Refused Entry at Bangkok Immigration

[tlock]

I actually hang back a bit, watch the different queues, and choose the line that seems to be moving quickly with a smiling IO, and have never been questioned in 9 years. When getting in line you get to choose your IO.

[worldfun]

tlock,

that's a great strategy while I always try to go for 'short lane' speed is indeed a better choice.

now this tread has been amazingly short of real insightful hints on whats going on in terms of latest enforcement, frequency & specifics of denials or more importantly flagged experiences & lengthy interviews with subsequent entry ... which in fact I just got this friday for the first time I think...

Surely I would match the 6+ entries with over 10 days stay as last year or so I tend to come for long weekends or often 8-15days too but still majority of time spent outside LOS so really why would that indicate I'm working in Thailand which I'm not lol!? No there is no answer to this & this confirms that there is no logic in this system...just a poor though out flagging or at least poor filtering of suspects.

In my case I was at don muang in left most lane 'foreigner' before thai which I think I use most times & it's a woman officer who flagged 3 other elder foreign males which also in their case as far I saw were asked nothing in the area of working but all in direction of why not getting other types of visa instead the free one?

I kept explaining that I come for various valid exempt reasons be it holiday (which current stay indeed is), visits, meetings etc.

I believe the system showed some 35 entries over last 1-2 years/current passport? and main point they often question (without calling to office questioning) is why I had visa extensions in the past but not now like if totally not getting circumstances change (like I worked/lived in Thailand previously but now only visit!

Most importantly dear visitors/abusers: The other guys with me in office seemed to agree they should indeed get another visa next time & thus they were told this was the last time they would be stamped in for free! Also they were asked by staff to call up their gf/wifes to explain/translate as IO including superiour seem unable/unwiling to speak english keep asking could I please speak Thai with them although clearly their eng was better than my thai!

So stick to your horses if you have genuine cause to visit & there will indeed be no limit or be willing to adapt a new visa strategy or risk denial

perhaps lowcost/donmuang airport is cause of main crackdown? I never saw this much scrutiny at swampy...

Good luck!

[medkhai]

I read an article immigration has a new big boss now who on his first day rounded up all his subordinate in a room and told them I know all the scams going on. The article then listed all of them quoting him.

So probably immigration is very tight right now.

[worldfun]

and I read that no more visa runs

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/security/692868/govt-bans-foreigner-visa-runs-to-borders

[hawker9000]

At B1900 the 30d extension option is comparable to the border run in terms of price; and at least WRT Chaeng Wattana in Bangkok, consumes less time (if you go at the recommended times). It won't help you if you're a repeater since you can only do it once though. Speaking for myself, I would no longer use border runs even for activating 2nd or 3rd entries on a multi-entry tourist visa. It just sounds like something that's almost equally subject to IO "discretion", "policy" (or whatever you want to call it), not to mention blanket prohibition on a moment's notice. It's now become a game for the risk-takers and those with, for whatever reason, no practical choice.

It'll be interesting to see if this latest is just the typical Thai knee-jerk after the Bangkok bomb. But since the initial border-run "crackdown" back in May 2014, there does seem to have been a sustained, if badly coordinated, campaign against long-stayers. That together with the "Chinese shift" doesn't really sound promising for the Thai tourist industry, esp. that segment that has been catering through the years to farangs. Some short-sighted and smug expats, particularly the better off, will see this as a good thing ... until dwindling farang-derived revenues finally leave them in the crosshairs for exploitation and blame for the country's accumulating ills. You already hear more & more of them starting to talk about moving to Cambodia or Vietnam or wherever; some have already left. Not surprising.

[ukrules]

At B1900 the 30d extension option is comparable to the border run in terms of price; and at least WRT Chaeng Wattana in Bangkok, consumes less time (if you go at the recommended times). It won't help you if you're a repeater since you can only do it once though. Speaking for myself, I would no longer use border runs even for activating 2nd or 3rd entries on a multi-entry tourist visa. It just sounds like something that's almost equally subject to IO "discretion", "policy" (or whatever you want to call it), not to mention blanket prohibition on a moment's notice. It's now become a game for the risk-takers and those with, for whatever reason, no practical choice.

It'll be interesting to see if this latest is just the typical Thai knee-jerk after the Bangkok bomb. But since the initial border-run "crackdown" back in May 2014, there does seem to have been a sustained, if badly coordinated, campaign against long-stayers. That together with the "Chinese shift" doesn't really sound promising for the Thai tourist industry, esp. that segment that has been catering through the years to farangs. Some short-sighted and smug expats, particularly the better off, will see this as a good thing ... until dwindling farang-derived revenues finally leave them in the crosshairs for exploitation and blame for the country's accumulating ills. You already hear more & more of them starting to talk about moving to Cambodia or Vietnam or wherever; some have already left. Not surprising.

I believe you're correct in what you say here, I've noticed a distinct pattern of changes since about two months before the coup last year.

The head of immigration for the whole country has been changed several times during this period of time.

Certain embassies in Europe and other places appear to be refusing to issue visas to people who have been to Thailand on a visa 'recently', one that immediately springs to mind is the Paris embassy which from what I've read has been particularly nasty to repeat visitors.

Since I first read about these kind of reports last year there appears to have been something of a slowly accumulating escalation in this type of thing.

[tropo]

First thing I would have done would have been to ask them to speak with my GF to explain the situation and clarify the decision.

Secondly speaking some amount of understandable Thai goes a very long way in Thailand when dealing with people in positions of power eg police,immigration etc.

I have been on rotation in the UK 21/21 for the past year and was stopped in April and questioned why I travel here so often,I have daughter and house etc and explained in Thai and the woman in question was satisfied.

It may well be a fair warning to others that they are clamping down now,especially in light of the recent bombings in Bangkok.

Who knows.

Your work pattern is typical of many butwholly different to the OP who has had 2 lengthy spells.

I think your explanation in Thai or English would have been perfectly acceptable.

I have this discusssion with someone in a similar situation to you - at point are you viewed to be living in Thailand and traveling overseas to work. Would that warrant the suggestion that you should be here on a visa/extension. Your proficiency in Thai may support such view

Proficiency in Thai would be more likely to indicate a traveler could be working here. They certainly would have more chance of finding work.

[FarangTraveler]

On 9/2/2015 at 5:26 AM, cryan said:

Thanks everyone for your comments,

My Girlfriend went to Immigration in Bangkok and had paperwork filled out for appeal,

She had with her my Current Work Contract plus other paperwork, hopefully will get a response in the next week or 2.

I have never over stayed my allotted time in thailand and i dont have any shady background.

there was a lot of things i could have and should have done on the night but hindsight is a great thing,

when your awake and travelling 18-20 hours, after having a few drinks on the plane tiredness creeps in and things get missed,

i have pasted what was stamped in passport

there isn't a Thai embassy in Ireland only a Consulate, i can apply for Tourist Visa in through Consulate in Ireland, but will do when i haven Passport,

its annoying as i was planning on coming back to Ireland on 13th this month to apply for new passport as i had only 2 pages free in current passport.

I have Iraqi visa in passport and easily seen i have from stamps dates in entered and left that country

Hi. I looked in your posts to see what ever became of this and I noticed you made it back into Thailand eventually. I'm curious if this appeal ever went through and was approved or if you just returned without the appeal being appoved got in anyways. Can you please share any details you might have as I also received a stamp similar to yours (though my denial was due to lack of funds as I had no cash on me other than $100, only in bank account) and wondering how long I have until i can return to Thailand. Currently living in Cambodia where I never thought I'd end up staying longer than a day in and not happy here. Thanks