via don meung, they told me I have been in and out 6 times, another time will be deny entry to thailand. I will be out of Thai on 16 feb back again on 26 feb! What can I do, can u pls advice. Is going to suvanambhumi airport better?

[paz]

Hi, I need ur help urgent!

I came to bkk last night via don meung, they told me I have been in and out 6 times, another time will be deny entry to thailand. I will be out of Thai on 16 feb back again on 26 feb! What can I do, can u pls advice. Is going to suvanambhumi airport better?

After some confusion, now it seems that is just a computer warning and is looked by few offices only.

I think that for a next time if you carry Bt 10,000 cash, and an outgoing ticket and immigration will have no legal basis to deny you entry.

Edited February 4, 2015 by paz

[ubonjoe]

There is no 6 entry rule. I have seen no reports of anybody being denied entry for it.

The only basis they would have to deny entry is for lack of financial proof (10k baht cash) or suspicion of working here.

[watcharacters]

Please let the OP tell me why he got excluded from this new rule. If there was that rule in place for a month (which nobody has read about in official papers) he would be refused.

The supervisor told me I was "lucky" to be granted entry this time but would definitely be refused next time.

I think we all agree that this is not an official, published rule. I am certain that in many other countries I could appeal or make a complaint but I feel that doing so in Thailand would only serve to make my situation worse.

I will be leaving again next week (not sure if Don Muang or Swampy) and will talk to immigration at the airport when I leave. However, I have already been reassured once by an immigration officer at the airport that I would not have a problem continuing my current pattern of entries into Thailand.

Yes, same here. I have asked twice and received conflicting answers. The first, consistent with the advice from the regular posters here, was that my pattern of travel ( usually 10 days a month in Thailand, always from and to long distance origin/destination) represented tourism and that I should continue to use the visa exempt entry without concern ( this advice from the senior officer at the exit point just after immigration at BKK). Great , I was comfortable with tat.

Following discussion on here and after being questioned on arrival about the frequency of my entry stamps, I asked again on exit and got an entirely different answer: " you must get visa", "this is visa running". The rather unpleasant chap in charge looked at my passport, saw an old Lao visa, and without any real information ( and certainly not interested in what I was asking was FIRM that this represented too many visa exempt entries and had to stop ( he wasn't interested in the fact that my entry to Laos was not from Thailand or that I exited laos to Vietnam and then on to Japan).

This guy just saw farang, frequent, laos...and jumped to conclusions. He kind of shouted, in a Thai way.

I do have investments in Thailand but I am passive in their management. I am a high spending tourist rather than a resident. I had planned to consider retirement visa but having second thoughts.

While I have been back to Thailand a couple of times since that incident( without issue), I have reduced the frequency and duration of my trips. I like Thailand but don't need the hassle and uncertainty about the visa exempt.

maybe the unpleasant chap at BKK was having a bad day...who knows...but it was sufficiently disconcerting for me to choose to spend more leisure time in other destinations and less in Thailand. How Thailand wins from that scenario, repeated X thousands probably, is a mystery.

When I related the incident to someone I know in a senior role in the tourism industry, he groaned and put his head in his hands. He knows this is damaging the high value , repeat tourist market.

Thanks for sharing this information. Your story does rather put me off checking at the airport again on my way out. What's the point anyway? It seems that the so called "rules" are being applied in a totally arbitrary manner. Have now heard enough similar stories to form the opinion that there is definitely a trend here.

If you read the recent posts on this forum it seems like random "rules" are being applied to retirement and spouse visas as well. So I wonder if they are really an option unless you have all the time in the world time to organise your life around unwritten and ever-changing rules.

In the past, Thailand has done very well out of the people who have inclination, time and money to visit on a regular basis. Once we are gone it will most likely be difficult to convince us to come back.

" It seems that the so called "rules" are being applied in a totally arbitrary manner." Easily one of the most accurate statements I've seen as yet on this forum.

Good luck.

[shoboshi]

So the 6 entry rules is not for real, is suvarn a better airport than don meung?

[ubonjoe]

So the 6 entry rules is not for real, is suvarn a better airport than don meung?

I have seen no reports for anybody having problems on entry at Suv (bkk). Never a mention of the purported 6 day rule.