Here We Go! America's Message To Citizens

[jaloochapurr]

Attention American Citizens:

The Thai Immigration Bureau recently announced a change in Visa Regulations that is scheduled to go into effect on October 1, 2006. This change will affect citizens of 39 countries, including American citizens, who are exempt from obtaining a Thai visa prior to entering Thailand. Effective October 1, 2006, American citizens who enter Thailand without a visa will be allowed to stay in Thailand for 30 days per visit as before. However, the total duration of stay in Thailand for American citizens who enter Thailand without a visa cannot exceed 90 days in any six-month period, counting from the date of first entry.

American citizens who wish to remain in Thailand for longer than 90 days during any six-month period will be required to obtain a valid Thai visa from a Thai Embassy or Consulate that is authorized to issue visas. The U.S. Embassy advises all American citizens who wish to obtain a Thai visa to contact the Thai Immigration Bureau for exact visa requirements and regulations. Persons who do not comply with the new visa regulations risk being denied reentry to Thailand at the border.

The U.S. Embassy has been attempting to seek clarifications and additional information from the Thai Immigration Bureau regarding the change in visa regulations. To date the Embassy has been unable to determine whether American citizens who have been in Thailand for 90 days or longer without a visa before October 1, 2006 will be considered to have reached their 90-day limit on October 1, 2006, or whether the 90 days will start from the first time the American citizen crosses the border into Thailand after the new regulation goes into effect. When/if the Embassy receives a definitive answer to this question we will post that information on the Embassy’s web site at: http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/index.htm.

On a related note, while most border crossings in Thailand are open as normal, the September 19 coup in Thailand has caused intermittent closures at some border crossings. Border crossings into Burma are primarily affected by these closures, but the Embassy has also received sporadic reports of closures at some border crossings on the Lao and Cambodian borders. American citizens traveling by land to neighboring countries are advised to check at the border crossing point where they wish to cross the border to ensure that the border crossing point is open for business in both directions. Please note that in some instances a border crossing point has been open for business on the Thai side of the border, but closed on the neighboring side.

[jdinasia]

Dupe thread

[Maizefarmer]

Is that a genuine message from the Bkk embassy - it tells us nothing we didnt work out ourselves a long time back - in fact it tells us less than what forum members already know.

What did they write it for - what has it helped: they cant work out if 90 days prior to the first will be counted towards the 90 days after the 1st: hasn't it already been made very clear that 90 days prior to the 1st will NOT be counted towards 90 days after the 1st. Has that not aleready been firmly stated by a number of officials.

You stand a chance of been refused entry if you have exceeded your day quota - yes, we know that.

Border crossings - those open and closed: forum members were onto that issue within minutes of it happening - and now a week later most of the boarder crossings are in any event back to normal and the embassy is just picking up on it!

Sorry, but I have a thing or two about the embassy and the advise/help it gives out - I have learnt over the years that there is nothing we cant establish from other sources long before the embassy makes any statement about it. In summary: the one place we should be able to turn to for quick accuarte answers to matters is often woefully lacking in just that.

Someone put me in my place if you disagree with what I have said here.

Tim

[Tywais]

What did they write it for

To inform individuals who may not be members of Thaivisa and not aware of the new circumstances.

Whether the current information on TV is 100% will be known more clearly in October. The information on Thaivisa and the various medias have been inconsistant but more due to immigration vacillating and interpretation of the rules then anything else.

[Firefan]

I am actually pretty impressed..... most embassies have done NOTHING... Cheers!

[PeaceBlondie]

Hooray; we appear to have a good embassy.

It's a govt. bureaucracy that doesn't consider the interviews reported in the English speaking press, or on ThaiVisa, as an authority. Note their terms which seem to say the Thai Immigration Bureau hasn't made it clear to the embassy.

The embassy's duty is to be conservative, to warn its citizens even about minor hazards, etc. They don't publish rumors as facts. Well, other parts of the State Department might.......